Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Getting Started:
Core Business Services

OpenEdge usage

OpenEdge provides message digest features in the Progress 4GL that you can use to provide your own data integrity tests, including the:

MD5-DIGEST function.
SHA1-DIGEST function.

OpenEdge also allows you to specify the hashing algorithm for PBE (see the "Password-based encryption (PBE)" section) using a choice of message digest algorithms.

For more information, see the sections on cryptography in OpenEdge Development: Programming Interfaces .

Caution: Progress Software Corporation recommends that you use the cryptographic features of the 4GL only if you have a well-grounded understanding of cryptography and its usage. Use of cryptography without the necessary preparation can result in permanent data loss. In general, cryptography can have significant negative impact on application performance and decrease effective data compression for data stored in a database. For more information on managing data encryption and decryption, see the “Security” white paper prepared by the Progress Software Corporation Marketing Department, which can be found on the PSDN Web site.

OpenEdge also uses message digests and MAC keys to:

Provide data privacy for an SSL session. For more information, see Chapter 5, " Public-Key Infrastructure (PKI)."
Support security options for Java Open Clients. For more information, see OpenEdge Development: Java Open Clients .
Provide enhanced source code version detection for WebClient applications. For more information, see the sections on using MD5 message digests in OpenEdge Deployment: WebClient Applications .
Seal audit data from unauthorized alteration. For more information, see Chapter 8, " Auditing in OpenEdge."