OpenLayer

Data Sheet

Overview:

OpenLayer transforms your legacy Client-Server application to a web based application magically. It does not need any change in the core technology or application. You can have a virtually new application in just a few days. We analyze the communication protocol between your server and client and configure OpenLayer to meet your needs.

OpenLayer takes your screens and publishes them in standard HTML over HTTP or HTTPS protocol. It does not need any extension or component to be installed on your browser; this means that you can access your application anytime, anywhere, with any web browser, even the browser on your mobile device.

OpenLayer improves your application’s user interface supporting all of the Web 2.0 features.  A short list of some of the standard features in OpenLayer are: 
 

Date fields converted to Date Picker	Symmetrical Screens
Web Grid Controls	Grid Control with Sort, Hide feature displayed

• Unsymmetrical screens converted to a symmetrical layout
  
• Defined user field groups automatically converted to collapsible groups
  
• All date fields are converted to date picker (Date Controls)
  
• All required fields indicated by bold headings
  
• All paging controls converted to Web Grid controls
  
• Sort, resize, reorder and other grid features fully supported

You can now take full advantage of any of the literally thousands of user controls to configure your application to meet your unique requirements. For example, you can add drop-down selection list to any of the application fields without touching your back-end application.

Personalize your application:

All user preferences are stored on the OpenLayer server and are applied at three levels: system wide, user group, or user. This personalization enables you to hide fields that are not needed for your business but are provided by your application vendor.

You may also hide user actions at these same three levels. This feature allows the same transactions to be accessed by various users and process their business transactions based on their role in the organization. You do not have to customize or duplicate application transactions for various groups of users.

Users have a Favorites area where they can drag and drop the transactions they need most. They do not have to browse through the multilevel hierarchy of the menu system to get to the transactions they need.

User interface schemes utilize cascading style sheets (CSS) which defines color schemes, fonts, etc. based on personal preferences. These preferences are saved at the server, so the user gets the same look and feel regardless of how they access the system.

Enhance your application via Mashup:

One of the huge benefits of Web 2.0 is that the technology world has become very accessible. “Generous Contributors” are constantly publishing their technology to the Web for others to use.  As these new technologies are published, mashups are emerging as the de facto norm for adding functionality and new features to your application interface. In a recent research article Forrester projects that the enterprise mashup market will reach nearly $700 million by 2013. . . it will affect nearly every software vendor.

In technology, a mashup is a web application that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool; for example, the use of cartographic data from Google Maps to add location information to real-estate data creating a new and distinct web service that was not originally provided by either source. Mashups create an environment where application developers are motivated to provide rich public APIs for new derived, integrated applications. Mashups come in three general categories: consumer mashup, data mashup, and business mashup. Consumer mashups combine data elements from multiple sources, hiding this behind a simple unified graphical interface. Examples of mashups would be the integration of Google Maps to your application in the area of service, where a service representative needs to determine an exact location of the client, or integrating real time stock-quotes or currency rates to integrate with a financial analysis application.  A data mashup mixes data of similar types from different sources, usually integrating data from internal and external sources. A business mashup is a combination of all the above, focusing on data aggregation, presentation, and collaborative functionality, making the end result suitable for use as a business application.

OpenLayer allows you to add Mashups to your existing legacy application, without any change in the core technology or application; this can be achieved by the OpenLayer web service. OpenLayer’s structure provides an intuitive user interface for you to add mashups.

Software as a Service (SaaS):

With the ability to publish your application to the web, software vendors can now serve their application as a Software as a Service (SaaS). Publishing your applications to the web will help you provide your high-end software to smaller markets and open more business opportunities. Individual companies can also take advantage of SaaS to provide access to business applications to their field staff via a browser. Most other remote access architectures place a client application and often an image of the database on the field personnel’s computer. These approaches carry with them a high cost of maintenance and the problems associated with out-of-sync information. SaaS gives all users, field and corporate, up-to-the-moment accurate information from a simple web browser, eliminating problems associated with other remote access architectures.

Technology Environments supported:

OpenLayer has been designed to support any client server technology. Currently supported applications are those developed with the PRO-IV architecture.

OpenLayer enhanced applications are available on Windows, Apple, iPhone, or any web enabled display device. The application remains unchanged, so you can also continue to use the vendor supplied client software to access your application –providing zero risk to implement OpenLayer.