Actuate for PeopleSoft

Transcription

1 Any User. Any Data. Any Deployment. Technical White Paper Actuate for PeopleSoft This technical white paper highlights PeopleSoft s reporting strategy, provides an overview of the Actuate product family and describes Actuate s integration with PeopleSoft. The Actuate Enterprise Reporting Application platform integrates PeopleSoft data with other enterprise data, transforms it into reports and applications of any form and complexity and delivers them through websites, , portals and executive dashboards. In doing so, Actuate maximizes PeopleSoft customers return on the investments they have made in implementing PeopleSoft applications and building enterprise information repositories.

2 Notice The information in this white paper is proprietary to Actuate Corporation ( Actuate ) and may not be used in any form without the prior consent of Actuate by Actuate Corporation. All rights reserved. Actuate Corporation trademarks and registered trademarks: Actuate, e.analysis, e.report, e.reporting, e.spreadsheet, Formula One, Internet Spreadsheet, Live Report Extension, ReportCast, Report Encyclopedia, SmartReports, Spreadsheets Everywhere, Tidestone, Reportlet, and XML reports. PeopleSoft is a registered trademark of PeopleSoft Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Version 2 January 2004 Actuate Corporation 2207 Bridgepointe Parkway Suite 500 San Mateo, CA Tel: (888)

3 Contents The Actuate Advantage...4 Employ a Unified Reporting Solution...4 Increase Productivity and Revenue with Enterprise Reporting Applications...4 Minimize Total Cost of Ownership...4 Overview of PeopleSoft s Reporting Strategy...5 The Actuate Product Family...5 Actuate iserver...5 Server Scalability and Availability...6 Application and Report Development Products...6 Variety of Information Formats...7 End-User Report Creation and Customization...7 Fully-Functional Web-Based Excel Spreadsheet Applications...7 Actuate Query Empowers End-Users...7 Actuate Analytics Empowers Analysts...7 Integrating Actuate with PeopleSoft Applications...8 Integrating with PeopleSoft Data...8 Integrating with PeopleSoft Security...9 Integrating with PeopleSoft Web Delivery Initiatives...10 Integrating with PeopleSoft Process Scheduler...10 An Open Environment for Further Integration...10 For More Information

4 The Actuate Advantage Actuate Corporation is the world leader in Enterprise Reporting Applications. Actuate s Enterprise Reporting Application Platform is the foundation on which Global 9000 organizations and packaged application software vendors develop intuitive, web portal-like reporting applications that empower 100% of users. Actuate s platform empowers organizations to: Access and integrate information in enterprise databases and applications Create personalized content that seamlessly integrates into websites, information portals, executive dashboards and web-based spreadsheets Deliver the content to customers, prospects, partners and employees inside and outside the firewall Actuate for PeopleSoft addresses the needs of PeopleSoft customers who want to: Report on PeopleSoft and other data in real time Generate highly formatted, complex reports Deliver information to users in a variety of ways including web-based reports, fully functional webbased Excel spreadsheets, executive dashboards and portals Support the information and reporting needs of any size user community, even millions of users Extend the reach of PeopleSoft reporting outside the firewall Reduce the number of reports they must develop and maintain Actuate is a PeopleSoft Alliance partner, providing Enterprise Reporting technology and services to organizations using PeopleSoft applications. Using Actuate, organizations increase revenue, reduce costs and improve customer responsiveness. This technical white paper highlights PeopleSoft s reporting strategy, provides an overview of the Actuate product family, and describes Actuate for PeopleSoft, Actuate s reporting solution for PeopleSoft applications. Employ a Unified Reporting Solution Actuate provides a scalable and highly available PeopleSoft reporting solution. It also empowers customers to integrate data from multiple sources including the PeopleSoft Enterprise Warehouse, data marts, operational data stores, third-party applications, databases, legacy systems and the web into single, seamless reports with interactive drill-through across sources. With these powers, organizations can produce ad hoc and scheduled reports for thousands of users with one Actuate iserver. With Actuate for PeopleSoft, there is only one platform to install and maintain for generating all reports and user requests for information. Increase Productivity and Revenue with Enterprise Reporting Applications With Actuate Enterprise Reporting Applications, users get the information they need in the form they want it, when they need it, making them more productive and more effective at driving revenues. To do this, Actuate delivers interactive content including drilldown to any level of information through portals, executive dashboards and Excel extensions. Reports can include detailed formatting, charts, tables and business rules, and can be delivered in a variety of data formats including DHTML, PDF, Excel XLS, flat files, XML and other industry-standard formats. Minimize Total Cost of Ownership Actuate for PeopleSoft minimizes the TCO of PeopleSoft reporting because Actuate: Reduces hardware and administration costs via high performance, easy-to-manage servers and clusters Simplifies administration costs via web-based tools that enable the creation, management and distribution of Actuate iservers and objects Minimizes training, machine configuration and client software acquisition costs by using the web browser and Excel applications already employed by users Integrates easily with existing applications, data stores, LDAP directories, websites, dashboards and portals Supports Unicode fully, enabling single reports to display in any number of languages In summary, by using Actuate for PeopleSoft, organizations can implement and upgrade systems faster and administer them with fewer people. 4

