Skip to main content

Get started fast

Tutorials and resources for quickly using FairCom products

Which product is for me?

Use these product descriptions to help you choose the right FairCom product.

FairCom_Product_Relationships.svg

Product

Description

FairCom DB

FairCom DB is the FairCom database server optimized for easy development, low total cost of ownership, and high performance. FairCom DB provides multiple APIs for working with data, including JSON, ISAM, and record buffer APIs. It also provides multiple database engines that you can embed in your software. It also can replicate data to other FairCom products and notify external systems of data change events.

FairCom Edge

FairCom Edge is a low-code integration platform optimized for no-code integration of industrial IoT data. No programming is needed to automatically bridge across protocols including MQTT, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, OPC UA, ThingWorx, SQL, REST, and JSON. FairCom Edgealso converts binary and tabular data to and from JSON. It reshapes and enriches JSON and delivers data to and from the edge to the cloud.

FairCom MQ

FairCom MQ is a full-featured MQTT 3 and MQTT 5 compliant MQTT broker for mission-critical messaging. Its embedded database and transform engines allow it to change and persist message payloads. You can use database queries to access historical and current data stored in messages. It is also an essential part of FairCom DB Notify , used by FairCom DB and FairCom RTG to deliver JSON data change messages to external systems.

FairCom RTG

FairCom RTG is a modernization solution for COBOL and Btrieve applications. It breathes new life into legacy applications by transparently swapping out the applications' built-in record management system with FairCom’s modern database engine for increased reliability, high availability, concurrent users, performance, durability, and automatic data backups. Without changing existing programs, it enables any modern system and programming language to read and write legacy data simultaneously with legacy applications.

Developer using FairCom's database

Use multiple APIs to process the same data in different ways.

  • Use the JSON DB API for easy, fast development in all languages using JSON queries and JSON data.

  • Use SQL for joins, ad hoc queries, and analytics.

  • Use the CTDB record buffer API for easy, fast data processing.

  • Use the ISAM record buffer API to control every aspect of data processing at unmatched speed.

Developer Tutorials

java_icon_with_text.png
python_icon_with_text.png
c_sharp_icon_with_text.png
javascript_icon_with_text.png
c_plus_plus_icon_with_text.png
c_icon_with_text.png

JSON DB

JSON DB

JSON DB

SQL Hibernate

SQL

ADO.NET SQL

JSON DB WebSocket

Direct SQL

Direct SQL

CTDB

SQL Alchemy

CTDB

CTDB

CTDB

SQL Stored Procedures

SQL Stored Procedures

ISAM

VB CTDB

Low-level

Replication callbacks

API summary

Developer using SQL

These SQL tutorials and resources work in all FairCom products including FairCom DB, FairCom Edge, FairCom MQ, and FairCom RTG.

Section

Description

iSQL tutorial

Tutorials for using FairCom's interactive SQL command line utility (iSQL).

iSQL CLI

Guide for automating database operations using FairCom's iSQL command line utility and for importing and exporting data using variable-length and fixed-length flat files — such as CSV.

SQL reference

FairCom DBSQL language reference guide.

Full text search

Guide for using the full-text search.

SQL stored procedures

Guide for using Java and C# to implement SQL stored procedures and triggers.

JDBC quick start

Tutorials for using FairCom's JDBC driver in Java.

JDBC developer guide

Guide for using the JDBC driver with FairCom DBSQL in order to use SQL in Java applications (ideal for client-server applications that run in the same data center as the database).

ODBC quick start

Tutorials for using FairCom's Windows and Linux ODBC driver with FairCom DBSQL.

ODBC configuration

Explanation for configuring and troubleshooting ODBC for FairCom DBSQL.

SQL operations

Advanced FairCom SQL features, options, and utilities.

SQL error codes

Complete list of SQL error codes.

IT developers integrating with FairCom products

IT developers can integrate with FairCom products using JSON APIs, SQL, and MQTT messages:

  • Developers write applications, web services, and scripts to query data using FairCom's JSON APIs. They also use MQTT to subscribe to topics and receive messages published to those topics.

  • Cloud engineers use MQTT cloud services, such as AWS IoT Core and Azure IoT Hub, to subscribe to topics and receive messages published to those topics.

  • Data engineers query data and create ETL jobs using standard SQL, ODBC, and JDBC drivers.

Tip

MQTT messages are a great way to push information to another system. MQTT messages can include telemetry data, critical alerts, status updates, notification events, and commands.

