Getting Started with Open Source Development

104 Getting started with open source development
At the time we also had access to software and paper examples and tutorials. Many based
on SQL examples. The biggest problem was that it was inconvenient for people to copy
and paste the examples from an online source or worse to manually type from a paper
during a workshop.
We extended the XML model to include step by step tutorials. Each tutorial included
multiple steps each with a description to the left with a live ad hoc window and results
screen to the right. Important parts of the SQL or XML can be highlighted in the ad hoc
window. This is illustrated in Figure 8.19.
Figure 8.19 –Highlighting SQL
Once you have run through the tutorial, you are free to go back and alter the SQL or XML,
and rerun the statements, all against a live database. We also support including pages
from the DB2 Information Center or other pages, for example a list of tables, in the right
side of the page instead of the ad hoc page.
As the number of tutorials grew, they were grouped together into larger workshops that
focus on business problems. Additional functions like graphing and driving multiuser
workloads were added to demonstrate more complex scenarios.
The XML language, which we developed to describe each tutorial, acts as a script. It is
easy to modify and easy to copy to create a new tutorial. More importantly, just like the
XML that defines the display pages in the TE, the tutorial XML acts as a language that
people can use to describe their ideas. Instead of simply publishing documents, the tutorial
structure can be used to explain a management process to a new DBA or highlight a
valuable technique for getting the most out of DB2.