How do Java applications access information?

Unlike the proprietary programming languages and interfaces supplied with many interactive voice response systems (for example, Blueworx Voice Response state tables), you can use the Java API together with other APIs and classes from other sources to create your applications, for example, you can use other Java classes for database access, including:

IBM Host Application Connectivity Link (HACL)
JDBC database access
IBM Secureways (LDAP directory access)

Adding voice capability to existing business applications

Most importantly, you can add voice capability to existing business applications, taking advantage of what’s already there without having to change it.

For example, if you are an IBM e-business, you may already be using Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) to write the server side components of your business applications in Java. Your enterprise application model looks something like the one shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. E-business application model
This picture shows how, in the WebSphere Application Server model, a Web browser sends an HTTP request to a Java Server Page. The JSP then sends a command to an Enterprise Java Bean which requests data from a back-end database.

This picture shows how, in the WebSphere Application Server model, a Web browser sends an HTTP request to a Java Server Page. The JSP then sends a command to an Enterprise Java Bean which requests data from a back-end database.

This model is designed to deliver Web pages. You would probably use Blueworx Rational Application Developer to create the business logic and author the Web pages. The applications would use connectors to access the data in tier-3.

It's easy to add voice to this model. Let's put it in terms of a real example. Assume that one of the Java applications offered by the e-business shown in Figure 1 accesses insurance policy data and returns it to the user's Web browser. The enterprise can add voice to the solution without changing the business logic and tier-3 server delivering data to users. Using Blueworx Rational Application Developer and the Java API supplied with Blueworx Voice Response they can implement a voice application that integrates with the existing Web application at the Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) level. The final result provides user access to insurance data through fully integrated voice and Web applications, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Adding voice to e-business
This picture represents a solution that integrates voice and Web applications to provide user access to insurance data.

This picture represents a solution that integrates voice and Web applications to provide user access to insurance data.

This is a simple example, but the same principles apply to complex e-business environments in which Blueworx Voice Response might link with several other IBM products to enable successful e-business across existing enterprises. These products include not only WebSphere but others such as SecureWay^® (for directory access), WebSphere MQ (for messaging), CICS® (for transaction processing), and DB2® (for database access).