WEBA Applications
The Web Access module provides a capability for constructing customised web environments to suit the needs of a wide variety of a project’s user groups. Each user type defined by the project can have its own web environment, presenting appropriate sets of information through an interface with an appropriate set of functions available to the user, tailored to that user’s needs.
Such web interfaces can be used to provide customers, reviewers and other stakeholders with tailored views of the project data, masking inappropriate complexities in the project’s internal detail, and, if necessary, masking attributes that should not be seen external to the project team.
By being web based, no Cradle software is needed by the user, simply a web browser and a connection to the Cradle Web Server (CWS). By supporting secure HTTP protocols, the CWS allows even sensitive data to be passed over public Internet connections and/or VPN connections. The CWS can co-exist with existing web servers and can be integrated with them through links in existing portals.
These web interfaces are ideally suited to Prime Contract Offices (PCOs) who need to give visibility to customers, partners and subcontractors, whilst at the same time protecting sensitive data. The PCO can install the CWS on a machine in a DMZ, protected by firewalls on the internal and external sides. External users connect through the external firewall on a carefully restricted port to the CWS and it communicates through the internal firewall to the Cradle database. This allows your external users to have controlled access to appropriate parts of the project data, without providing such external groups any visibility of, or access to, your internal network.
Web interfaces are configured through HTML templates that contain embedded Cradle-related markup. This markup provides access to a range of building blocks from which navigable tree hierarchies, customisable tables, pull-down menus, combo boxes, fields and other controls can be provided to the end user. If the project information contains binary data, such as embedded Word documents or externally referenced Excel spreadsheets, these are also displayed through the web browser, and any updates to them (if allowed by the user’s access rights) can be uploaded back through the web browser session into the project database.
A range of templates is supplied with all Cradle systems, to provide a starting point for your own web environments.
Full read-only and read-write access can be provided to the project database, with users modifying whatever attributes of whatever items you make accessible. Even project diagrams can be accessed and navigated (needs the SVG plug-in from Adobe Systems).
All read-write accesses to the database are subject to the same access controls and concurrency controls as exist in all other Cradle tools. Any items being edited read-write through the web interface are guaranteed to be locked against simultaneous update by any other web-based or non-web based user.
All of the project queries and views created for other Cradle tools can be reused in your web environments, to ensure consistency across the web and non-web user groups.
| Feature: |
Benefit: |
| Controllable project access |
Access rights, privileges and permissions of remote web users can be controlled as easily as direct users |
| Database navigation |
Browse the database through Explorer® style hierarchies or by following cross references through lists of items |
| Customisable queries |
Easy access by all user groups to different datasets within the project |
| User controlled queries |
Same flexibility for remote users as direct users, subject to user access rights, privileges and permissions |
| Query results shown in tables |
Manipulation of items from an easy to use format with cross reference navigation controls |
| Tables load directly into Word® / Excel® |
Easily generate hyperlinked documents and spreadsheets directly from query results |
| SVG graphics |
Diagrams are published as Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files, an XML extension, to allow user controlled panning, scaling and zooming of diagrams
All diagram symbols are hyperlinked to their corresponding definitions, and are also hyperlinked to their child (expansion) diagrams - where appropriate |
| Full colour and image support |
All embedded pictures, images and symbol colours are reproduced |
| External hyperlinks |
Link the dynamic website into web outputs from other tools, or into pages in your existing site or intranet |
| Server side processing |
Processing occurs within the Cradle Web Server, so only query results are passed over the Internet / intranet, reducing bandwidth and maximising performance |
| Full read-write access |
Read-write access to all database items (subject to access controls) |
| Full database integrity |
Access by remote users is subject to the same information locking and concurrency control as local, direct users |
| Individual item forms |
Provide full access to item contents |
| Customisable HTML layouts |
Present project data according to the needs of different user groups |
| Hierarchical HTML style templates |
Define an overall look for the remote users from corporate or project standards and reflect throughout the remote users' access to project data |
| Firewall support |
Control over TCP/IP characteristics of the Cradle Web Server ensures that local security policies can be supported |
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