white paper

Sybase Unwired Platform 2.0

Development Paradigm

www.sybase.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Sybase Unwired Platform
1 Mobile Application Development
2 Mobile Business Object (MBO) Development
4 Mobile Business Object Development in Eclipse
4 Device Application Development
4 Hybrid Web containerbased development (Mobile Workflows)
5 SAP Workflow Mobilized Using Sybase Unwired Platform
6 Native Application Development
6 Summary

Sybase Unwired Platform

Sybase Unwired Platform is a flexible, open infrastructure that helps companies create, secure and manage mobile
applications that connect back-end data sources to mobile devices (see Figure 1). This mobile enterprise application
platform enables you to respond strategically as your device type and data source needs evolve, whether because of
corporate acquisitions or system or technology upgrades.
The main components of the Sybase Unwired Platform are:
Sybase Unwired WorkSpace, which provides a graphical environment for developing the data aspects of mobile
applications using Mobile Business Objects
Mobile Workflow Forms Designer, which enables architects to mobilize workflows and business processes quickly
using hybrid Web container technology
Sybase Control Center, which allows administrators to administer, manage and monitor Sybase Unwired Platform
Sybase Unwired Server, the middleware component, which provides the runtime infrastructure
The key technical features of the Sybase Unwired Platform include:
Heterogeneous native device development: iPhone/iPad, Windows Mobile, Windows 32 laptops/tablets, BlackBerry
HTML/CSS/JS-based development for workflow applications: iPhone/iPad, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Android
4GL rapid application development (RAD) tooling and data source integration
Out-of-the-box integration with enterprise applications (such as SAP or databases) and a full Web services stack
Ability to mobilize multiple applications and business processes
Integrated device management and security

Connect

Databases

Consume

Create

Heterogeneous
data sources

Heterogeneous
mobile devices

Eclipse

Android

Sybase Unwired Platform

(Mobile Workflow only)

BlackBerry
iPhone

Web
Services

Software
Applications

Mobile
Business
Objects

Workflows

iPad
Windows

Native
Applications

Windows Mobile

Management Console

Control

Device and server

management and security
Figure 1.

Mobile Application Development

The primary considerations you must address when developing mobile applications are data and its associated
synchronization, the device-resident presentation and business logic. The Sybase Unwired Platform provides the tools
developers need to focus on each of these requirements. At the root of the Sybase Unwired Platform development
paradigm is the separation between the:
data tier and its link with the enterprise information system (EIS), and the
user interface and business logic of the application.
1

Sybase Unwired Platform provides tools that enable mobile application development in both these domains (see
Figure 2). To address the data aspects of the mobile application, the Sybase Unwired Platform uses mobile business
objects (MBO). MBO development refers to defining object data models with back-end EIS connections, attributes,
operations and relationships that allow filtered data sets to be synchronized to the device. This aspect of Sybase
Unwired Platform development is supported within Eclipse.
Sybase Unwired Platform supports the development tasks associated with the user interface and logic in two
paradigms. It enables developers to:
Build native applications using programming languages native to a mobile operating system (or build the
application in an integrated development environment, or IDE, using the generated API)
Build lightweight Mobile Workflow applications using a hybrid Web container-driven approach, in which HTML/
CSS/JS drives the application interface and logic.
This paper will help you understand how to develop mobile applications with Sybase Unwired Platform using each
of these approaches.
Sybase Unwired Platform Development Task Flow
Develop
Mobile
Business
Objects

Deploy Mobile
Business
Objects to
Unwired Server

Develop
Device
Application

Generate
Device
Object Code

Deploy and
Test on
Emulator

Deploy and
Test on
Device

Sybase Unwired Platform Development Tools

Unwired WorkSpace Mobile
Business Object Development Tool (Eclipse)
BlackBerry
Java

iOS
Objective C

Windows
C#

Windows Mobile
C#

Native Device Application Development Tools

BlackBerry Eclipse JDE Plug-in

Windows Mobile Visual Studio

Windows Visual Studio

iOS Xcode

Unwired WorkSpace Workflow Development Tool (Eclipse)

Android

iOS

Windows Mobile

BlackBerry

Figure 2.

