Architecting Business Intelligence Applications for Change: The Open Solution using BIRT

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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
• Delivery Complexity
• Skill-specific tools UIs
• Embedded content
• Single-server installations
• Large-scale enterprise deployments

RIAs support critical business processes
One BIRT Design
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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
Power to createvery complexreport layouts
BIRT
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BIRT Open Source IS Actuate

• Open source initiative as part of the Eclipse
  Foundation
• Professional open source founded, organized and
  led by Actuate
• Other members

• Why Open Source?
• Build community of developers and users
• Drive high quality via community feedback
• Create buzz and generate awareness

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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A Variety of Techniques With Actuate BIRT
Actuate BIRT Interactive Viewing
BIRT Report with Embedded Flash Widgets
Actuate Mashboard
266 animated Flash widgets included in Actuate
BIRT Designers
Users modify reports to their liking Delivered as
configurable Java component or as iServer option
Information Console customization w/ drag drop
assembly of Mashpacks User configurable
canvas Canvases saved in iServer
Easy to Build, Easy to Use Applications
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What Makes BIRT Special?Cross-Section of an
Information Application
BIRT is the universal container for reusable
data, transformation visualization components
Delivered to users
Presentation Elements
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
Actuate BIRT Interactive Viewer
Data, Personalized In Context
Your Applications Data
External Data
Customer Sources
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What Makes BIRT Special?Cross-Section of an
Information Application
Delivered to users
Presentation Elements
Logic Computations for Business Processes
Business Process Logic
Data In Context for the User
Without BIRT, this is a custom built,
multi-language, heavily integrated, one-off
application
Data, Personalized In Context
DataSources
Data Warehouse
ERP Sources
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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
Interactive
Everywhere
Collaborative
Quick
Based on The Information Workplace concept by
Erica Driver and Connie Moore, Forrester
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VISUAL Content must be engagingand 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 ApplicationProvides
Insight and Manages toward Strategy
Balanced Scorecards
Strategic Plan Execution
Territory Market Analysis
Methodology Support
Operational Scorecards
Custom Visualizations
the most capable Performance Management suite
available
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INTERACTIVE Answer the questionthat 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
• Fully controlled by IT
• 100 Secure
• Components are reusable
• Features are configurable
• Use changes to drive requirements

when users become smarter, they change their
questions
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COLLABORATIVE Break traditional barriers between
developers and end users
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BIRT StudioWeb-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
• Built-in charting
• Hide show elements
• Select themes

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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Collaborative ArchitectureBIRT-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 ExpertsHuge Developer Community

• Thriving BIRT Community
• Eclipse.org
• gt1,000,000 downloads per quarter
• Developer commercially friendly
  license
• Sponsors must build commercial
  products
• BIRT-Exchange.com
• Professionally staffed experts
• Extensive contributions
• Marketplace applications

BIRT Biannual Downloads
More than 8 million downloads through 2009
Thousands of downloads
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Quick Deployment Flexibility
BIRT iServer Enterprise
Publish rich apps outside the firewall Secure
and support millions of users Scale,
performance, security, reliability
BIRT iServer Express
Implement security management Publish rich PM
apps that satisfy users
BIRT Flash Widgets IV
Engage users and let themdrive rich apps
BIRT Open Source JavaScript SQL
Free OpenSource Tools
EmbeddedApplications
Single-serverApplications
EnterpriseApplications
Other Open Source Vendors
Traditional BI Vendors
Actuate
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Quick To Trust Actuate iServer is Industry
Leader in Dependability Scalability

• iServer supports high availability scalability
  for mission-critical applications with large user
  communities

High-availability Automatic clustering Job
control Load balancing Automatic
failover Multi-project support
BIRT iServer Enterprise Global standard for
scale, performance, reliability and security
Information Objects Caches Application
Scheduling Management Security Application
Integration Performance Management
Web Services APIs Alerts Distribution Clustering
High Availability Information Console
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EVERYWHERE Place the content where your users
are
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BIRT Content EverywhereJavaScript 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
• Multi-layered security model
• Standard and JavaScript portlets
• Seamlessly integrates user security
• Any Format
• Brochure-quality PDF
• Live Excel, PPT, etc
• Live documents spreadsheets
• Mobile devices like iPhone Blackberry
• Invisible
• Supports your branding
• Integrate Marketing Upsell opportunities
• Simple, guided interaction help

in customer portals
in the palm of your hand
even in blogs
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Actuate BIRT is the Universal Container for
Adaptable Information Applications
Java Applications Intranet Dashboards
Extranet Applications
Drill-through
Java portal / portlet
Business Logic
Web Layout
Charts Graphs
Flash Widgets
AJAX Interactivity
crosstabs
Rules
Parameters
Aggregates
Java JavaScript
Images
SQL
data sets
Cache
Reusable Components
Web Services
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Modern Customer Requests
Actuate surpasses these requirements
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BIRT Product Line from Actuate
BIRTSpreadsheets
BIRT Studio
BIRTDesigners Viewer
BIRTInteractiveViewer
BIRT Smartsheet Security
BIRT Page Level Security
BIRT Performance Scorecard BIRT
OnPerformance e.Reports
Eclipse BIRT Designers and Engine
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Demo
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Why BIRT is great for RIAs

• Developer Productivity
• Web 2.0 design metaphor,
• not a banded report writer
• Java JavaScript Programmability
• Reuse component library
• Multiple data sources datasets
• Universal container for the app
• Versatile Delivery Deployment
• Multiple delivery alternatives
• OSS-embed-workgroup-enterprise
• Page Level Security
• iServer dependability
• JavaScript API
• BIRT Warehouse appliance

• Presentation Flexibility
• Web 2.0 extensions
• (Flash, AJAX, JavaScript, Java)
• Widgets dashboards
• Ad-hoc reports
• Interactive viewing
• BIRT Mobile appliance

One BIRT Design
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Why Use Actuate for RIAs?

• Easy to use self-serve content
• Deliver information to MANY people throughout the
  enterprise and beyond
• Increases user adoption
• Make real-time decisions with drill-through
• 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

Ad-hoc
One BIRT Environment
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Actuate Information Applications From BIRT
Web-Based Rich Information Applications
Web Services APIs Alerts Distribution Clustering
High Availability Information Console

• Information Objects Caches
• Application Scheduling Management
• Security Application Integration
• Performance Management

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Questions?shaji_at_actuate.com