5 Overview of PeopleSoft s Reporting Strategy As a part of its PeopleTools strategy for its enterprise applications, PeopleSoft provides a suite of reporting tools for specific tasks. The tools share a single set of metadata and one infrastructure for security, output subscription, distribution and management. PeopleTools fall into three categories: production reporting tools; ad hoc querying tools; and multidimensional reporting, analysis and exploration tools. The PeopleTools family includes the following technologies: PeopleSoft Query, a tool for building, saving and running queries that requires familiarity with SQL and data tables SQR, a third-party language for programmers who create complex, procedural reports for end users nvision, a Microsoft Excel-based analytic-reporting tool Crystal Reports, a third-party tool for power users who use saved queries to create reports for other users PeopleSoft Portal, a product for delivering PeopleSoft data to users through a single, online location PeopleSoft s Internet reporting strategy includes the abilities to: Distribute reports in HTML, PDF and formats Manage report content and customization Automate the administration of users, groups, categories and data security Integrate with PeopleSoft portal technology PeopleSoft applications store data in operational databases. To provide access to end users without impacting operational systems, organizations replicate the data into warehouses and marts residing in the PeopleSoft Enterprise Warehouse. The Actuate Product Family Actuate s Enterprise Reporting Application platform enables organizations to provide all users with the enterprise information they need in the format they need it, in a secure, timely and cost-effective manner. It delivers highly interactive web- and Excel-based reports through any portal application, web service or enterprise application. Actuate gives organizations a standard platform for creating reports and Enterprise Reporting Applications with a single, state-of-the-art technology. 5

6 Actuate iserver Actuate iserver empowers companies to deliver reporting content throughout the extended enterprise. It is a scalable information server that generates, manages and securely delivers enterprise reports to any number of users simultaneously. Actuate iserver does so with unparalleled scalability up to a million hits per CPU per day, including high availability for 24x7 operation. Actuate iserver provides the industry s most open, standards-based architecture for integration with web services, enterprise applications, back-end data sources and e-business applications and platforms. Actuate provides native and ODBC connectivity to popular database management systems such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Progress, as well as ODBC/JDBC connectivity. The server also supports access to flat files, API-enabled data sources, custom data sources and business logic implemented as Enterprise JavaBeans, CORBA, COM or C++ objects. With its multi-threaded, load-balancing operation, Actuate iserver supports access to data sources with millisecond response, even while accessing live data from multiple sources simultaneously for a single report. Server Scalability and Availability Actuate iserver is the heart of Actuate for PeopleSoft and can handle the information needs of thousands of users. It is a scalable information server for generating, managing and distributing interactive business information to 100% of the users in an organization. Actuate iserver offers: Industry-leading scalability to serve the information needs of millions of users High-availability to ensure that information needs are met reliably round-the-clock Granular control of security on key enterprise information Simple manageability of large volumes of content through scheduling, versioning and archiving A complete Web Services API to integrate security, management and delivery functionality with J2EE,.NET and other types of enterprise infrastructure To provide storage scalability, Actuate offers a multivolume Report Encyclopedia. Each volume is an independent unit, which may be added, dropped, backed up and restored while the rest of the system remains online. Fault tolerance for high availability is provided by two mechanisms: cloning of message distribution, factory and viewing services (which are stateless); and partitioning of Encyclopedia services with automatic recovery and fail-over. In addition, Actuate supports iserver clusters, which achieve scalability and high availability by placing multiple active machines at a single virtual IP address. Requests arriving at a cluster are routed to the most appropriate machine based on available services and the processing load on each machine. To provide increased scalability dynamically while preserving high availability, administrators can add server machines and reconfigure services while the cluster remains online. Actuate s cluster architecture accesses information simultaneously from multiple PeopleSoft and non-peoplesoft data sources, and makes it available in one integrated server. Application and Report Development Products Actuate offers products that enable both professional developers and power users to create a variety of reports. e.report Designer Professional is a powerful development environment that enables professional developers to efficiently create tightly integrated, flexible enterprise reports. e.report Designer is a flexible, easy-to-use tool that enables web developers to rapidly publish database information to the web using embedded, actionable reports. e.spreadsheet Designer is a powerful user development tool that enables the wizard-based creation of Web-based fully functional Excel spreadsheet reports. e.report Designer Java Edition is a pure Java development tool that allows developers to create embedded reports for Java applications. Actuate s report designer products integrate with existing systems, support enterprise technology standards, and offer substantial productivity benefits to report developers. 6

