The Functions Of An Adapter

The Functions Of An Adapter

Adapters are physical devices that make it possible for one to adapt one electronic or hardware interface to another.  The adapter is usually inserted into a slot on the computer’s motherboard either via a PCI or PCI-E (Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express). Such adapters that facilitate the exchange of information between the microprocessor and other external devices are available on Koincable.com. Blows are introduction for functions of adapter.

The purpose of an adapter

In general, there are different types of
adapters. The term ‘adapter’ really represents a printed circuit that enables
computers to connect to new hardware and be able to use it.

Adapters manage the communication
between the data interface and source. They do so by passing data management
requests from the source and sending back an answer in the form of a message to
the requestor.

Different types of adapters

The
two main types of adapters are the relational and the non-relational data
sources. Both their architectures differ and these differences in their
structure are used to differentiate between the two types of adapters.

The
relational adapters are made in such a way that they can handle data that is
found in tables in the form of rows and columns. On the other hand, the
non-relational adapters an accommodate data as well as its distinct data
source. For example, a non-relational adapter can hold data from a hierarchical
or network data source or a sequential or indexed file system.

Both
the relational and non-relational adapters:

  1. Optimize the requests
    as much as possible
  2. Let the data source to
    carry out all the work that is necessary to join, sort, and aggregate data.
    This means that large volumes of data are reduced to manageable sizes and hence
    a better response time for the user.
  3. Keep communication with
    data sources via DML (direct manipulative language) statements
  4. Allow you to view the
    statements using traces that are provided by the trace facilities. These traces
    help to keep the whole process free of bugs to provide a better analysis
    experience.
  5. Both support virtual
    fields

How does an adapter perform its functions?

Here
are the steps in which an adapter performs its functions:

  1. It translates the
    request that is made into the right data manipulative language (DML)
  2. Using standard attachment
    calls, it then attaches to the targeted source of data
  3. After, the adapter then
    transfers the request to the data source
  4. The request is
    processed by the data source
  5. The results are then
    returned to the client application for further processing

The Functioning…

As seen earlier, adapters are used as a
means of accessing data sources. Most adapters have read/write capabilities
that enable it to get data from the source and insert it into an app. The main
types of requests that are received by the adapter are the SQL and the
WebFOCUS.

The
adapter is usually designed for the specific data source that it is meant to
access. This allows the adapter to translate and offer solutions to product
variations such as syntax, answer set retrieval, catalogs, schema, message
processing, functionality, data representations, and data types.

How are the requests processed?

Upon
the making of a request, the processing of the information starts. The requests
handled differently depending on whether they are SQL or WebFOCUS:

  • When processing an SQL
    request, it directly goes through the database engine. Here, the request is
    checked for validity to see whether or not it meets all the necessary
    requirements
  • When processing
    WebFOCUS requests, it passes through an adapter where it’s analyzed and later
    passes to the DML for further processing.

Final Word

When
the data request had been made, the adapter allows the data to pass through it
in a standard format. Adapters handle all the processing and transfer of
information between a computer and an external device.