LDAP Directory Technology Review

Because OpenLDAP lacks the characteristics of a transactional environment the ordering system is being implemented using MySQL, as it is required to be installed. Since a third-party is administering the payments, this system is relatively simple and the data can then be imported into the OpenLDAP at times when the server load is low.

The following Data Flow diagram analyses the processes involved in the ordering system.

Data Flow Diagram for the Ordering System

This system was implemented on a RDBMS because the OpenLDAP server is lacking the transactional features of such systems.

The lifecycle of a new customer starts by completing a form on the website with all the relevant account information which needs to be processed by the system upon the submission of the order form.

The following Entity Relationship Diagram shows the original MySQL schema design of the ordering sub-system.

Entity Relationship Diagram for the Ordering System