Simplified Design Pattern

Details

When developing a design for the Cloud API integration between D-Tools and any other Software, please consider the following terminologies and suggestions:

1. D-Tools Project is a file object that holds two sets of data: Project information (i.e. Customer info, Addresses, Dates) and Product Information (i.e. Manufacturer, Model, Cost, Price, Phase, Labor Hours, Description, etc).
2. D-Tools Catalog is a SQL based database that stores all product line items in the database.

The current API can publish the two objects above for consumption by another application.

For a Design Pattern, please consider this simplified suggestion as a workflow:

1. A D-Tools Project is created from the integration. (if it is a CRM type of integration). This eliminate the need for double data entry.
2. Once a project is accepted by a customer, export to the integration to the Cloud API. Your application will consume the project and all applicable data will be added into your software. From there you take control of the process and keep D-Tools as the software to build the projects and design/drawings.
3. If a Change Order is needed, consider performing this change in D-Tools, and then pushing the Project or the Change Order (which is the difference between a Project and a Revision) to the cloud API.

Also, consider implementing a separation of concerns where two similar features are not used by two applications at the same time. This is specially important as an active, dynamically two-way integration is not possible with our current architecture. The best design for integrating with D-Tools involves defining a production line where each project is build at one stage at a time, and modified and used by one application as a single directional flow.

Please review this article as it contains a high-level suggestion for a Project Workflow: 

https://www.d-tools.com/hubfs/D-Tools%20Documents%202022/Suggested-Company-Workflow-1.pdf