- Preview: ActiveBatch 6.0's new tools make its good job-scheduling software better
- Preview: NextPage Document Retention works well with users
- Preview: Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server 7.2 and Document Center
- Preview: NetBeans 5.5
- Preview: Google Website Optimizer helps you boost site sales
- Preview: Xythos' Records Management Meets DoD Specs
- Preview: Tableau 2.1 remains a low-overhead BI dynamo
- Preview: Tableau 2.1 remains a low-overhead BI dynamo
May 17, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Preview: ActiveBatch 6.0's new tools make its good job-scheduling software better
ActiveBatch 6.0 is going GA soon, and it boasts some impressive enhancements added since my review of the previous version. There are actually too many to talk about here, but I'll highlight my favorites.
I ask myself one question each time I pick up a new tool: does it actually save you any real time? Of all ActiveBatch 6.0's features, the new built-in job library is the one that will not only save you time in your day-to-day work, but it will also decrease your learning curve so you can get up and running faster.
This built-in job library is a group of job type templates that contain all the logic you need to perform major jobs. There are database libraries for DTS/SSIS packages and for Oracle blocks, as well as libraries for FTP, file operations (move, copy, etc.), iteration, and ZIP, just to name a few. These are functions that almost every enterprise-level job contains, and now that ActiveBatch includes them, you can concentrate on the specifics of what you're doing and not on all the hassle of creating them by hand each time. The libraries also greatly reduce the likelihood of errors.
Taking more of an object-oriented approach to jobs, ActiveBatch now has what it calls "reference objects." Reference objects are like classes in .Net: You create the objects once, and you can use them in multiple jobs and plans. It’s like building your own job library. It really doesn't get any better than that for speeding development time and reducing errors.
Job variables are my next favorite feature. They allow you to pass information between different jobs in your plans, so you could get data back from an SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) package or a script execution and use it in the next step.
Even without the timesaving enhancements mentioned above, this feature alone makes ActiveBatch 6.0 more useful than ever before. You can use these variables to iterate through customers and perform actions on each one, or pass values to error notifications so that you can get customized errors. You can even pass the relevant information to an error handler and attempt to fix the problem programmatically.
Other ActiveBatch enhancements include embedded script, resource/time constraints, constraint variables, triggers, customizable alerts, and new job operations (test job, restart, etc.). All together, they make version 6.0 a job scheduling product worth checking out.
ActiveBatch 6.0
Availabile: Next week
Cost: Cross Platform Enterprise Job Scheduler, five Execution Agents (Windows, Linux, Unix, or OpenVMS), and unlimited access to the Client Interface (Graphical UI): $11,500. Price includes a seat in a training course and version upgrades for one year.
Verdict: ActiveBatch 6.0 is ushering in a new era for enterprise job scheduling. The built-in job libraries get you up and running quickly, and you can re-use your work by saving your jobs as reference objects. You can perform true enterprise-level work by passing variables between jobs. This really will take your ActiveBatch processing to places you never even considered before.
Posted by Sean McCown on May 17, 2007 11:10 AM
February 05, 2007 | Comments: (0)
Preview: NextPage Document Retention works well with users
Compliance and records retention can be real pain points for businesses. Fortunately, companies like NextPage continue to deliver relief with the newest version of its Document Collaboration product, a managed, hosted service called NextPage 2 Document Retention.
NextPage says that only 30 percent to 40 percent of documents end up in corporate repositories. Document Retention provides a solution to corporate archival problems that will actually get used. Document Retention knows what documents are sitting on PCs and laptops, manages the clean-up of intermediate files, and stores the final version in corporate repository.
Like Document Collaboration, Document Retention doesn't rely on a central document management repository to function; instead, it uses a distributed architecture to work with users rather than against them. Because of its unique architecture, users create, edit, and share documents using the same tools and in the same way they always have. Meanwhile, Document Retention sits in the background, tracking actions on managed documents.
Suppose you're the project manager for a project. Once you've created the project in Document Retention, anyone on your team can enter documents into the project. If you create a Word or Excel document and e-mail it to others on the team, they might save it to a drive, edit it, and send it to others. All the while, Document Retention is tracking where each copy of the document ends up.
At the end of the project, the project owner sends an e-mail through the system with a "clean up" action attached. The e-mail is automatically routed to anyone with a copy of the document. When the recipient clicks on the action, old versions are automatically cleaned up and the final version is saved in the corporation's designated archive.
