Xpages data binding from other databases

Question

I'm a newbie to xPages but not to Notes. I'm trying to change my thinking to more of a relational schema with this application I'm writing but I would like to verify my architecture with experienced xPagers. Here's my scenario. Tell me whether I'm on the right track or if there's a better way to do this...

I'm programming a product order system. I'm getting Product and Customer information on a mainframe export so I have separate databases that contain the Customer data and the Product Catalog. I have a third database for orders. I'm thinking I have to have two data sources in the Order DB on my order xPage, one for Customer data, one for Product data. Then a third data source for the item repeat control from a form in the order DB. Am I thinking right?

Answer 1

Multiple datasources on a single page is one of the strengths of XPages, as is pulling data from different NSFs to where the design is. It's a requirement for Bluemix, but it's an approach that's key to what I'm doing in the Key Dates demo application on OpenNTF.

If having multiple dominoDocument datasources on a single page, just remember that unless you set ignoreRequestParams="true", regardless of what properties you set, it maps to the document defined by the URL.

Answer 2

There's been several examples of this through the years on NotesIn9 I believe. This show might be interesting to you. But the short story is multiple data databases are ok though you ideally want to keep all your source code in a single .nsf. That source database doesn't need to contain any data itself.