FME Workbench and FME Server
FME Workbench is the authoring environment for FME Server translations. It has functionality specifically for FME Server.
FME Desktop as an FME Server Authoring Tool
FME Server can be called a model-driven architecture, because the specification for a translation is expressed as a model. In FME, these models are better known as workspaces.
Workspaces are created – we call it “authored” – using FME Desktop. In particular, the FME Workbench application is used. FME Workbench is a client of FME Server, and so they form a client-server pair. However, both share the same core engine and process data the same way.
| Police-Chief Webb-Mapp says... |
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Hello, hello, hello. I'm the police chief, responsible for guiding you through this chapter - and for tracking down crimes against FME.
So, let's make sure you get the terminology right. The application itself is called FME “Workbench”, but the process defined in the canvas window is called a “Workspace”. The terms are so similar that they are easily confused, but please don't, otherwise I will have to send my grammar squad to arrest you! Although mistreating FME terminology is a minor offence the ignominy of being caught is long lasting! |
The Workspace Authoring Workflow
The four basic steps to creating and using a workspace on FME Server are:
- Author the workspace in FME Workbench
- Publish the workspace from FME Workbench to FME Server
- Run the workspace on FME Server
- Maintain the workspace by downloading it from FME Server, making any required updates in FME Workbench, and re-publishing it back to FME Server.
| Police Chief Webb-Mapp says… |
| Be aware that FME Workbench is part of the FME Desktop product and is not included as part of FME Server. |