Datasheet

3
Chapter 1: A Framework for Enterprise Applications
Mary: “I don’t know what role-based security is but that sounds right.”
Me: “What about an audit trail? Would you like to see any changes to a request or to security in the sys-
tem? For example, if someone went into the application and gave someone access to a report, the system
would capture that and you can print a report of all those changes. Would you like to track that?”
Mary: “I suppose so. I really didn’t think about it but my manager would probably like it and those folks
from QA that periodically audit our process would probably like to see that too. Could you do that?”
Me: “Yes, that can be done. What about viewing the requests? Do you need different views such as out-
standing requests, cancelled requests, requests by manager, or requests by department? You don’t have
to know all the different variations now, but I could build the system to enable you to view the data in
different ways without having to log a support ticket for a custom report. I could even put these views
on a home page so you can see right away what needs action.”
Mary: “A home page? Yes, I like that idea.”
Me: “OK, I have enough information for now. I’ll come back to you later to flush out the rest of the
requirements. Can we agree that you need a system that has a workflow for processing requests, report-
ing capabilities, role-based security, a home page, e-mail notifications, querying capabilities, and an
audit trail?”
Mary: “I’m not sure what querying capabilities are, but I trust you. Also, it must be easy to use and con-
sistent. I don’t want some screens that are green and others that are blue, with all different fonts.”
Me: “We’ll take care of it. I’ll be back soon with more questions about your process but I have enough
for now. I look forward to working with you.”
Mary: “Thanks for taking the time. I hope you fare better than the last guy did.”
In addition to the preceding requirements that came out of the discussion with Mary, there are also a
few IT requirements for all applications within the organization. The IT department requires that noth-
ing can be installed on any user’s desktop, and all in-house built applications require the use of single
sign on. IT should not be involved in administering the application except from the standpoint of sup-
plying a server and providing an SLA for uptime.
Now that Mary has given us a general idea of her requirements, I’ll show you how you can transform
this into an application — from concept to design to development. I hope you stick around for the rest
of the conversation with Mary; it will get fun.
Design
As stated earlier, the solution consists of an ASP.NET 3.5 web application using the three-layer archi-
tecture. The following chapters expand on the general requirements and develop a fully functioning
robust enterprise application. The following sections provide a brief outline of each chapter to give you
a brief introduction to each topic.
96865c01.indd 3 12/17/08 2:06:02 PM