Success Story
3rdRail
Ruby on Rails IDE
“People who come from a Java environment
and are looking at ruby, want an iDE.
OrganizatiOn
Labrador Technologies, Inc.
3rdrail is the iDE they’re looking for. ”
– Lori Olsen, Senior architect and Consultant
LA B R A D O R
TECHNOLOGIES INC.
“Celebrating our 2 7th year” intrODuCtiOn fOr Java DEvELOPErS, 3rDraiL
iS thE Path tO ruby On raiLS
Lori Olsen is a senior architect and consultant
aPPLiCatiOn for Labrador Technologies, Inc. (LTI). LTI has Lori started using Rails over 2 years ago, but
specialized in the oil and gas data retrieval there was nothing in the way of an IDE. “Coming
Secure, web-based data
business for over 27 years. Most recently, Lori from a Java background, I wanted a single place
browser and display tool for
helped LTI to develop a new secure, web-based where I could do everything. It was frustrating
accessing data and displaying data browser and display tool that allows users needing to have multiple windows open – a
reports. to access critical data from the GeoLOGIC data window for the version control system, a browser
center – which stores data for over 700,000 open for testing, a couple of terminal windows
iDE Of ChOiCE Canadian wells, as well as information on to run server in one, unit tests in one, and
3rdRail™ – Complete Ruby on pipelines, land, services and more. The resulting functional tests in another.”
Rails IDE from Embarcadero product named eTriever™ (www.etriever.com), is
“People who come from a Java environment
a subscription-based, web application built using
and are looking at Ruby, want an IDE. 3rdRail
ChaLLEngES Embarcadero’s 3rdRail Ruby on Rails IDE. It’s a
is the IDE they’re looking for. 3rdRail gives
data mining application that makes it easy for
Create a subscription-based, you the familiar command line interface called
users to access data and display reports, charts
web application accessible to and graphs on well, land and pipeline data.
Commanders, that lets you execute your Ruby
users come from every corner and Rails commands plus it provides productivity
End users come from every corner of the oil
of the oil and gas industry – features like code completion so you don’t
and gas industry – exploration companies,
exploration companies, need to remember the exact syntax for every
service companies, nancial companies, and
command. 3rdRail has many other great features
service companies, financial government agencies.
like the ability to run unit tests in a window and
companies, and government
if test fails, you can go directly to the location
agencies. a ChangE Of PLanS
where the test failed. A huge time saver and
Using Ruby on Rails to build eTriever had not productivity boost.”
rESuLtS
been the original plan. The project was originally
“Another useful feature is the Dependencies
A Web based app with the scoped to be done in .NET. However, the
View. While navigating source code, you can
look and feel of a desktop weekend before development work was to start,
use the Dependencies View to track all the
application, providing easy fate intervened. Lori and another LTI engineer
dependencies of that specific area of code.
access to data from over happened to attend a “No Fluff Just Stuff” Java
You get a much better understanding of the
700,000 Canadian oil wells. symposium in Toronto. According to Olsen,
interdependencies and relationship that area of
“in Java presentation after presentation, all the
Minimal IT support code has with the entire project.”
speakers couldn’t stop talking about Rails.
requirements. I started thinking that I should give it a look “The Rails Explorer has evolved since the initial
for the eTriever project.” version, and has become quite indispensable.
When you look at your Rails project, there can
Back at LTI, Olsen and her team spent two weeks
be a lot of files and information associated
at the beginning of the project seeing how far
with it – like models, configurations, database
they could get using Rails. To their surprise, they
tables, scripts – there’s a lot you need to
got much further then expected. “Some of our
remember. Using good naming conventions
other customers wanted projects that integrated
can help. But what if you forget a certain table
between Java and .NET. Rails, with all its support
name? Going against a huge data model with
for Web services, can interoperate with anything.
30-40 attributes? In the Rails Explorer you can
And we were demonstrating to ourselves that
quickly pop open the project and look at all the
you could indeed develop as fast as some of the
attributes associated with it. It’s all integrated, so
Java presenters had claimed.”
you don’t have to open yet another data viewing
application.”

A 3rdRail Success Story
“We took a look at textMate and radrails, but
Before settling into 3rdRail, Lori tried other
Rails development tools. “We took a look
at TextMate and RadRails, but found they
just weren’t all there. 3rdRail is way ahead found they just weren’t all there. 3rdrail is way
”
in terms of features and stability. And
3rdRail’s license includes maintenance, which ahead in terms of features and stability.
gives me continuous access to functional
updates.” – Lori Olsen, Senior architect and Consultant
Building an Enterprise Quality Application
with 3rdRail eTriever may not be considered The user experience is much more like a 3rDraiL PutS thE fun
a typical Rails application. It’s not a start desktop application. When we demonstrate baCk in CODing
from scratch “greenfield” application, but is all the functionality and benefits of using
more enterprise oriented. The application Rails people don’t just talk about how much
eTriever, people often ask, “How often do
connects to two databases at the same time more productive and fast they are, but how
I have to update it?” I love this question
and has potential to simultaneously connect much more fun they’re having. According to
because, of course, the answer is ‘you don’t.’
to many databases. One database contains Olsen, “it’s hard to describe if you’re not a
Updates are automatically published to the
all the user data, application preferences, developer, but 3rdRail takes away the boring
server.” eTriever accesses an online database
and data center accounts. When a user logs configuration stuff and makes coding fun
that is updated every day, so data is always
in we use this information to connect them again.”
up to date.
to other databases where they do their Embarcadero delivers innovative, high-
searches. When IT departments understand that this
productivity development tools for a wide
is a service, a Web application, they get
spectrum of software developers, from
very excited. Their users just have to sign
raiLS WEb aPPLiCatiOn individuals to enterprise teams. In 2008,
up for an account, make sure they have
iS a hit With i.t. Embarcadero Technologies acquired the
a data center account and they’re done.
Developer Tools Division of Borland to focus
One of the interesting results is that people There is minimal intervention or support for
on technical innovation and support for
sometimes forget it’s a web application. IT required. And in today’s world with many
software developers. Embarcadero now has
IT departments needing to reduce costs,
more than 25 years of market leadership,
or else face functions being outsourced,
and over 3 million developers using its
this can be a huge advantage.
products worldwide.
built with codegear’s 3rdrail, ruby on
rails iDE, etreiver helps people across
Canada’s oil and gas industry to access
key data from over 700,000 wells.
Download Free Trials at www.embarcadero.com
Corporate Headquarters | Embarcadero Technologies | 100 California Street, 12th Floor | San Francisco, CA 94111 | www.embarcadero.com | sales@embarcadero.com
© 2009 Embarcadero Technologies, Inc. Embarcadero, the Embarcadero Technologies logos, and all other Embarcadero Technologies product or service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Embarcadero Technologies, Inc.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. LABR/SS/2009/02/12