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Extending OEDQ

OEDQ is a fully extensible system, allowing you to create and plug in your own processors and match extensions into the application.

Writing new processors

Note that processors are termed 'widgets' internally, which will help to explain some of the terms used in this section.

New processors are created as JAR files consisting of the following files:

• widgets.xml (processor definition and optional javascript implementation)
• compiled java class files (optional implementation, if you need to add functionality not covered by Java libraries in the specification of the Java version in use)
• widgets.properties (optional text file facilitating internationalization of labels)
• image files (optional icon image files for custom processors)
• version.properties (mandatory file containing version information)

See http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/deployment/jar/index.html for information on packaging programs in JAR files.

These JAR files need to be copied to the localwidgets folder in the OEDQ configuration directory. The new processor will be automatically deployed and added to the tool palette when the OEDQ Application Server service is restarted on the OEDQ server.

Note that if you wish to create your own custom processors, you may wish to change your configuration directory from the default ([Install Path]\config) to a local area not under [Program Files], in order to back up or version control your local widgets using an external application.

To change the location of the configuration directory for an OEDQ server, use the Configuration option on the OEDQ Launchpad, and log on with an administrator's user name and password.

Upgrading OEDQ will always preserve any custom processors. Furthermore, the OEDQ uninstallation and upgrade processes create a full backup of a server configuration before proceeding (in [Common Files]).

New processors can mimic almost the full functionality of other OEDQ processors, including:

• Defining processor options ('properties'), including those that require Reference Data ('resources')
• Defining output filters ('spigots') from the processor
• Defining how the processor generates results
• Transforming data

This allows you to create your own profiling, audit, or transformation processors and use them in OEDQ.

See the following example of a written processor.

Matching

The extensibility of matching is a special case, where the match processors themselves are complex processors that could not easily be written from scratch, but where their processing is extensible. This allows you to define your own matching algorithms and use them within the existing OEDQ match processors.

The following may all be added (click for more information and examples):

• Identifier types
• Comparisons
• Matching transformations
• Output selectors

You can also create your own custom output selectors; see the selection functions section for more details.

Note that Comparisons and Matching transformations are collectively termed 'gadgets' internally.

Matching is extended via the creation of JAR files in a similar way to adding processors. The JAR files consist of the following files:

• matchlibrary.xml (if you wish to add new identifier types and default result bands for comparisons)
• widgets.xml (if you wish to add new gadgets)
• matchlibrary.properties (optional text file facilitating internationalization of labels)
• widgets.properties (optional text file facilitating internationalization of labels).

These JAR files need to be copied to the localgadgets folder in the OEDQ configuration directory. The new matching functionality will be automatically deployed and available within all match processors when the OEDQ Application Server service is restarted on the server.

For further examples of custom-created gadgets, and how to create your own, please contact support.

Selection functions

Selection functions are defined using a similar mechanism to widgets and gadgets, using a widgets.xml to define the selection function file and a widgets.xml file to facilitate internationalization.

Selection functions should be uploaded into the localselection folder of the OEDQ configuration directory. See the example output selector topic for more details.

Importing extensions

OEDQ provides a web page to allow an administrator to manage the extensions that are installed on a server.