Transcript Optimizing the User Experience for Rich Internet applications

Architecting Business
Intelligence Applications for
Change: The Open Solution
using BIRT
Seema Haji
Sr. Technical Marketing Manager
Actuate Corporation
Daniel Melcher
Sr. RIA Architect
Actuate Corporation
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The Open Solution using BIRT
AGENDA
• What is BIRT?
• Principles of Rich Information
Applications
• The BIRT Product Line
• Demo
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What Actuate Does…
Actuate removes the complexity
in building data-driven
Rich Information Applications
Development Complexity
• Multiple-sources & datasets
• Web-2.0 application design
• Reuse library (public & private)
Presentation Complexity
• Dynamic visualizations
• User-configurable content
• Flash, Interactive Viewer
RIA’s support critical business processes
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Delivery Complexity
• Skill-specific tools & UI’s
• Embedded content
• Single-server installations
• Large-scale enterprise
deployments
One BIRT Design
What is BIRT?
Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools
A New Generation of Reporting and Data Visualization Technology
• Easy to use for all types of developers
• Modern, web-page design metaphor
• Open and standards-based
• Flexible with rich programmatic control
• Full support for libraries and reuse
• Foundation for next generation Actuate products
Simplicity
that makes
simple reports
easy
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Power
BIRT
to create
very complex
report layouts
BIRT Open Source IS Actuate
• Professional open source: founded,
organized and led by Actuate
• Other members
Thousands of downloads
• Open source initiative as part of the
Eclipse Foundation
BIRT Downloads
2,500
More than 6.5
million downloads
&
1 Million
downloads per QTR
for the last 3 QTRs
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
1H
2005
Why Open Source?
• Build community of developers and users
• Drive high quality via community feedback
• Create buzz and generate awareness
2H
2005
1H
2006
2H
2006
1H
2007
2H
2007
Enterprise-ready maturity
Eclipse project launched in 2004
Five major BIRT releases
Adopted across IBM
http://www.birt-exchange.com/BIRT-Resource-Center
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1H
2008
A Variety of Techniques With Actuate BIRT
BIRT Report with
Embedded Flash Widgets
Actuate BIRT
Interactive Viewing
266 animated Flash
widgets included in Actuate
BIRT Designers
Users modify reports to their
liking
Information Console
customization w/ drag & drop
assembly of “Mashpacks”
Delivered as configurable
Java component or as
iServer option
User configurable canvas
Actuate Mashboard
Canvases saved in iServer
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Easy to Build, Easy to Use Applications
What Makes BIRT Special?
Cross-Section of an Information Application
Delivered to users
Presentation
Elements
BIRT is the universal container for reusable data,
transformation & visualization components
Tables
Charts
Graphs
Flash
Widgets
Drill thru
Crosstabs
Lists
Forms
AJAX
Interactivity
Logic & Computations for Business Processes in Java,
JavaScript, SQL & BIRT functions
Business
Process
Logic
Multiple data sources & datasets secured for the User
BIRT: Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools
Eclipse standard design for RIA development
Data,
Personalized &
In Context
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Actuate BIRT Interactive Viewer
Your Portal / Web Page / Java Application
Your
Application’s
Data
External
Data
Customer
Sources
What Makes BIRT Special?
