The SARK project was conceived to provide a server side mutli-threaded platform based around the ‘Business Objects’ built for Cargoware W.M.S project. The aim was to have a platform that allowed the developer to just focus on the business task and not have to worry about timers, threading, interfacing, sockets or protocol.
Each new service is based on a class derived from DWSarkThread or one of its related descendants (for example the SarkFileThread handles file exchange via either shared folders, FTP or POP3/IMAP). You then just need to create the code for two pure member functions called setup() and loop(), yes the idea was ‘borrowed’ from the Arduino project. The developer is then free of the complexities of multi-threading, socket and protocol handling.
SARK has a number of ‘service’ classes and here we will discover the work done for E.D.I (Electronic Data Interchange), there is another page covering a Web Server project powered by SARK called the Web B.I Framework.
What is Smart E.D.I? After spending years working at creating code that takes data in, does something with it and puts data out again (or more commonly called middle-ware). I have found that many of the existing E.D.I options came with a notable ‘investment’ by the client in getting such interfaces setup and many smaller businesses felt the E.D.I was too ‘complex for them’. The fact is automation and E.D.I is essential for all businesses big or small so that sparked an idea.
Getting data interchange between business partners as actually very easy if you come at it from the right direction, how many times have someone said “I’ll email you a spreadsheet”.
Smart E.D.I builds on that pre-existing mode of communication, using metadata from the email itself, along with the ‘footprint’ of the attached file it can discern the context of the data. Then applies the power of the ‘Business Objects’ to process the data in the needed way before sending a suitable response back to the sender (or anywhere else it’s needed).
The concept sounds very simple but the rules can get very complex and, although I wouldn’t go as far as calling it A.I, the code is capable of ‘learning’ to a degree. It is based around an analysis engine that has been previously deployed in banks for message routing and was part of a drug recommendation pilot project. I’ve always thought this concept may make a good A.I candidate but as yet have not found an opportunity to explore it.