18F / bpa-fs-epermit-api

This task order is for an Application Protocol Interface (API) layer future applications could use to read and write to SUDS, an Oracle system.

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Databases clarification #19

Open jmmcnj opened 7 years ago

jmmcnj commented 7 years ago

Question/Comment on Forest Service e-Permitting API RFQ

Name and affiliation

Jason McNutt, Applied Information Sciences, aBPA Manager

Section of RFQ documents

SOO, Scope

Question/Comment

The Scope section of the SOO states the goal of the task order is to "focus on the creation of an API to encapsulate SUDS". In the same section there is mention of an "existing database" and a "new database". Are the existing and new databases both within SUDS or are these two different databases? Also, since SUDS is an Oracle system, what function does the MySQL database serve in the "Application Constraints" section?

rrefoy commented 7 years ago

The SUDS Oracle database will be accessible to the API application via a RESTful service. In the development environment, there will also be a MySQL database if the vendor proposes to temporarily store data in the API application.

patrickmcconnell commented 7 years ago

@rrefoy then the task is to translate one RESTful API into another RESTful API rather than interfacing with the database directly? What is the purpose of such a translation? Why can't the RESTful service that the API is accessing simply be exposed directly to end user systems?

This also seems to contradict the scope, which indicates we will be interacting directly with the database:

Create a RESTful API using JSON standard open protocol. Create the API to read/write to the existing database (for existing data fields and tables) and also read/write to a new database (for new data fields and tables).