> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.novacura.com/flow-ifs-cloud-development-guidelines/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.novacura.com/flow-ifs-cloud-development-guidelines/getting-started/ifs-cloud.md). # IFS Cloud With the paradigm shift from on premise installations to cloud hosted ERPs, many of the large vendors has adopted the OData standard to facilitate their integration interfaces. This is also the case for IFS. OData was introduced with IFS 10 and the new web based Aurena client. With the IFS Cloud release the **.NET access provider** was deprecated and replaced entirely by OData. The logical units and PL/SQL packages are still there but sits beneath the FndODataProvider. ### FndODataProvider Read detailed configuration instructions from[ IFS documentation](https://docs.ifs.com/), search for **OData and FndODataProvider** > *"**IFS OData Provider** exposes **IFS business entities** and **business logic** through **OData endpoints**. IFS OData Provider with the help of Apache OLingo do the translation between the **OData protocol** and the underlying **IFS Business Logic.**"* The IFS OData Provider is responsible for parsing the OData requests, executing the business logic and providing a JSON response.

Translation of a OData call to a SQL query

### Projections The OData services within IFS are called **Projections**. Projections in are sets of API methods that, in most cases, correspond to a specific page in Aurena. There are for example projections that are designed completely for 3rd party integrations. But most of the 5500+ projections are to support the Aurena functionality, just as packages mainly supported functionally in the Enterprise Explorer in pervious versions. More on projections in the [Terminology](/flow-ifs-cloud-development-guidelines/getting-started/terminology.md#projections) section. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.novacura.com/flow-ifs-cloud-development-guidelines/getting-started/ifs-cloud.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.