Challenge Overview
The Mobile Application for Technical Support (MATS) was implemented by IBM for Field Force Automation (FFA). This is a server-client application used by field support personal in EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). It is also used in AP region (Asia-Pacific) under the MCA name. The application is used by Technical support employees to gather event information and to apply a given predefined action plan. The application will help support users manage and complete service request calls. The application allows their processing according to various automated and manual actions. Field support specialists manage their calls in the fiend by using MS Windows Mobile devices. Finally, the processed events are closed and the user proceeds to work on the next events. The MATS is a html 5 application designed to be used from mobile devices.
The only requirement for this architecture competition is to explain the mapping from model/GUI elements (trigger and data sources or data destinations) and high level instructions for assemblers to make the calls/react to responses. If there are any issues please discuss them in the forums to determine whether there is a default field value or if the GUI would need to be updated.
Final Submission Guidelines
This contest will bind the frontend requests with a wrapper for the backend. The wrapper hides the implementation details of the backend.
The format of the message is tag based, like xml without any levels nesting. All tags are on the same level. Specific code ids are used for each expected parameter. For example an 'Y' value for the 9057 tag indicates that the message is a request and 'N' indicates a response. Message exchanges do not have to follow a request - response patter, so multiple messages may be sent before any expected responses are read. If is also possible for the communication pattern to reverse, so the client may read a request message that it will then be expected to respond to.
Documents explaining the application:
The protocol of communication is HTTP.
The team has developed a set of wrappers to which the messages will be dispatched.
On the javascript frontend we will work with json data which will simplify the amount of work required.
Please consult the attached documentation for an explanation of the requirements set.
1. TSS Mobility - Communications Model for RCMS Integration.pdf
Provides a description of the overall communications model. Please start with this document.
2. FFA-SA-Component_Model-Physical.gif
Provides a high level view of the main components and where they sit relative to firewalls.
3. TSS Mobility - FFA Message Exchange.pdf
A high level description of a typical frontend to backend interaction.
4. Sync sequence log.txt
Represents a debug log showing the messages flowing to and from the FFA server. These could be used to stub out the message relay and build build a test server.
5. TransactionDetails_V3.0.ods
Represents the messages that need to be implemented. Only the messages in these spreadsheets are required.