arcplan Application Framework Quick Start Guide

Fast Deployment of arcplan Applications

www.arcplan.com

Inhalt 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2 2 Requirements ................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Overview of Components ...................................................................................................... 4

3 Installation ...................................................................................................................... 5
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Setting Up the Frameset ........................................................................................................ 5 Installing the Administration Application on the arcplan Application Server .......................... 6 Publishing the Administration Application on the Web Server .............................................. 7 Setting the Authentication Type ............................................................................................. 8

4 Integrating Additional Applications in the Solution Frameset ..........................................10

4.1 4.2 4.3 Preparing a New Application ............................................................................................... 10 Installing and Publishing the New Application ..................................................................... 11 Setting up the New Application ............................................................................................ 11 Setting the Authentication Type ................................................................................... 11 Activating the Application............................................................................................. 12 Integrating the Application in the Navigation Bar......................................................... 12 Constructing a Navigation Hierarchy ........................................................................... 13 Assigning Report Authorizations to Roles ................................................................... 14

4.3.1 4.3.2 4.3.3 4.3.4 4.3.5

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Introduction

arcplan Solutions provide powerful arcplan products that make it quick and easy for you to start creating business intelligence, dashboard, corporate performance and planning packages that you can adapt and extend to suit your needs. Whether you want to create a complex planning scenario, or just generate a simple analysis report, a whole world of creative possibilities is at your disposal.

This Quick Start Guide gives you a quick overview of the components that you require to be able to use the arcplan Application Framework in your company. This is followed by an explanation of how to implement and publish this on the Web for yourself and your end users. The last section of the document shows you how you can integrate your own arcplan applications, including those that already exist, in the arcplan Application Framework.

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Requirements

You require an arcplan Application Server on which to install the arcplan Application Framework applications. You also need a web server on which to install one of the three Clients (Java, .NET or DHTML) and the CGI. The respective arcplan Frameset, which is required to call and use the arcplan application, must also be set up on the web server. The arcplan Administration Console, which is used to manage the arcplan Application Server and arcplan components located on the web server, must also be installed.

In addition, you also require the arcplan UserManagement application for managing report roles. You can set this up after you have installed the arcplan Application Server. For further information, please refer to the arcplan Administration Console help. This document assumes that you have already installed the arcplan Application Server, arcplan Administration Console, arcplan Application Designer and arcplan UserManagement products and set them up together with the web server.

Please note: arcplan Application Server, arcplan Administration Console and arcplan Application Designer each have their own setup routines and documents.

Bild 1: arcplan Architektur

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2.1 Overview of Components

The arcplan Solutions Setup installs the arcplan Application Framework components. The individual components mentioned above are briefly explained below. If you are already familiar with the arcplan architecture, you can skip this section. arcplan Application Server The arcplan Application Server is at the heart of the overall architecture. In particular, it has the ability to establish connections to data sources. For example, this allows the user to compare real-time data from an ERP system with historical data from a multidimensional data warehouse (DWH) in a single report, and simultaneously enter planning data in the database.

A web server such as the Microsoft Internet Information Server is required to allow access to the arcplan applications. The user opens the HTML start page on the Web server in any supported browser. The HTML start page determines which application on the arcplan Application Server should be started. arcplan Administration Console The arcplan Administration Console is required to install and update arcplan applications on the arcplan Application Server plus install and update arcplan Client and arcplan CGI components on a web server (e.g., MS Internet Information Server). It allows you to balance the loads between multiple arcplan Application Servers and set up server tasks. You also use the arcplan Administration Console to publish the HTML start page of your arcplan application. arcplan Application Designer This centralized and easy-to-use arcplan development tool for flexible BI solutions allows companies to create customized applications with the aid of a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Any number of charts, graphs, tables, texts and graphics can be combined to create a unique look and feel for each application. The arcplan Application Designer integrates a multitude of downstream systems for interactive access and provides a wide range of functions for navigation and calculations. arcplan Application Framework The arcplan Application Framework provides standardized navigation elements and features like PDF-, Excel- and PowerPoint-export that are integrated in the arcplan Solution Frameset. Equipped with ready-made layout documents you can directly start creating your reports and analyses and successfully produce first results after a short time.

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Installation

The arcplan Solutions Setup installs all the required arcplan Application Framework components on your target system. After installation, you will find the ApplicationFramework folder at the "C:\Users\Public\Documents\arcplan\Applications" path with the following subfolders:

Figure 2: "ApplicationFramework" folder with subdirectories

Administration: This folder contains documents for application navigation and management. Documentation: This folder holds the arcplan Application Framework documentation. Frameset: This folder contains the arcplan Solution Frameset, which allows you to navigate between different arcplan applications.

Framework: This folder includes documents for building your own arcplan applications.

3.1 Setting Up the Frameset

The first step is to set up the Frameset on the Web server. To do this, follow the following steps:

1. Copy the complete "Solution" folder from the ...\ApplicationFramework\Frameset folder to the clipboard (e.g., by pressing Ctrl+C). 2. Paste the "Solution" folder into the web server root directory such as C:\inetpub\wwwroot\... (e.g., by pressing Ctrl+V).

