"Turning Data Into Information"

Copyright © 2000 MillennEcom Ltd. All rights reserved.

What is M^com?

Run the Mcom Sample Application

Frequently Asked Questions

About MillennEcom Ltd.

What is Mcom?

Mcom is a tool which provides a simple yet powerful way to publish data on the Internet or an intranet. With Mcom you can create a customised Java front-end to data drawn from any number of sources. Developing an Mcom application requires no coding. Everything about an Mcom application is described in a small set of configuration tables. The Mcom Application Builder enables you to modify the content of these tables through a clear, easy-to-use interface. When the Mcom applet runs on the client's browser the Mcom engine dynamically generates the application's user interface using the configuration tables. A major challenge facing businesses in the network economy is building and deploying applications that allow true interaction with data. An Mcom application is remarkably easy to implement and immensely powerful when deployed.

A Toolset for Network Data Access*

MillennEcom's Mcom is a toolset for creating data-centric network applications. Mcom applications deliver dynamic access to data through a flexible user interface on a scalable architecture. Developing an Mcom application requires no programming. Using a graphical application builder, a developer selects the data that each type of user should access and describes how Mcom should present those data. The resulting application is pure Java and can run on any Java 2 virtual machine. Users can access Mcom applications through a standard Web browser. No installation or configuration is required on the user's machine. The absence of client-side administration makes it possible to deliver the application to large numbers of users without incurring prohibitive administration costs. Unlike other solutions to publishing data on the Internet or an intranet, Mcom does not depend on complex server software to generate slow, non-interactive HTML pages. Instead, it provides a dynamic Java interface to data. This interface provides the user with interactive access to data, offering sophisticated presentation, browsing, filtering, searching, analysis, and manipulation capabilities. Mcom makes it possible to rapidly extend data access applications to the Internet or an intranet and to integrate existing information systems in order to provide completely new services to your users. Mcom application development is quick and easy. The Mcom architecture provides the underlying services and centralised administration that large-scale applications require.

Multi-Tier Architecture*

Mcom is designed on a three-tier, client/server model. Mcom classes are installed on a server and can be published to clients using any Web server. When a client downloads an Mcom application for the first time, it downloads the set of Mcom classes. The client downloads these classes only once. The characteristics of an Mcom application are stored as a set of configuration tables in a server-side database. Mcom creates these tables when the developer builds the application. At runtime, the Mcom classes use the tables to determine what data the user can see and how to present those data. If an administrator changes the tables, the application changes. To connect to data sources, Mcom can use any Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) driver. This makes it easy to connect Mcom to any standard data source, such as Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, Interbase, Access, and others. Mcom can also be configured to handle proprietary interfaces to existing information systems and other data sources. Mcom's application environment delivers significant advantages over more complex application server architectures. Mcom can deliver fast response time consistently. With the application running on the user's desktop, it takes advantage of the processing power available on the client. This helps to insulate the application from changes in server-side workload. Mcom applications deliver data, not HTML documents that embed data. They eliminate the overhead in HTML document generation and transfer and provide a richer user interface that allows users to interact with the data. Mcom's environment is less and easier to manage. And because Mcom applications can be implemented within a downloadable Java applet, there's no client software to install and maintain.

Mcom's Key Features*

Mcom has several key features that enhance its data access capabilities and provide advantages over other approaches: Portability. Mcom is a pure Java application and it capitalises on Java's ability to run anywhere-any platform that supports a Java Virtual Machine. Flexibility. Users can execute Mcom applications flexibly. In addition to online real-time data access, they can cache data on the client and run offline in a disconnected mode, allowing travelling users to take their work on the road. Also, applications can be configured to update data sources, writing data after end-user analysis. Security. Mcom applications can leverage the security built into data sources for user authentication and authorisation. In addition, security configuration information can be encrypted using 128-bit key technology that is patent free, developed outside the United States, and unencumbered by government regulations. Extensibility. Mcom applications can be extended or customised with programming logic or integrated with external and legacy applications. Built-in support for Java RMI and IIOP enables this extensibility.