What is online Registration?

The word online is used in various ways. It can mean that a desktop, laptop or other device is connected to a central server i.e. there is a connection to the server. The Cambridge online dictionary also refers to the word as meaning “connected”- The new power station is expected to be online by July. When will the new factory come online (= start production)?

Most users of the word "online" mean that they can get a service from a service provider without having to visit the premises of the service provider. Most notable are the services offered by banks (online banking), retailers (online shopping) and others.

In the context of the ITS Integrator Systems (provided by Adapt IT (Pty)), the word has taken on a very special meaning.

The ITS Integrator Systems provide two types of user interfaces to the system: an Oracle Forms interface and an HTML based interface. The Forms environment is referred to as the "Integrator Interface" whereas the HTML interface is known as the "iEnabler" interface.

Both these interfaces are in fact "online" interfaces as both are web applications. However, because the iEnabler interface enables several types of users to execute "self-help" tasks, this has become known in the general parlance to be "online". This is contrasted by transactions done via the Integrator Interface where a user is performing a transaction on behalf of another person or system.

As an example consider student registrations. In the Integrator Interface environment, a student will complete a paper/hard copy with information that is then captured by a Integrator Interface user on the system. With the iEnabler registration, the student complete the data directly on the system and no intermediaries in the registration process is required.

Online Registration is thus the functionality that enables a student to capture his/her academic qualification and subject registration information directly onto the system without the need for intermediate steps.

Your comments will be welcomed.

Phlip Pretorius

#onlineintegratorinterfaceregistration