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3.2 Installing the Administration Application on the arcplan Application Server

Please note: The role-based authorizations required for this application already exist in the arcplan UserManagement database. For the authorizations to be effective, the applications must be named "Administration".

Perform the following steps to install the application "Administration" on the arcplan Application Server: 1. Start the arcplan Administration Console. 2. Establish a connection to your arcplan Application Server as described under "How to register an arcplan Application Server" in the Administration Console help. (Please note that you must register the Server with its "Fully Qualified Domain Name" (e.g., MyServer.Company.com) to ensure that the Client works properly, and install the arcplan Client and arcplan CGI components accordingly). 3. In the arcplan Administration Console, open the Server Objects folder, select Applications and click Install new application on the toolbar. 4. Click Browse in the Install Application dialog, navigate to the source directory "...\ApplicationFramework\Administration", select the "userlogin.apd" document. 5. For the initial installation of this application the Import database content option must be enabled. Thus, the content of the file arcplanAppDB.xml containing a structure description of the application is imported into the database arcplanDB which is used for example by the arcplan User Management.

Figure 3: Install application dialog for the "Administration" application

6. Click Install to finish the installation.

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3.3 Publishing the Administration Application on the Web Server

After you have installed the application "Administration" on your arcplan Application Server, you can now publish this application by creating an HTML start page for this application.

To publish the application, please proceed as follows:

1. In the Administration Console, open the Server Objects folder and click the plus sign in front of Webserver. 2. Successively click the plus signs in front of Webserver1 and HTML Start Pages. The names of your applications will be listed here. 3. Select "Administration" from the list and click the Create HTML start page button on the toolbar. 4. In the HTML Start Page dialog that appears, you now generate the HTML start page for your "Administration" application. Select Java as the Client type.

Figure 4: HTML Start Page dialog for publishing the "Administration" application

5. Change the preset HTML document name to "administration.html".

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6. Click Browse, navigate to the "C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Solution" folder and select this folder as the Web server target directory, in which to store the "administration.html" HTML start page. 7. On the Options tab, under Printing, select Print using print file. 8. Publish your HTML start page by clicking Publish. 9. An HTML start page with the name specified in Step 8 already exists in the specified Web server target folder. The following dialog is therefore displayed:

Figure 5: Create HTML start page dialog

The existing start page contains special enhancements for the arcplan Application Framework that will be lost if you choose to replace the start page. Therefore, please click the Update the existing file button.

Please note: The HTML start document "administration.html" assumes that the arcplan Client components are installed on the web server in a folder named "arcplanClient". If other naming conventions have been used on your web server, you can manually change the reference in the HTML start documents or rename the directory to "arcplanClient".

3.4 Setting the Authentication Type

After you have installed the application on the arcplan Application Server and published it by generating the respective HTML start page, you must check, and, if necessary, modify the authentication type that has been set for this application in the arcplan UserManagement.

Figure 6: Setting the application authentication type

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Please proceed as follows: 1. Start your browser and load the arcplan UserManagement application. 2. Switch to the Applications tab. 3. Select "Administration" from the list of applications and ensure that the Application authentication authentication type is set for this application.

You have now successfully set up the arcplan Application Framework. To use the arcplan Application Framework, open the application via the http://MyServer.Company.com/solution/administration.html link in your browser.

Figure 7: The entry screen of the "Administration" application

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Integrating Additional Applications in the Solution Frameset

You can, of course, integrate further applications in the arcplan Solution Frameset. The steps required to optimize an existing application for integration in the arcplan Solution Frameset depend on how your application is designed and vary from application to application. In most cases, you will first need to identify which of your reports should be available.

You must create an additional arcplan document and reference the required objects from the existing application or copy and paste the objects and content required to this new document. We recommend using the aEd_TMP_LAYOUT.apd design template that is installed as part of the arcplan Application Framework. For a detailed description of the procedure, please refer to the arcplan Application Framework User Guide.

4.1 Preparing a New Application

Before you install and publish your new application on the arcplan Application Server, you must enter the name of the application in the Framework start document. To do so, please follow these steps:

1. Start the arcplan Application Designer. 2. In the Open dialog, browse to the folder containing your new application, which comprises the Framework documents and your newly created documents. 3. Open the "Rep_start.apd" document while holding down the "CTRL key". You need to do this, otherwise the document will immediately close again. 4. In the Login dialog that follows, select the Use Trusted Connection option and click OK. 5. Open the formula window and change the assignment stored under On Open [aEd_ADM_System;OBJ235] := "arcplan Edge" so that the name of your new application is assigned to the [aEd_ADM_System;OBJ235] object. For example, if you named the application "MyAppl", the formula should be as follows: [aEd_ADM_System;OBJ235] := "MyAppl" Please note that the name specified here must be used identically for all subsequent configuration steps that are necessary for this application. 6. Click OK to close the formula window and then save the Rep_start.apd document.

You can now install and publish your new application on the arcplan Application Server.

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4.2 Installing and Publishing the New Application

The next step is to install your new application on the same arcplan Application Server, on which you installed the "Administration" applications. To do this, follow Steps 1 through 4 in Section 3.2 (Installing the Administration Application on the arcplan Application Server).

