About WebFOCUS Enable for Adobe Flex
Information Builders has recognized the importance of
Flex and has developed a product that enables Flex developers to
rapidly create Business Intelligence applications in Flex Builder,
without the need to code ActionScript or MXML.
WebFOCUS Enable is an application engine that can be installed
in Flex Builder 3.0 or Flash Builder 4.x. WebFOCUS Enable performs
the most useful Business Intelligence functions out-of-the-box,
to allow Flex developers to focus on front-end development and the user
experience. At run time, the functions used are compiled in the
SWF application.
WebFOCUS Enable features include:
- Connection
to WebFOCUS procedures (.FEX files), so that the data can be passed
from WebFOCUS to the SWF application. This feature gives the Flex
developer the ability to leverage all WebFOCUS data access reporting
functions. One or more procedures can be used in a SWF application.
- Implementation
of common Business Intelligence aggregation functions, so that data
is retrieved once, but can be reused many times in the SWF application.
For example, the procedure might report on data from the COUNTRY,
STATE, CITY, STORE, and SALES fields in a data source. A developer
can use aggregation functions to populate a chart with aggregate
sales data by country. Handling the aggregation in the SWF provides
more efficient processing and fewer trips to the back-end system.
- Handling of
complex filtering, so that a developer can design any combination
of filters (create OLAP-like panels) to allow users to manipulate
the data. For example, it provides independent filters, nested filters,
and linked filters.
- Handling of complex
interaction between components, such as using one component to filter
another component, or using one component to populate another component
with its data.
- Numerous custom components
that you can drag and drop, and configure using the Properties pane,
so that you can develop almost any application without coding.
- Run-time calculations
and generation of charts and roll-up tables. End users can create
custom charts, tables, calculations, and filters as they interact
with and analyze the data.
- A WebFOCUS
Enable API for coding custom Business Intelligence functions. Advanced
developers can use the API to create the most demanding custom Flex applications
or to embed Business Intelligence into other applications.