7 Variety of Information Formats Actuate for PeopleSoft delivers interactive, formatted reports in DHTML, HTML, PDF, Excel and XML formats that can include charts, tables, formulas, and business rules. Actuate also gives users automatic navigation bars that drill down into detailed information, or across data fields for context and scope, with no restrictions. To integrate effectively with information portals, Actuate offers on-demand information generation and the ability to cache commonly requested report definitions and output so they display without delay. It also includes an on-demand paging facility that allows users to see just the page they need from reports that may contain thousands of pages, making efficient use of busy enterprise networks, and saving users tremendous time. To slash the number of reports required to serve an enterprise, Actuate supports parameter-driven reports customized to users needs, as well as full Unicode support for producing the same report in any number of languages automatically. End-User Report Creation and Customization Most employees, customers and partners require information more flexible and interactive than fixedformat reports. Users must be able to request and consume information easily, without the complexity of ad-hoc query tools or report writers. Adaptive Reports are ideal for such users, empowering them to customize Actuate report content, structure and formatting using a powerful web interface. With Adaptive Reports, users modify pre-defined report templates to meet their individual needs and create new reports using a Web-based wizard. In doing so, users fulfill most of their own requirements for information without having to learn reportdevelopment tools. Fully-Functional Web-Based Excel Spreadsheet Applications Actuate e.spreadsheet Designer is an easy-to-use development environment for creating flexible and customizable Excel-based spreadsheet web reports as an adjunct to, or replacement for, web-based enterprise reports. Users of e.spreadsheet Designer build Excel templates and connect them to data sources using a visual development environment and a variety of menu options and wizards. Actuate offers unrivaled spreadsheet power that enables organizations to deliver fully functional Excel files that contain: Up-to-the-moment data from multiple sources Transformations that combine data from various sources Excel functions instead of hard-wired numbers for calculations Meaningful, formatted labels instead of cryptic variable names from databases Information users receiving Actuate s e.spreadsheet files can use standard, familiar Excel functionality to tailor the files to meet their exact needs. In this way, IT organizations get the benefits of fast, dependable report delivery, while users get customized, personalized spreadsheets to meet their unique and fast-changing business challenges. 7

8 Actuate Query Empowers End-Users Actuate Query is a four-step, browser-based wizard that gives business users fast, ad-hoc access to information they need in formats they can use such as Excel, PDF and HTML. This new query capability is delivered through the Actuate iserver and is powered by Actuate s Information Objects, which transform data into forms that users understand and consume easily, while maintaining secure control over the information. Information Objects are data streams that can include input parameters, calculations or even multiple queries to disparate systems, as defined by IT. Actuate Query empowers users with the information they need without requiring them to have knowledge of databases or assistance from IT, thereby reducing costs while improving the agility of the organization. Integrating Actuate with PeopleSoft Applications PeopleSoft has certified Actuate s interoperation with PeopleSoft technologies in numerous areas. Certified integration areas include: PeopleSoft data, including application data tables and PeopleSoft Enterprise Warehouse PeopleSoft web delivery initiatives, including PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA) and its associated web look-and-feel and URL submission of reports and folder views PeopleSoft security, including accessing user, role and group definitions to provide single sign-on PeopleSoft Process Scheduler, including process definitions Actuate Analytics Empowers Analysts Actuate Analytics gives organizations the power to design, create, manipulate and analyze data cubes, which are multidimensional data objects. It includes the following components: Cube Designer, which is used to specify how to access data (SQL query, flat file, XML stream), how to map the data into its hierarchical roll-up, how to summarize data (sum, average, minimum, maximum, count, percent etc.), and how to publish data cube definitions to the Actuate iserver Cube Factory, which retrieves cube definitions and executes them to populate cubes with data Cube Analyzer, which empowers users to download cubes, create tabular and graphical views of them and save those views to the Actuate iserver Using Actuate Analytics, users can tumble through multiple views of data cubes. In addition, users can design and publish data cubes for time-series analysis, cross-sectional analysis and hierarchical reports or publish the data cubes to share with other users. In addition to creating and publishing a library of predefined data cubes, IT organizations can customize the functionality of the Cube Analyzer, tuning its simplicity and capability to the skills and needs of individual users and specific groups. 8

