unifying bi and cm with soa

Unifying Business Intelligence and Content Management

with Service-Oriented Architectures

Chris HarringtonActive Interface, Inc.

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence SIG Number Presentation Date Time

Presentation ObjectivesPresentation Objectives

Review Service-Oriented Architectural Review Service-Oriented Architectural principlesprinciples

Discuss the application of these Discuss the application of these principles to BI and CMSprinciples to BI and CMS

Explore integration scenarios and Explore integration scenarios and resultant unification benefitsresultant unification benefits

Demonstrate a sample integration Demonstrate a sample integration framework built upon the Microsoft framework built upon the Microsoft platformplatform


About the AuthorAbout the Author

Architect & DeveloperArchitect & Developer Principal of Active Interface, Inc.Principal of Active Interface, Inc. Focus is building enterprise BI and web Focus is building enterprise BI and web

applications on the Microsoft platformapplications on the Microsoft platform Also MS Office Systems development and Also MS Office Systems development and

integrationintegration


What is a Service Oriented What is a Service Oriented Architecture?Architecture? Course-granular interfacesCourse-granular interfaces Loosely-coupledLoosely-coupled Complete, self-contained messages or Complete, self-contained messages or

transactionstransactions XML Web ServicesXML Web Services

compatible with Internet protocolscompatible with Internet protocols cross-platform by naturecross-platform by nature


Advantages of SOAAdvantages of SOA Supports pursuit of “zero-latency Supports pursuit of “zero-latency

enterprise” enterprise” Interoperability is greatly simplifiedInteroperability is greatly simplified

between enterprise applicationsbetween enterprise applications between IT platformsbetween IT platforms between business partnersbetween business partners

Development simplifiedDevelopment simplified tools can discover the capabilities exposed tools can discover the capabilities exposed

by a serviceby a service ease of unit testing and integrationease of unit testing and integration


Growth of Enterprise SOAGrowth of Enterprise SOA

Future growth will likely involve vertical Future growth will likely involve vertical services, both within and between services, both within and between organizationsorganizations

Services will wrap standard business Services will wrap standard business logic, workflow processes, and logic, workflow processes, and regulatory regimesregulatory regimes

Enterprise IT platform vendors are Enterprise IT platform vendors are standardizing on XML Web Services for standardizing on XML Web Services for integration tasksintegration tasks



Review Service-Oriented Review Service-Oriented Architectural principlesArchitectural principles





Business IntelligenceBusiness Intelligence

““BI supports processes used to analyze BI supports processes used to analyze and act on information”and act on information”

BI is about turning data into strategic, BI is about turning data into strategic, actionable informationactionable information

BI is a service provided by IT to line-of-BI is a service provided by IT to line-of-business usersbusiness users

SOA will make it possible for IT to provide SOA will make it possible for IT to provide better and faster service to a wider better and faster service to a wider audienceaudience


Content ManagementContent Management

Can also be considered as an IT service Can also be considered as an IT service to the organizationto the organization

Also about delivering relevant Also about delivering relevant informationinformation right time, place, formatright time, place, format

While BI is data-centric, CM is While BI is data-centric, CM is document-centricdocument-centric

SOA is well suited for CMSOA is well suited for CM course-granular, loosely-coupledcourse-granular, loosely-coupled


The Case for UnificationThe Case for Unification

Business CaseBusiness Case Achieve better enterprise KMAchieve better enterprise KM Increase value of informationIncrease value of information

Technology CaseTechnology Case Shift burden from IT to self-serve Shift burden from IT to self-serve

creation and delivery if integrated creation and delivery if integrated reportsreports

Eliminate manual integration and Eliminate manual integration and resultant errorsresultant errors


Combine best-practices and best values Combine best-practices and best values of each domain of each domain Techniques of data organization and Techniques of data organization and

presentation used in BI are applicable to presentation used in BI are applicable to searching CMsearching CM

Most BI results are best delivered into Most BI results are best delivered into narrative documentsnarrative documents

Cross-FertilizationCross-Fertilization


Content Management as SOAContent Management as SOA

CMS framework based upon SOAP and CMS framework based upon SOAP and XML web servicesXML web services

Low-level tier exposes services for Low-level tier exposes services for content-oriented storagecontent-oriented storage

High-level tier exposes workflow High-level tier exposes workflow servicesservices


CMS Repository ServicesCMS Repository Services

Low-level document-centric servicesLow-level document-centric services structured storagestructured storage structured searchstructured search revision controlrevision control access controlaccess control

WebDAV and DeltaV are industry WebDAV and DeltaV are industry standards for this layerstandards for this layer

SQL 2005 SOAP/XML features are SQL 2005 SOAP/XML features are another optionanother option


CMS Workflow ServicesCMS Workflow Services

High-level servicesHigh-level services document managementdocument management fragmentation and compositionfragmentation and composition Multi-channel/format outputMulti-channel/format output publish/subscribepublish/subscribe editorial processeditorial process


Architecture OverviewArchitecture Overview

Web Service Browser

CM Repository Service

CM Workflow Service

BI Workflow Service

BI Repository Service


Business Intelligence as SOABusiness Intelligence as SOA

Provide BI as a service which can be Provide BI as a service which can be consumed by user-facing tools or by consumed by user-facing tools or by other appsother apps

Enterprise reporting delivered with SOAP Enterprise reporting delivered with SOAP web servicesweb services

Emerging support from MS BI platformEmerging support from MS BI platform SOAP access to tables, cubes, etc.SOAP access to tables, cubes, etc.


