Client Modes

Client configuration options

When you set up Oracle Financial Analyzer for a Super administrator, Administrator, or Budget workstation, you decide whether the user will access the server in thin client mode or thick client mode.

Note: The standard installation process allows you to install only a Budget workstation as a thick client. To manually configure Administrator or Super administrator workstations as thick clients, refer to Chapter 5.

Thick client mode: Description

When a workstation is set up as a thick client, the following components reside on the PC:

• The Financial Analyzer personal database for the workstation

• The Financial Analyzer code components

• The Personal Express Server software

• The Financial Analyzer client component

The shared databases and shared code components are located on a server. The majority of processing occurs on the PC. Connection to the server is made only when necessary, such as when data is refreshed or submitted.

When a connection between the PC and the server is not available, the user of a thick client workstation can work in a stand-alone session, disconnected from the server. Refer to the Oracle Financial Analyzer User's Guide for more information about stand-alone sessions.

Thick client mode: Illustration

The following figure illustrates a thick client configuration.

As shown in the figure, in thick client mode:

• The application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Personal Express on the PC is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

• The interface between the Financial Analyzer personal database and the Financial Analyzer shared component using Express Server on the server is XCA (Express Communications Architecture).

Thin client mode: Description

When a workstation is set up as a thin client, only the Financial Analyzer client component resides on the PC. The personal database, Express Server software, and shared and code components reside on the server.

The majority of processing occurs on the server. A connection to the server is always necessary. If the connection cannot be made, the workstation cannot start up.

Thin client mode: Configuration options

There are two configuration options for thin client mode:

• The personal database resides on the same server as the shared component running under a common instance of Express Server.

• The personal database is associated with one instance of Express Server while the shared component is associated with a different instance of Express Server. This type of thin client configuration is called a cluster.

  In the cluster configuration, both instances of Express Server can be installed on the same physical server, or each instance can be installed on a different physical server.

Thin client mode: Illustration of personal database associated with the same instance of Express Server as the shared component

The following figure illustrates a thin client configuration in which the personal database and shared component are associated with the same instance of Express Server.

As shown in the figure, in this thin client configuration, the application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the server is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

Thin client mode: Illustration of personal database associated with a different Express Server instance than the shared component

The following figure illustrates a thin client configuration in which the personal database is associated with a different instance of Express Server than the shared component.

As shown in the figure, in this thin client configuration:

• The application programming interface (API) between the Financial Analyzer client component and the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the server is SNAPI (Structured N-Dimensional API).

• The interface between the Financial Analyzer personal database using Express Server on the workstation's server and the Financial Analyzer shared component using Express Server on the shared component server is XCA (Express Communications Architecture).

• The dashed line indicates that the personal and shared databases can be on two different physical servers, or they can be on the same physical server. In a typical cluster configuration the personal and shared databases are on two different physical servers, but this type of configuration is not required.