Please note that the application name assigned during the installation must be used identically for all subsequent configuration steps that are necessary for this application.

Before you can publish your new application, you must make a copy of the "index.html" file that is located in the "Solution" folder (e.g., C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Solution) on your web server, and give it the same name as your new application. For example, if your application is called "MyAppl", the copy of the "index.html" file must be called "MyAppl.html".

To publish your new application, follow Steps 1 through 9 in Section 3.3 (Publishing the Administration Application on the Web Server). In Step 5, please remember to replace the preset HTML document name with the name of the previously generated copy of the "index.html" file (in our example: "MyAppl.html").

4.3 Setting up the New Application

After you have installed and published your application successfully, you are only a few steps away from integrating the new application in the Solution Frameset. These steps are described in the following sections for an example application called "MyAppl".

4.3.1

Setting the Authentication Type

When you installed your new application on the arcplan Application Server, it was entered automatically in the arcplan UserManagement. All you need to do now is set the authentication type. Please proceed as follows:

1. 2. 3.

Start your browser and open the arcplan UserManagement application. Switch to the Applications tab. Select your new application ("MyAppl") from the list of applications and ensure that the Application authentication authentication type is set for this application.

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Figure 8: Setting the authentication type for a new application

4.3.2

Activating the Application

This step involves making your new application ("MyAppl") known to the Framework. You can also specify which of the options provided by the Framework should be available for your application. To activate the application, please proceed as follows:

1.

In the navigation tree for the "Administration" application, select the Application settings entry in the Application management branch.

2.

On the Activate application tab, enter the name of the application in the Application name field and click the green plus symbol to the right of the input box to save the entry and add the application to the list of applications. The menu underneath the input box automatically switches to the new application.

4.3.3

Integrating the Application in the Navigation Bar

To display your new application in the navigation bar alongside the existing "Administration" application and ensure that it can be opened from there, you must integrate the application by performing the following steps:

1.

In the navigation tree, select the Application navigation entry in the Application management branch.

2.

In the input line for the report that is now displayed, enter the name of the application or a suitable display text in the DisplayText column and the name of the application's HTML start page in the Target column.

3.

Now click the green plus symbol to the right of the input box to save your entries.

Figure 9: Integrating the application in the navigation bar

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4.3.4

Constructing a Navigation Hierarchy

Perform the following steps to construct a navigation tree for a new application:

1.

In the navigation hierarchy, select the Report management entry in the Application management branch.

2. 3.

Under Add node or report, select the node option. Enter a name (e.g., "Start page") for the topmost node of your application's navigation tree in the Description field and click OK.

Figure 10: Adding a node or report

4.

If required, you can create further hierarchy nodes in this way (e.g., "Region 1" and "Region 2"). These nodes will be arranged underneath the top node in the navigation tree.

Figure 11: Navigation hierarchy preview

5.

Once you have defined the nodes in your navigation hierarchy, you can add reports to the tree. First select the node under which you wish to add a report by switching the second menu to the required node or by right-clicking the node and selecting Open.

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Figure 12: Selecting hierarchy nodes

6.

Select the Report option (see figure 10). In the Description field, enter some text to be displayed for the report in the navigation tree.

7. 8. 9.

In the filename field, enter the name of the arcplan document without the ".apd" file extension. Click OK to save your entries. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 for each report to be inserted underneath the node selected in your application's navigation tree.

4.3.5

Assigning Report Authorizations to Roles

Finally, you need to specify which reports in the navigation hierarchy should be available for the individual roles. To do this, please proceed as follows:

1.

In the navigation hierarchy, select the User management entry in the Application management branch.

2. 3.

Select the application in the topmost menu and the role in the lower menu. The navigation tree for the application that you have selected will be displayed in the Available reports column. Click on a report to make the report available to the selected role or click on a node to make all the reports of this node available.

4. 5.

Click Save selection to save your settings. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 for all the roles that are to be granted access to your application.

Please note that an application will only be available in the navigation bar if at least one report has been made available.

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About arcplan
arcplan is a leader in innovative Business Intelligence, Dashboard, Corporate Performance and Planning software solutions for desktop and mobile use. Since 1993, arcplan has enabled more than 3,000 customers worldwide to leverage their existing infrastructure for better decision making. Empowering all users to connect and collaborate with relevant information is crucial for improving business performance. With arcplan it simply works. arcplans flagship product arcplan Enterprise was rated the #1 3rd party tool for SAP BW, Oracle Essbase, and IBM Cognos TM1 in The BI Survey 10 (2011). Get more information at www.arcplan.com.

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Version 2.0 / 2012-03

2012 arcplan. All rights reserved. arcplan, arcplan Enterprise, arcplan Excel Analytics, arcplan Engage, arcplan Edge, Edge, and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of arcplan, Inc and/or arcplan Information Services GmbH. All other company names, products and services used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The information published herein is subject to change without notice. This publication is for informational purposes only, without representation or warranty of any kind, and arcplan shall not be liable for errors or omissions with respect to this publication. www.arcplan.com