NextPage 2 Document Retention includes a client piece that sends cues to the server about user actions. There are also "shared data services" that work with applications such as Lotus Domino, Groove, and shared drives on SMB file servers.
Companies might understandably be concerned about sending data to a hosted service that could be used to sniff out corporate activities. NextPage uses a hashed tracking code for documents that uniquely identifies the document, even when its name and contents change, without sharing any detailed information about the document's contents.
NextPage 2 Document Retention
Pricing: Base cost is $100/user/year with volume discounts (minimum price of $25,000)
Verdict: NextPage 2 Document Retention provides a method for versioning, tracking, cleaning up, and archiving corporate documents that users will actually use.
Posted by Phil Windley on February 5, 2007 10:25 AM
November 21, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server 7.2 and Document Center
One of the problems with insider data leak (IDL) solutions is their complexity: You're always scanning networks, e-mail, and file shares trying to catch sensitive documents before they get into the wild. Often, a far simpler solution is to protect documents when they're first created by applying digital rights.
That's the role of Adobe's just-updated Policy Server 7.2 and its new hosted counterpart, Adobe Document Center. In the remote chance documents fall into the wrong hands, they can't be used.
I tested the trial version of Document Center, and found it effectively protected Acrobat, Microsoft Word, and Excel files. Further, employees shouldn't balk at using the system; it's simple to understand. For example, to secure a PDF file, I simply selected the Secure button from Acrobat 8's toolbar, selected the policy I wanted to apply, and saved the document. To perform the same task with Word or Excel, you install a small a plug-in.
Policy management's straightforward, too. From the Document Center site, I quickly added or edited policies from the portal's main dashboard. Policies are fairly comprehensive – from restricting printing and copying to specifying how long the document can be accessed.
Enterprises upgrading to LiveCycle Policy Server 7.2 can extend protection to Dassault Systèmes CITIA V5 engineering and design documents. What's interesting here is the granular level of protection. For example, commodity parts (perhaps the nuts and bolts used in an assembly) might not need protection; however, a proprietary electronics control module on a different drawling layer could be blocked from viewing or alteration, thus protecting your intellectual property.
In operation, document recipients need to have a Document Center account (or, in the case of LiveCycle Policy Server, be registered) and at least Acrobat 8 Reader. Once you try to open a protected document, the system asks for your credentials and only lets you perform operations specified by its usage rights policy. Significantly, these policies remain in force wherever the document resides – whether it's e-mailed, placed in a content management system, or copied to removable media.
Another important fact is that once I changed a policy (such as revoking printing), the change was immediately reflected in documents anywhere they lived. Adobe's got auditing covered, too. From Document Center, I saw in detail all actions (such as opening or printing) by every person who interacted with the document.
Yet with these positives there are some things Adobe could improve compared to similar solutions, which include SealedMedia and Liquid Machines. This solution should cover more document formats, which is something Adobe has planned. I'd also like to see more elaborate protection. For instance, if someone copies part of protected document into an unprotected one, then the second document should be infused with the original's protection policy.
Adobe LiveCycle Policy Server 7.2 and Document Center
Availability: LiveCycle Policy Server 7.2, now; Document Center, early 2007
Cost: LiveCycle Policy Server starts at $100 per author; Document Center starts at $19.99 per month
Verdict: Offered as software or hosted service, Adobe's rights management ensures sensitive information isn't disclosed and provides detailed audits for regulatory compliance. Currently, it only protects a few file types. Nonetheless, usability and cross-platform support make this a sensible enterprise DRM solution.
-- Mike Heck
Posted by Mike Heck on November 21, 2006 10:45 AM
November 20, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Sun shipped Version 5.5 of its NetBeans development environment in early November, giving the IDE -- which is certainly the most important competitor to Eclipse -- some significant and unique enterprise capabilities beyond those of the 5.0 release.
This version is the first Java IDE to so fully support Java EE 5, the replacement specification for J2EE. In addition to built-in API support, code completion, and tutorials for the new enterprise Java, NetBeans 5.5 offers support for the new Enterprise Java Beans 3.0 (EJB) session beans, including on-the-fly error checking. In terms of tool integration, version 5.5 integrates with Subversion source-code management software.
Java's new, simplified persistence layer gets new wizards for full CRUD code generation, as well as the ability to generate Java entity classes directly from existing database schemas. There's similar support for Web services: Wizards and specific IDE capabilities that enable extensive use of annotations deliver what Java enterprise developers have long been waiting for -- a simpler development model with native tools to support it.