Cross-Section of an Information Application
Delivered to users
Presentation
Elements
Tables
Charts
Graphs
Flash
Widgets
Drill thru
Crosstabs
Lists
Forms
AJAX
Interactivity
Logic & Computations for Business Processes
Business
Process
Logic
Data,
Personalized &
In Context
Data In Context for the User
Without BIRT, this is a custom built, multilanguage, heavily integrated, one-off
application
Portal / Web Page / Java Application
Data
Sources
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Data
Warehouse
ERP
Sources
Notable Actuate BIRT Features
Page Level Security
Micro-cube powered cross-tabs
•Graphing inside cross-tab,
•use measures in calculations,
•attach scriptable events &
•charting from cross-tab data
Interactive Viewer extensions
•Available as deployment engine
•Included in report preview
•Accessible from JSAPI
•Role-based modularity
Portable .rptdesign format
•Can be accessed as data source
•Can be saved as template
•Can be opened and edited by
• BRD Pro, BRD, BRS and IV
Report parameter treatment
•Dialog-driven assignment
•auto-suggest
•embedded values in output
•cascading value lookups
•HTML button assignment
•embedded in URLs
BIRT Report Designer Professional
•Includes Information Object Designer
perspective
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Modern Customer Requests…
Principles of Rich Information Applications
Visual
Everywhere
Quick
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Interactive
Collaborative
Based on The Information Workplace concept
by Erica Driver and Connie Moore, Forrester
VISUAL
Content must be engaging
and readily understandable
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Visual BIRT Content Engages Users
Animated Visualizations
Highly Visual
• Draws user in
• Zero training
• Simplifies information
• Joy to use
Powered by BIRT
• 100% Web-based
• Built-in graphics
• 266 Flash objects included
• Lightweight and reusable
Information is Compelling
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BIRT Performance Scorecard Application
Provides Insight and Manages toward Strategy
Balanced Scorecards
Strategic Plan Execution
Territory & Market Analysis
Operational Scorecards
Methodology Support
Custom Visualizations
…the most capable Performance Management suite available
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INTERACTIVE
Answer the question
that has not yet been asked
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Content Must be Interactive
When presented with information, users become smarter…
Interactive & Engaging
• Encourages users to seek new
perspectives
• Save their changes
• Leverages their ideas
• Creates self-sufficient users
…when users become smarter, they change their questions
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Fully controlled by IT
• 100% Secure
• Components are reusable
• Features are configurable
• Use changes to drive
requirements
COLLABORATIVE
Break traditional barriers between
developers and end users
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BIRT Studio
Web-Based Ad-Hoc Content Creation
Template-driven development
Web-based Ad-hoc
•
•
•
•
Drag and drop development
Users pick template and data set
Group, filter, sort & aggregate
Supports all Excel functionality
IT-controlled
• Templates controlled by IT
• Metadata secured
• Content can be scheduled, shared &
used with Interactive Viewer
Graphical Objects
BIRT Studio is the only template-driven ad-hoc environment
that works within a collaborative design architecture that
includes BIRT Designers & Interactive Viewer
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• Built-in charting
• Hide & show elements
• Select themes
Collaborative Architecture
BIRT-driven design sharing drives RIA evolution
Improve communication
• Common design
• Reduces requirements gathering
• Supports agile development
practices
Reduce development costs
• Reuse improves productivity
• Assemble reports from libraries
of components, themes and
templates
• Designs can be saved and
opened in any BIRT Designer
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QUICK
Create highly functional, integrated
applications rapidly
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Quick to Find Experts:
Huge Developer Community
Thriving BIRT Community
BIRT-Exchange.com
• Professionally staffed experts
• Extensive contributions
• Marketplace applications
BIRT Biannual Downloads
2,500
Thousands of downloads
Eclipse.org
• >1,000,000 downloads per
quarter
• Developer & commercially
friendly license
• Sponsors must build
commercial products
3,000
2,000
More than 8 million
downloads through 2009
1,500
1,000
500
0
1H
2H
1H
2H
1H
2H
1H
2H
2005 2005 2006 2006 2007 2007 2008 2008
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Quick: Deployment Flexibility
BIRT + iServer Enterprise
Publish rich
apps outside
the firewall
BIRT + iServer Express
BIRT + Flash Widgets + IV
BIRT Open Source
+ JavaScript
+ SQL
Free Open
Source Tools
Engage users
and let them
drive rich apps
Embedded
Applications
Secure and
support millions
of users
Publish rich
PM apps that
satisfy users
Scale,
performance,
security, reliability
Single-server
Applications
Other Open Source Vendors
Enterprise
Applications
Traditional BI Vendors
Actuate
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Implement
security &
management