Mobile Business Object (MBO) Development

MBOs encapsulate business process logic
and data into a reusable unit (see Figure 3).

Enterprise System

Device Representation

The Sybase Unwired Platform includes the

Eclipse development environment, which
contains tools designed for MBO development
and deployment. These Eclipse tools support
online and offline access to data mobilization,
applications, services and processes.

Subset
Figure 3.

Personalize

Mobilize

The development approach to back-end mobile data models can be either top-down or bottom-up. In the topdown approach, developers use the Mobile Application Diagram and palette to launch a set of wizards that create
MBOs with operations and attributes the client wants to have, eventually binding the MBOs to the data source. In the
bottom-up approach, developers drag and drop a data source to create the MBO directly from the data source with
immediate binding. Developers either define MBO attributes and operations without immediately binding them to a
data source, or define them from and bind them to a data source. Both methods use similar steps:
1. Connect to back-end data sources.
2. Connect to Sybase Unwired Server.
3. Create mobile application projects.
4. Create MBO attributes and create, update and delete (CUD) operations.
5. Attach MBOs to back-end data sources.
6. Edit, rename, delete, move, copy, group and view MBOs.
7. Perform additional MBO design activities create logical roles, search, and so on.
8. Deploy MBOs to Sybase Unwired Server.

Figure 4.

You have two options for creating an MBO and binding to a data source immediately:
1. Drag and drop the data source onto the Mobile Application Diagram (as seen in Figure 4) which launches the
appropriate wizards and automatically creates bindings based on the selected data source.
2. Create an MBO and its operations and attributes using the Mobile Application Diagram and palette, which
launches a set of wizards and allows you to bind them directly to a data source.
To create an MBO and defer data source binding:
1. Create an MBO and its operations and attributes using the Mobile Application Diagram and palette. After you
define the data source, bind the MBO to it from the Properties view.
2. Create attributes and operations for mobile business objects, create relationships between mobile business
objects, bind them to a back-end data sources and modify and test them.
The last step in the MBO development process is to create a deployment package that contains the mobile application,
including mobile business objects, role mappings, server connection mappings and other MBO-related artifacts.
Once your development package is complete, deploy it to Sybase Unwired Server. Optionally, you can create a
deployment profile that enables you to manage multiple deployment packages.

Using the preview capabilities within MBO development tooling, developers can do preliminary tests of the MBOs
and visualize the data that will be available on the device.
Mobile Business Object Development in Eclipse
Sybase Unwired WorkSpace, which enables developers to model MBOs, is a plug-in in the Eclipse development
environment. Experienced Eclipse developers are familiar with Eclipses consistent use of windows, explorers, views,
wizards and preferences. Developers new to Eclipse can use the online help, samples and tutorials of Sybase Unwired
WorkSpace to become familiar with MBO and device application development.
Device application development
Sybase Unwired Platform supports two main modes of application development when creating the user interface
and logic. These two modes are hybrid Web container-based development and native application development.
Hybrid Web container-based applications are appropriate for extensions of business processes or workflows such as
approvals or requests and other lightweight applications.
Native application development makes sense when:
Complex business logic is needed
Device services integration is intrinsic to mobile applications
User interface expectations depend on device-specific capabilities
No boundaries other than what is provided natively by the mobile operating system are required
Ability to evolve with mobile operating system is required
The development lifecycle for native device applications, which you can perform in parallel with back-end MBOs, includes:
1. Develop device applications
2. Generate code and application
3. Deploy application to simulator
4. Debug/test against simulator
5. Configure Sybase Afaria device management platform to provision application
Afaria is an optional component that is separately licensed and only supported on 32-bit hosts. You can use
Afaria with Sybase Unwired Server to perform advanced mobile device management, extended device security and
provisioning in your production environment.
However, because of platform requirements for Afaria and Unwired Platform, Afaria must be installed on separate hosts.
Hybrid Web containerbased development (Mobile Workflows)
In Hybrid Web container-based development, the application is made up of HTML/CSS/JS and the device has a single
container that interprets this Web content (see Figure 5). This container needs to be deployed once and, from then on,
multiple application metadata can be deployed automatically without having to generate any code.
Connect

Data Source
Integration

Sybase
Unwired
Platform
Server

Deploy
MBO

Deploy
Workflow

Sybase Unwired WorkSpace

Figure 5.