Along with Version 5.5, Sun simultaneously released a set of add-on packs that extend NetBeans in new directions. The Enterprise pack, for example, has XML schema tools, a WSDL editor, and an advanced BPEL 2.0 editor (see screenshot) that facilitates Web services orchestration. Another pack extends NetBeans' reach in the mobile market by providing support for SVG graphics on handheld devices and for an increased number of mobile device platforms.
Finally, Sun also released a C/C++ pack update. It replaces Sun's earlier cpp and cpplite products and brings C/C++ development to Windows, Linux, and Solaris. Although this pack is technically a preview (it's at Beta 3), I found it a substantial, portable platform for developing, debugging, and building C and C++ applications.
NetBeans 5.5
Available: Now
Pricing: Free
Verdict: NetBeans has the most complete support for Java EE 5 of the open-source Java IDEs. It's an impressive collection of tools; developers contemplating enterprise Java applications should evaluate NetBeans before any other products. It is likely all they will need.
Posted by Andrew Binstock on November 20, 2006 10:29 AM
October 23, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Google Website Optimizer helps you boost site sales
Food companies have elaborate taste-test labs. They can get instant feedback from a taster whether they like a product or not, and the taster will stick around providing feedback until the recipe is just right.
But if you're purchasing Google AdWords, how do know if the visitors driven to your Web site will like what they see -- and stay around to actually purchase products? High-end Web analytics packages let you test alternate page designs and report which variations users respond to best. Google Website Optimizer does the same for anyone with an AdWords account at no additional fee -- yet with Google's hallmark simplicity and excellent results.
The biggest problem with evaluating a Web design's effectiveness is the number of elements on a page, and thus the number of variations you must create and track. Website Optimizer both automates this step and provides definitive reports.
Technically, Google uses a multivariate testing model rather than the more common (and less accurate) A/B testing where you merely compare two different finished pages.
Put simply, you decide which parts of a Web page you want to change -- a headline, image, body copy, or call to action. Within Website Optimizer (which is accessed from your AdWords administration area), you note these areas and the system creates JavaScript which a Webmaster inserts within the page. Lastly, you indicate alternate content for each section.
When the experiment runs, Google automatically serves variations of the page and collects data about the effectiveness of every combination. With A/B testing, you could never do this.
Website Optimizer offers two very readable graphical reports. The first shows which overall combinations work best to convert visitors into customers. The second analysis breaks this down further and shows which specific page section within each variation had the biggest positive or negative effect on behavior.
From what I've seen, marketers in any organization with AdWords spending should look forward to Google Website Optimizer.
Google Website Optimizer
Availability: Currently accepting beta testers.
Pricing: Included with AdWords accounts, which start at $30 per month.
Verdict: Minimal time effort will yield a better return on your AdWords investments by scientifically showing which Web page designs entice visitors to take action.
Posted by Mike Heck on October 23, 2006 10:06 AM
October 19, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Xythos' Records Management Meets DoD Specs
Enterprise content management (ECM) applications can cost millions of dollars, with records management modules further inflating the bill.
Foremost, records management features (certified to meet the U.S. Department of Defense 5015.2 standard) are embedded into this version of the easily understood Web-based ECM system. You start by creating a records management folder within the system where users drop documents. Thereafter, every action –- including read, write, and change -- is automatically logged. Additionally, version 6.0 adds more granular security roles to limit document access.
Yet records management isn't just about access and auditing, which the Xythos system's designers clearly understand. Enterprises can archive e-mail and attachments, which are also subject to monitoring.
Going further, the 6.0 release includes necessary record assessment features: You set alerts when documents reach the end of their retention period (or other triggers); after review, managers assign a disposition plan. Conversely, you might schedule automatic updates to vital documents or ensure that they are retained for a certain amount of time. I liked the clear presentation of these action schedules, which can help IT staff plan storage requirements.
Records compliance efforts often fail because systems are too costly and complex -- issues that don't come into play with Xythos Enterprise Document Manager 6.0. Based on my early look, I believe this release will have broad appeal. Government agencies should certainly put it on their wish list, but any public or private sector organization faced with complying with growing regulations -- including HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley -- will likely benefit, too.
