Product Webinar: Create an Interactive Dashboard

Below is the continuation of the transcript of a Webinar hosted by InetSoft on the topic of New Features in Version 11 of InetSoft's Style Intelligence BI Software. The presenters are Mark Flaherty, CMO at InetSoft, and Maria Varvatsoulis, Product Manager at InetSoft.

Mark Flaherty (MF): Next is a little preview of what it's like to create an interactive dashboard. Again it’s a drag & drop environment where you are dragging over different elements like speedometers and charts and just dragging, dropping a field that you want to show up on a speedometer and really within a few minutes, you will see how quickly you can build a very usable interactive dashboard.

With report creation, again it’s for when you need to create pixel-perfect paginated reports that are either sent out in PDF format or for people to come in to your portal to view, you can do that with our report designer. It’s a drag and drag tool for creating that customized report. And there are all kinds of capabilities for things like bursting which creates different versions of the same report based on user or any kind of parameter that you can want.

One more slide on the product, I mentioned that it supports clustering, load balancing and has built-in caching techniques. Data Grid Cache is our technique for optimizing access to large data sections or large numbers of users. Security is a strong point. You have got the capability of controlling permissions down to the data cell level and almost every single aspect of the software can be customized for different user profiles or individual needs.

A Very Integration Friendly Solution

The software is very integration friendly solution. We hook into whatever user access model you have, and it can be easily embed our software into whatever Web based solution or portal that you want to.

Several key characteristics make an application integration-friendly for a Cloud Service Provide (CSP):

1. Open APIs and Standards Compliance:
   • The application should offer well-documented and standardized APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that adhere to industry standards such as RESTful APIs, SOAP, GraphQL, or OData.
   • Compliance with widely accepted standards and protocols ensures compatibility and simplifies integration with other systems and platforms used by the CSP and its customers.
2. Modularity and Microservices Architecture:
   • A modular architecture based on microservices allows the application to be broken down into smaller, independently deployable components.
   • Each microservice can expose its own API endpoints, enabling granular integration and facilitating incremental updates and enhancements without disrupting the entire system.
3. Scalability and Performance:
   • The application should be capable of handling large volumes of data and transactions to support the scalability requirements of CSPs and their customers.
   • Performance optimizations, such as caching mechanisms, asynchronous processing, and load balancing, can enhance the application's responsiveness and reliability during integration scenarios.
4. Customization and Extensibility:
   • Customization capabilities allow CSPs to tailor the application to their specific requirements and integrate it seamlessly with their existing processes and workflows.
   • Extensibility features, such as plugins, hooks, or custom scripting support, enable CSPs to extend the functionality of the application and integrate with third-party services or internal systems.
5. Security and Compliance:
   • Robust security measures, including encryption, authentication, authorization, and audit trails, are essential to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with industry regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA).
   • The application should support industry-standard security protocols and provide features for secure data transmission and storage, especially when integrating with external systems and cloud services.
6. Monitoring and Analytics:
   • Built-in monitoring and analytics capabilities help CSPs track the performance, usage, and health of integrated systems and identify potential issues or bottlenecks.
   • Integration with logging frameworks, monitoring tools, and analytics platforms enables real-time visibility into integration processes and facilitates proactive troubleshooting and optimization.
7. Support for Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Environments:
   • As CSPs often operate in hybrid or multi-cloud environments, the application should offer support for integrating with diverse cloud platforms, services, and deployment models.
   • Compatibility with popular cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and support for hybrid cloud architectures enable seamless integration across on-premises and cloud-based systems.
8. Comprehensive Documentation and Support:
   • Clear and comprehensive documentation, including API reference guides, integration tutorials, and troubleshooting resources, accelerates the integration process and reduces the learning curve for developers.
   • Responsive technical support and community forums provide assistance and guidance to CSPs during the integration phase and ongoing operation of the application.