cmwforms - Interoperability

Background

cmwforms includes 30+ applications.  All these applications are defined and constructed in the same manner using the CMW data dictionary and form definitions.   Any update to the dictionary will be automatically reflected in all forms and existing records.

The applications are designed to integrate together seamlessly and therefore you can do the following across applications with total ease:

1. Clone one record from another.
2. Transform one record type to another.
3. Link records together.
4. Group different applications into a single workspace

Record Cloning

There are many cases where a record of one type is used to create a record of a different type, a prospect becomes a client, a client becomes a supplier, a risk becomes an issue, a problem becomes a change, ... etc.

With a traditional tool you would need to create the records in one tool and then re-enter the same record, with some updated fields into a separate tool.  When using cmwforms you can take a record in one tool, Risk for example, and clone it into a new record of a different type, Issue for example.  CMW Forms will create the new record and populate it with information from the parent record.

Record Transformation

Transformation is similar to cloning  except the parent record is transformed to the new record, once the transformation is complete only one instance of the record exists in cmwforms.  Cloning a record creates a new record of the same or different type.

Linking Records

Many business processes are related to each other and an event in one process can create related events in other processes.  Linking allows you to maintain a relationship between related records.  In service management for example an incident may result in the creation of a problem which is then resolved by making a change and then released by performing a formal release.

Linking records can also be used to created hierarchies to document interdependencies, you can create product breakdown structures (CMDB) using linking with relative ease.

Workspaces

A workspace is a cmwforms mechanism for creating a domain or area with its own specific users, applications and associated data.  You can create as many workspaces as needed and each of these can have the same or different applications. cmwforms allows you to use all or part of an application suite within a single workspace and you can mix and match applications from different suits in a single workspace.

Data Dictionary

You build a solution by creating solution forms and for each of these by specifying the form fields.  Form fields are selected from the list of available fields in the dictionary on the server.  A field can be used by multiple forms in multiple solutions.  If you update the dictionary definition of the field then all forms in all solutions will pick up this update automatically.  Therefore if you change the field caption, type, default value or list of values then all forms using this field will be updated automatically.  This feature allows you to maintain consistency across all applications with minimal overhead.

Local or Global Values

Forms that use fields of type lookup, a field which presents the user with a list of values, can use the global list of values, as defined in the data dictionary, or can have local value lists defined in the workspace.  Global values allow you to enforce a consistent set of values across all solutions and applications.  Workspace based values allow you to over-ride the global value list on a workspace per workspace basis.