9 Integrating with PeopleSoft Data Actuate can build reports and information objects that seamlessly integrate data and business logic from transaction application databases, operational data stores, data warehouses, data marts, legacy data stores and external sources. Depending on the requirements of specific Enterprise Reporting Applications, developers can use component-based or direct data-access methods. Component-Based Access Provides Compatibility with New PeopleSoft Releases Most releases of PeopleSoft applications make changes to both underlying database structures and user interfaces. By using component-based access methods that provide a level of abstraction from data, developers can insulate reports from changes in data structures and data-access logic, maintaining backward compatibility with every release of PeopleSoft applications. Developers can choose from a variety of component-based access methods including: The PeopleSoft Component Interface JAVA Object Interfaces COM, DCOM, and CORBA object models Stored procedures, database views and other database objects Direct Access Provides Simple, Straightforward Solutions As an alternative to using component-based access methods, developers can use direct data-access methods, which include: for Actuate integration methods including report templates, portal objects and APIs. Therefore, all existing reports using these access methods generate the same results after Actuate upgrades without requiring modifications. Integrating with PeopleSoft Security Actuate integrates tightly with PeopleSoft Security to provide a secure and seamless user experience for Actuate for PeopleSoft users. Actuate integrates with PeopleSoft or LDAP directory services so administrators can maintain data security with just one set of permissions for users, groups and roles. By properly defining permissions, administrators can ensure that users see exactly and only the data that they are entitled to view. Actuate s single-sign-on reference implementation allows users to login to their PeopleSoft account and automatically gain access to their Actuate account. Actuate s Report Server Security Extension (RSSE) dynamically reads security data from PeopleSoft applications to secure report data at the page level. Actuate s Page Level Security enables administrators to run a single, large batch report for all divisions, regions, etc. and be assured that users can see only those report pages for which they have permission. PS Query result tables Native connectivity to databases, including SQL ODBC connectivity to databases In some cases, developers may choose to embed complex SQL statements into reports. For these applications, Actuate provides robust GUI query- and report-design environments to modify those SQL statements if required. Once they make modifications, designers just recompile affected report designs and redeploy them to the Actuate iserver. Data Compatibility with New Releases of Actuate Every Actuate release maintains full backward compatibility by preserving consistent support 9

10 This not only preserves data security, but saves tremendous network bandwidth by downloading only those pages relevant to requesting users, rather than entire thousand-page reports. Integrating with PeopleSoft Web Delivery Initiatives An organization s information assets are among its most valuable resources and need to be readily accessible. Unfortunately, information users often have to wait too long for the data they need. Actuate makes information available to users across an enterprise and outside its firewall by integrating seamlessly into PeopleSoft web delivery initiatives. Actuate s ability to create information in complex forms provides the flexibility to: Embed Actuate report information seamlessly in web applications of all kinds Integrate Actuate reports seamlessly into PeopleSoft Portals and other portals Integrate with PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA) for supporting real-time business processes and webbased data access 10

11 Integrating with PeopleSoft Process Scheduler Actuate iserver integrates with PeopleSoft s process scheduler, empowering PeopleSoft users and administrators to dynamically execute or batchschedule reports from within PeopleSoft applications. In addition, PeopleSoft users and administrators can view their scheduled Actuate reports frompeoplesoft s scheduler. With this integration, administrators can schedule regular reports to run at optimum times and delay resource-consumptive ad hoc requests until a time when servers are better able to handle them. The tight SOAP-based web Services integration of the Actuate and PeopleSoft process schedulers mean that report requests execute immediately in Actuate s Scheduler and update both the PeopleSoft and Actuate schedulers process tables. An Open Environment for Further Integration Actuate features an Information Delivery API and a SOAP-based and WSDL-callable platform. These interfaces provide a language-independent means for integrating Actuate services with other applications. The API allows platforms, including J2EE,.NET, and other languages to access the system. In addition to web services support for portal integration, Actuate also offers Reportlets, which are partial DHTML pages that can be easily integrated into existing web pages and portals. For More Information To learn more about how Actuate PeopleSoft addresses the Enterprise Reporting needs of your organization, visit or call or Actuate Corporation 2207 Bridgepointe Parkway Suite 500 San Mateo, CA Tel: (888) Web: 11