Method pipelines

Each method is implemented as a pipeline, which defines the operations performed by the method and the order in which they are made. A separate pipeline exists for each method offered by each business object. Methods can include commands such as search database, update record, delete record, and others. In addition to these basic functions, extra business logic can be added to each method, such as special calculations, bindings, restrictions, input parameters and sorting criteria. Therefore, any given business object might, for example, have several search methods, each of which is configured to act using different restrictions and bindings.

A method pipeline consists of several stages, each of which might be, for example, a database connector, an ERP connector or a more generic service—like computation of prices in alternate currencies. The stages are executed in a pre-defined order and they may operate conditionally based on the final state of a previous stage or some other condition that exists at run time. Developers are able to modify the behavior of a pipeline by changing its settings in the Infor e-Commerce Development Studio

Each pipeline stage is able to read and modify the pipeline context, which is passed along the pipeline. The context includes a result set and various other types data, including the original request and other parameters. Each stage thereby contributes to the final result, which is delivered back to the business object and then on to the presentation layer. This flexible mechanism may be used to transfer data between back-end systems or to allow one back-end system to work as backup for another, supplying data if the first system failed. Pipeline states, configuration and result set; this illustration shows how a result set might be filled by a search method pipeline; in addition to the result set, the context holds other data that is passed between the stages, including the request and other parameters.

This illustration shows pipeline states, configuration and result set. It also shows how a result set might be filled by a search method pipeline. In addition to the result set, the context holds other data that is passed between the stages, including the request and other parameters.