BI storage/access servicesBI storage/access services

Low-level data-centric services forLow-level data-centric services for datasource discoverydatasource discovery metadata browsingmetadata browsing tabular and multidimensional queryingtabular and multidimensional querying access controlaccess control

Available from MS in the form of XML for Available from MS in the form of XML for AnalysisAnalysis see see www.xmla.orgwww.xmla.org Native provider in SQL 2005Native provider in SQL 2005


BI Workflow ServicesBI Workflow Services

High-level web services forHigh-level web services for data exploration and manipulationdata exploration and manipulation information visualizationinformation visualization bookmarksbookmarks collaborationcollaboration annotation of discoveriesannotation of discoveries



Web Service Browser


CM Workflow Service

BI Workflow Service



Integrating BI & CM in SOAIntegrating BI & CM in SOA

Integration can occur at workflow or Integration can occur at workflow or storage tierstorage tier

Integration can beIntegration can be ad-hoc, user-drivenad-hoc, user-driven pre-defined, process-drivenpre-defined, process-driven

Integration can go in either directionIntegration can go in either direction



Web Service Browser


CM Workflow Service

BI Workflow Service



Scenario 1: CM feeds BIScenario 1: CM feeds BI

Document taxonomy and index is fed Document taxonomy and index is fed into an OLAP cubeinto an OLAP cube

BI workflow and user interface provide BI workflow and user interface provide direct manipulation browsing and direct manipulation browsing and searching of the document cubesearching of the document cube

Drill-through from OLAP view to actual Drill-through from OLAP view to actual documentsdocuments


Sequence diagram of scenario 1Sequence diagram of scenario 1

Web Service Browser


CM Workflow Service

BI Workflow Service



Scenario 2: BI feeds CMScenario 2: BI feeds CM

Using BI workflow service, user creates Using BI workflow service, user creates bookmarks of interesting analytic bookmarks of interesting analytic resultsresults

BI bookmarks are brought into a CM BI bookmarks are brought into a CM report creation workflowreport creation workflow

User adds written comments, opinions, User adds written comments, opinions, explanations, recommendations, etc.explanations, recommendations, etc.

Final report has an overview, several Final report has an overview, several analysis pages with charts and graphsanalysis pages with charts and graphs

Report is published to intranetReport is published to intranet


Sequence diagram of scenario 2Sequence diagram of scenario 2

Web Service Browser


CM Workflow Service

BI Workflow Service



Web Service BrowserWeb Service Browser

Traditional browser uses HTTP to retrieve Traditional browser uses HTTP to retrieve HTML contentHTML content

A “web service browser” uses HTTP to A “web service browser” uses HTTP to send and receive SOAP messagessend and receive SOAP messages

Client-side script orchestrates the Client-side script orchestrates the interaction, using DHTML to render the UIinteraction, using DHTML to render the UI

Current-generation browsers have the Current-generation browsers have the requisite support for building web service requisite support for building web service user interfacesuser interfaces XML, XSLT, & DHTMLXML, XSLT, & DHTML


ThinCMSThinCMS

My work on SOA-based Web CMS My work on SOA-based Web CMS frameworksframeworks

Models pages as compositions of XHTML Models pages as compositions of XHTML “parts”“parts”

Web Page Composition Markup Language Web Page Composition Markup Language (WPCML) is an XML schema and XSL (WPCML) is an XML schema and XSL conventions for composing pages via conventions for composing pages via XSLT processorXSLT processor

Uses nested and referenced page partsUses nested and referenced page parts


Nested composition partsNested composition parts

page

section

site

section section

page page pagepage(s)

section

site

sectionsection

page(s)

page(s)

Content Nesting Template Nesting


Referenced composition partsReferenced composition parts

Element 1

Element 2Page 1

Section 1

Site

Section 2

Page 2 Page 3


ThinOLAPThinOLAP

My work on SOA and Web based My work on SOA and Web based framework for Business Intelligenceframework for Business Intelligence

Implements the two-tiered conceptual Implements the two-tiered conceptual model described earliermodel described earlier


DemoDemo


Other Integration ScenariosOther Integration Scenarios

““Semi-static” publishingSemi-static” publishing Specialized information visualization Specialized information visualization

servicesservices Use of SOA to integrate BI and CM with Use of SOA to integrate BI and CM with

CRM, ERP, SCM, etc.CRM, ERP, SCM, etc.


The Future of Integration The Future of Integration

Integration of standards-based SOA Integration of standards-based SOA componentscomponents

Integration links can evolve with a Integration links can evolve with a company's business or application company's business or application portfolioportfolio

Broad industry support workflow-level Broad industry support workflow-level standards for BI, CM, etc.standards for BI, CM, etc.

Vendor shakeout as some tiers are Vendor shakeout as some tiers are commoditizedcommoditized


ConclusionConclusion

Service-oriented architectures allow Service-oriented architectures allow enterprises to leverage their investments enterprises to leverage their investments in IT and to showcase enterprise process in IT and to showcase enterprise process excellenceexcellence

A seamless BI/CM integration would go a A seamless BI/CM integration would go a long way towards embedding analytics long way towards embedding analytics into the fabric of a business user’s daily into the fabric of a business user’s daily taskstasks


QuestionsQuestions??


Questions?Questions?

Thanks for attending!Thanks for attending!

Chris HarringtonChris Harrington

[email protected]@activeinterface.com

unifying bi and cm with soa

Documents

enterprise bi

faster service

service oriented architecture

soa integration

bi results

integration scenarios

business intelligence

actionable information