Quick To Trust: Actuate iServer is Industry
Leader in Dependability & Scalability
iServer supports high availability &
scalability for mission-critical applications
with large user communities
BIRT iServer Enterprise
Global standard for scale, performance, reliability and security
Information Objects & Caches
Application Scheduling & Management
Security & Application Integration
Performance Management
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Web Services APIs
Alerts & Distribution
Clustering & High Availability
Information Console
High-availability
Automatic clustering
Job control
Load balancing
Automatic failover
Multi-project support
EVERYWHERE
Place the content
where your users are
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BIRT Content Everywhere
JavaScript API Places Content Where Users Are
JavaScript API
Simple to deploy
• Load JavaScript library
• Identify server & content
IT-controlled
• Secured by iServer
• Delivered in any web page
Many new opportunities
• Live active content
• Advertising
• Extended content placemen
JavaScript API simplifies BIRT delivery
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Seamlessly Integrated Within Environment
Present Content Seamlessly…
All Data Secured
…in
customer
portals
• Multi-layered security model
• Standard and JavaScript portlets
• Seamlessly integrates user security
Any Format
…in the
palm of
your hand
•
•
•
•
Brochure-quality PDF
Live Excel, PPT, etc…
Live documents & spreadsheets
Mobile devices like iPhone &
Blackberry
Invisible
…even in blogs
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• Supports your branding
• Integrate Marketing & Upsell
opportunities
• Simple, guided interaction & help
Actuate BIRT is the Universal Container for
Adaptable Information Applications
Java Applications
Intranet
Dashboards
Extranet Applications
Drillthrough
Java portal / portlet
Business
Logic
Web
Layout
Rules
SQL
data
sets
Charts &
Graphs
Flash
Widgets
AJAX
Interactivity
Java &
JavaScript
Aggregates
Parameters
Cache
crosstabs
Images
Actuate BIRT Information Applications
• Easily created by BIRT designers & BIRT Studio
Reusable
Components
• Each component independently modifiable
Web
Services
• BIRT documents immediately interactive
• Easily modified by users in Interactive Viewer
• Easily distributed & managed by iServer
BIRT .rptdesign
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• Adaptability is Actuate BIRT’s advantage
Modern Customer Requests…
Visual
Everywhere
Quick
Interactive
Collaborative
Actuate surpasses these requirements
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BIRT Product Line from Actuate
BIRT
Interactive
Viewer
BIRT Studio
BIRT Page Level Security
BIRT
Designers &
Viewer
BIRT
Spreadsheets
BIRT Smartsheet
Security
Eclipse BIRT Designers and Engine
BIRT iServer and BIRT iServer Express
Global standard for scale, performance, reliability and security
BIRT Mobile
BIRT
Performance
Scorecard
BIRT
OnPerformance
e.Reports
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Demo
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Why BIRT is great for RIA’s
Developer Productivity
• Web 2.0 design metaphor,
•
•
•
•
•
Presentation Flexibility
• Web 2.0 extensions
• (Flash, AJAX, JavaScript, Java)
not a banded report writer
Java & JavaScript Programmability
Reuse component library
Multiple data sources & datasets
Universal container for the app
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•
•
•
Widgets & dashboards
Ad-hoc reports
Interactive viewing
BIRT Mobile appliance
Versatile Delivery & Deployment
• Multiple delivery alternatives
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•
•
•
•
OSS-embed-workgroupenterprise
Page Level Security
iServer dependability
JavaScript API
BIRT Warehouse appliance
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One BIRT Design
Why Use Actuate for RIAs?
Easy to use self-serve content
• Deliver information to MANY people
throughout the enterprise and beyond
• Increases user adoption
Scorecards
Make real-time decisions with drillthrough
• Arm people with the right information
RIGHT NOW to take the right action
• Leverages all existing data-sources in the
enterprise
Improves corporate performance
• Increases employee accountability
• Assure compliance - SOX, Basel II,
HIPPA, local regulators
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Dashboards
Ad-hoc
Excel
Details & Visualizations
One BIRT Environment
Actuate Information Applications From BIRT
Web-Based Rich Information Applications
Designers
Actuate BIRT
Actuate BIRT
Pro
Actuate BIRT
Reports &
Dashboards
BIRT
Interactive
Viewer
BIRT Report
Studio
Ad hoc
data access
BIRT
BIRT RCP
BIRT All-in-1
Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools
Eclipse standard for RIA development
Actuate
e.Spreadsheet
Ready-toanalyze
Excel reports
Actuate iServer
Global standard for scale, performance, reliability and security
Information Objects & Caches
Application Scheduling &
Management
Security & Application Integration
Performance Management
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Web Services APIs
Alerts & Distribution
Clustering & High Availability
Information Console
Actuate
Performancesoft
Suite
Forward-looking
performance
management
applications
Questions?
[email protected]
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