Manufacturing engineers

Category

Features

IoT connectors

MQTT 3
MQTT 5
Modbus
OPC UA
ThingWorx

Transforms

Siemens UDT to JSON transform
JSON to table transform
Table to JSON transform

Developer using FairCom Edge IoT Platform

Administrator using FairCom MQ

Manufacturing Engineer using FairCom Edge IoT Platform

Application Programming Interface (API) is a type of software interface that provides a service to other software. 

Advanced C Engineering APIs (ACE APIs) include FairCom's ISAM, CTDB, and Low-level ACE API.

Each of these APIs use the Record Buffer Method for processing data at high speed with high efficiency. ACE APIs are ideal for C and C++ because these languages are designed to work with record buffers. Higher-level languages, such as Java and C#, can also use these APIs with almost the same efficiency as C or C++.

Command Line Interface (CLI) is a program that runs in an operating system terminal or command window. The program is called a command-line utility, command-line interpreter, command-line processor, etc. Some CLI programs are interactive and others are designed to be called from scripting languages. FairCom products include a number of command line utilities.

JSON APIs are FairCom's family of APIs that use jsonAction to interact with a FairCom server. They are optimized for client server computing and ease of use in all programming languages. They provide maximum data flexibility.

The JSON Action Protocol (jsonAction) is like REST, jsonAction is a standard way of using JSON to execute actions on remote computers by sending a JSON Action request to a server and receiving back a JSON response. All information needed in a request and its response is included in the JSON. This allows jsonAction to work over any protocol including HTTP, HTTPS, WS, WSS, MQTT, MQTTS, etc.

jsonAction improves on REST by putting all request information in JSON. In contrast, REST spreads request information across a URL, query string, HTTP header, HTTP verb, and HTTP payload. Similarly, jsonAction puts all response information in JSON, whereas REST spreads response information across the HTTP header and HTTP payload. Lastly, REST only works over HTTP whereas, jsonAction works over any protocol including asynchronous protocols.

JSON Schema is a standard for validating JSON documents. It requires a schema to be defined in one JSON file and uses that file to validate the content of another JSON file.

A JSON database may use a JSON Schema to validate the structure of a JSON document before it stores it in its database. This ensures data is complete and valid so that it can be queried reliably.

JSON Schema is not to be confused with SQL Schema.

Structured Query Language (SQL) is a standardized programming language that is used to manage relational databases and perform various operations on the data in them.

FairCom's SQL engine is ANSI compliant and has almost all SQL features up through the SQL:2003 standard.

The JSON Admin API logs into and out of FairCom servers and manages sessions, services, etc. All its API actions are available in all FairCom products.

This API is part of FairCom's family of JSON APIs.

The JSON DB API uses JSON over HTTP to manage databases, tables, indexes, records, queries, cursors, and transactions. It is available in all FairCom products.

This API is part of FairCom's family of JSON APIs.

The JSON Hub API configures and manages data integrations and transformations between input and output connectors. All its API actions are available in FairCom Edge and some are available in FairCom MQ.

This API is part of FairCom's family of JSON APIs.

The JSON MQ API configures and manage FairCom's MQTT broker. It is available in FairCom Edge and FairCom MQ.

This API is part of FairCom's family of JSON APIs.

FairCom ACE APIs are Record Buffer APIs because they use the Record Buffer Method.

FairCom ACE APIs include ISAM, CTDB, and Low-level ACE API.

The c-tree Database API (CTDB API) is FairCom's database API in the ACE family of APIs. It provides high performance with less code than the FairCom's ISAM API. The CTDB API introduces database concepts that are compatible with SQL. It requires records to contain predefined field structures. FairCom's CTDB API provides full control over record processing. This allows developers to implement data processing algorithms that are tailored to precise application needs, and this allows an application to achieve unrivaled performance. FairCom's CTDB API works well in a variety of languages, such as C, C++, Java, C#, and Visual Basic.

FairCom ACE APIs include ISAM, CTDB, and Low-level ACE API.

Indexed Sequential Access Method (ISAM) is FairCom's primary ACE API. ISAM uses the Record Buffer Method, which gives the application full control over the contents of the entire record buffer to store structured or unstructured data.

FairCom's ISAM API provides full control over record processing. This allows developers to implement data processing algorithms that are tailored to precise application needs, and this allows an application to achieve unrivaled performance. FairCom's ISAM API works best in the C and C++ languages.

FairCom ACE APIs include ISAM, CTDB, and Low-level ACE API.

The Low-level ACE API is FairCom's lowest level API. It provides total control over every detail of index and table creation and management. It requires the most code and provides maximum control for maximum server-side performance. It works best in the C and C++ languages.

FairCom ACE APIs include ISAM, CTDB, and Low-level ACE API.