Virtual (computed) fields in LDC Via Lens

We’ve spoken before about LDC Via Lens, but some things bear re-visiting, especially when the LDC Via pixies have been hard at work delivering new features that will put a smile on any developer’s face!

Today, we want to talk to you about “virtual fields”, a relatively new addition to LDC Via Lens. Anyone with a Domino background will be comfortable with the concept of virtual fields: essentially they a modern version of computed-for-display fields in IBM Lotus Notes & Domino applications.

A virtual field forms part of a collection schema, and can be referenced both from an API call and from any user interfaces you use with your migrated data—either within the LDC Via Lens application itself, or your own custom UI.

If you want to see how virtual fields work, and how simple they are to implement, check out our recent video on LDC Via Lens (virtual fields are covered around one minute in, but you should most definitely watch the whole thing).

You can read more about using virtual fields over on our support documentation site.

Lock me up and throw away the key

Domino can be a bit of a silo. In much the same way that the ocean can be a bit wet. We know that Domino is very good as a repository for your data, but what if you need to integrate with other applications and systems? Yes, there are ways of surfacing its data in other environments, but that can quickly get tricky and messy, and doesn’t always perform as well as you might like.

How about this for an idea? Push selected data to LDC Via, with its REST API layer and pleasing user interface, and then integrate with that instead. All modern application platforms play well with RESTful systems, and LDC Via provides a platform for customisation and extension as you see fit. Thereafter, the globe is your mollusc.

We’d love to hear about your Domino integration challenges. Drop us an email, or give us a call.

You just can’t get the staff, you know

Fifteen years ago, ‘Lotus Notes’ was the hot ticket. There were countless IT service companies offering software development services to create application after application on Notes. In some cases, when the only tool you have is a hammer, and everything looks like a nail, the applications didn’t pass the test of time. But for many others, the application — probably amended, enhanced and extended way beyond its original concept — still survives as the bedrock of your business.

But… there are no longer countless IT companies offering the right skills. In fact, some might say that the pool of available skilled people — both developers and infrastructure experts — is slowly but surely drying up. The risks of doing nothing are, well, risky.

With LDC Via, you are not restricted to just those skilled with IBM’s Domino Designer client. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find yourself restricted at all. LDC Via’s comprehensive APIs are all REST-based, so you can pick the development tools and approaches that suit you: .NET, PHP, MEAN stack, Ruby, Python, Java, even XPages — whatever floats your boat.

Liberate your data, and liberate your developers at the same time. LDC Via.

It's a monster

You’re happy and committed to Domino, so you definitely don’t need LDC Via, right? Well, not necessarily.

Domino has always had challenges with scalability. The theoretical/technical limits have increased over the years, and there are all manner of tips ’n’ tricks to make your applications scale. Ultimately, however, there are some limitations in the venerable platform, and it is not the right long-term solution for every application. Or perhaps it was a good choice ten years ago, but with 10x as many users and 100x as much data, it’s struggling.

In fact, the mark of a successful Domino application is one that has lasted years and become overloaded with documents. Why not give the old application a new lease of life? Move historical data off to a platform like LDC Via, where it’s no longer a load on your servers, and let your Domino application’s view indices breathe once more.

Get in touch, and we’ll see what we can do. We think you’ll be pleased.

Home sweet home

One of the main uses for LDC Via is in re-homing historical data from servers that are being retired.

Your organisation may find itself in the situation where it is maintaining, supporting, and backing up Domino infrastructure purely so that the user can reference historical data held thereon — no new development, no real activity, few if any data updates … but you still need to “keep the lights on”.

Even worse — and the longer you carry on the more likely this is — these servers may be poorly-supported, may not have robust back-up, and can even be running out-dated or un-patched infrastructure.

So why not kick those boxes into touch and serve up your data in a modern, cost-effective manner (with support, and reliable backups)?