Xythos Enterprise Document Manager 6.0
Availability: Beta, expected to ship at the end of 2006
Pricing: $25,000 for 100 users, $45,000 for 250 users; goes down to $30 per user for 10,000 seats
Platform: any server supporting J2SE or J2EE (Windows, Linux, Solaris, IBM AIX, HP/UX, Mac OS X)
Verdict: Records compliance efforts often fail because systems are too costly and complex. That's not a problem with Xythos Enterprise Document Manager 6.0. Based on an early look, I believe this release will have broad appeal.
Posted by Mike Heck on October 19, 2006 12:15 PM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Tableau 2.1 remains a low-overhead BI dynamo
When I first wrote about Tableau version 1.0, I noted this business intelligence (BI) product's twin revolutions: It works and acts like a broadly distributable desktop client, and the software is sold by the desktop, making it as straightforward to deploy as any other desktop software. The actual client's feature set was middleweight for the BI world, but quite usable, especially for end-users who have mastered the accursed pivot table.
Tableau is now at version 2.1 and loaded with additional functions, better scalability potential, tighter work with back-end databases and a boatload of new analytical functions.
I have seen a couple of demos, one guided by the Tableau Software team, and I'm very impressed with where they've taken the product — from middleweight to light-heavyweight in the feature department. What I don't yet know, and what I won't until I deploy an actual application, is whether it conforms to or bends Angus's 2nd Law of Software: As the number of features added goes up in an arithmetic progression, the friction of using it goes up in a geometric progression.
Some of the interfaces on the new features are perfect. "Quick filters," a method for filtering hits interactively on the fly, is intuitive and snappy, as is the new feature that lets you zoom in on sections of graphical charts.
The screenshot below shows results in the basic pivot-table-like interface. The shelves to the left and on top are interactive drag and drop areas.
View larger image
Also, Tableau users can now join multiple tables or other data sources on the fly, leading to easier interaction that results in more questions being tried out and possibly answered.
To enhance scalability in general, Tableau 2.1 supports easy sampling of massive data sources, so the client can get a manageable slug of data that the analyst's workstation can chew through and present faster. Added Web integration features allow Tableau work areas to reach out to the Web and grab search results and data; the results look reasonable, though I don't think they will serve more HTTP-oriented shops better than the majority.
Perhaps the most important new feature is the built-in ability to create chained analytical windows into workflows. I'm excited to try out this feature not only for the possible modular development of analysis routines but also to build structured, documented analyses for those with less ability to bend software to their cognates.
Posted by Jeff Angus on October 18, 2006 11:37 PM
October 18, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Preview: Tableau 2.1 remains a low-overhead BI dynamo
When I first wrote about Tableau version 1.0, I noted this business intelligence (BI) product's twin revolutions: It works and acts like a broadly distributable desktop client, and the software is sold by the desktop, making it as straightforward to deploy as any other desktop software. The actual client's feature set was middleweight for the BI world, but quite usable, especially for end-users who have mastered the accursed pivot table.
Tableau is now at version 2.1 and loaded with additional functions, better scalability potential, tighter work with back-end databases and a boatload of new analytical functions.
I have seen a couple of demos, one guided by the Tableau Software team, and I'm very impressed with where they've taken the product — from middleweight to light-heavyweight in the feature department. What I don't yet know, and what I won't until I deploy an actual application, is whether it conforms to or bends Angus's 2nd Law of Software: As the number of features added goes up in an arithmetic progression, the friction of using it goes up in a geometric progression.
Some of the interfaces on the new features are perfect. "Quick filters," a method for filtering hits interactively on the fly, is intuitive and snappy, as is the new feature that lets you zoom in on sections of graphical charts.
The screenshot below shows results in the basic pivot-table-like interface. The shelves to the left and on top are interactive drag and drop areas.
View larger image
Also, Tableau users can now join multiple tables or other data sources on the fly, leading to easier interaction that results in more questions being tried out and possibly answered.
To enhance scalability in general, Tableau 2.1 supports easy sampling of massive data sources, so the client can get a manageable slug of data that the analyst's workstation can chew through and present faster. Added Web integration features allow Tableau work areas to reach out to the Web and grab search results and data; the results look reasonable, though I don't think they will serve more HTTP-oriented shops better than the majority.
Perhaps the most important new feature is the built-in ability to create chained analytical windows into workflows. I'm excited to try out this feature not only for the possible modular development of analysis routines but also to build structured, documented analyses for those with less ability to bend software to their cognates.
Posted by Jeff Angus on October 18, 2006 11:37 PM