Hybrid
Web
Container

Business processes such as alerts, time recording and travel requests require immediate action, but these
messages are generally accessible only with desktop or laptop computers and may not be fulfilled in a timely manner.
However, mobile workflows allow users to complete pre-defined business processes swiftly (see Figure 6). Using
a Web standardsdriven application paradigm, Sybase Unwired Platform hybrid Web container enables the rapid
development of mobile workflows, in which existing enterprise business processes or workflows can be extended to a
mobile device relatively easily so that decisions can be made at any instant on a mobile device (see Figure 7).
Sybase Unwired Platform has primarily two kinds of workflow models
server-initiated and device-initiated. These models can co-exist within one
package.
In the server-initiated workflow model, for example, a manager receives
a request perhaps an approval for leave. The request is initiated by a
notification from the back-end system, where Sybase Unwired Platform
receives e-mail or notifications from a master account. Sybase Unwired
Platform, in turn, delivers a message to an individual device based on
configured distribution and MBO extraction rules.
In the device-initiated workflow model, the user sends a message, such as an
approval for an expense report. Users can open workflow forms on their mobile
devices and enter data that can be used either for kicking off an enterprise
workflow or continuing a step in an already executing workflow.
Development is enabled through a WYSIWYG design tool that binds the
decisions and actions to MBOs. Both approaches are offline enabled but when
real-time information is needed, data can be retrieved in an online model from
the back-end.

Figure 6.

SAP workflow mobilized using Sybase unwired platform

Employee uses
Mobile Workflow on
Device to Initiate
Travel Request

Employee
Initiates
Travel Request

Manager
Approves or
Rejects

Manager
Views the
Details

Manager Receives
a Workflow
Notification
on Device

Notify
Employee

Check
Amount

Approve
Small
Amounts

Manager
Approves/
Rejects

Notify
Manager

Manager Logs
into WEB UI

Manager
Receives
Notification

Figure 7.
5

Native application development

In native application development, the application is based on compiled code that is specific to a particular mobile
operating system. An iPhone application, for example, is developed in Objective C, a Windows Mobile application is
developed in C#, and so on. Native application development provides the most flexibility in terms of leveraging the
device services to their fullest potential, but each application must be provisioned individually after compilation, even
for minor changes.

Data Source Integration

Device-Specific Development

Connect

Sybase
Unwired
Platform
Server

Generate
Code

Deploy
MBO

Sybase
Unwired WorkSpace

MBO
API

Device
GUI
Generate
Default GUI

SDK

Customize

Figure 8.

Developers use the standard IDE for native application development (see Figure 8) and can use the generated code
based on the MBO. You will build the business logic and user interface pieces of the mobile application in your IDE
of choice. iPhone will use XCode, Windows Mobile will use Visual Studio, and BlackBerry will use BlackBerry Eclipse
plug-in. When building high-performance production applications, the recommended approach for Sybase Unwired
Platform is to use native IDEs, such as XCode and Visual Studio, to leverage the MBO API.

Summary
The flexible, open Sybase Unwired Platform infrastructure offers development teams many options to create
and manage mobile applications that connect heterogeneous back-end data sources to mobile devices. Sybase
Unwired WorkSpace provides a graphical environment for developing the data aspects of mobile applications.
Device application developers can work in a GUI environment using the Unwired WorkSpace Mobile Workflow Forms
Designer, or use native tools to bind to the Object API programmatically. Compatible with Eclipse, Visual Studio, and
other tools, Sybase Unwired Platform enables development teams to build mobile applications that use enterprise
data sources quickly and effectively.

Sybase, Inc.
Worldwide Headquarters
One Sybase Drive
Dublin, CA 94568-7902
U.S.A
1 800 8 sybase

www.sybase.com

Copyright 2011 Sybase, Inc. All rights reserved. Unpublished rights reserved under U.S. copyright laws. Sybase, the
Sybase logo, Afaria and Sybase Control Center are trademarks of Sybase, Inc. or its subsidiaries. indicates registration
in the United States of America. SAP and the SAP logo are the trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in
Germany and in several other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 08/11
iPad and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.