Portals IST 421 Spring 2008 Enterprise Information Portals

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Portals IST 421 Spring 2008

Portals IST 421 Spring 2008

Enterprise Information Portals � Portals – doorway to a focused set of resources either

Enterprise Information Portals � Portals – doorway to a focused set of resources either internal or external � Targeted for a specific audience ◦ Employees, customers, suppliers as a single coherent view of information aggregated from different sources � Serve

Enterprise Information Portals �Back Office Systems - ERP, financials, human resources, engineering, process automation/workflow,

Enterprise Information Portals �Back Office Systems - ERP, financials, human resources, engineering, process automation/workflow, project management �Front Office Systems – sales force automation, customer relationship management, help desk, marketing automation �Personal Productivity Systems – word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, contact manager, personal information manager

Enterprise Information Challenges � Managed data ◦ Legacy systems, proprietary systems ◦ Disconnected islands

Enterprise Information Challenges � Managed data ◦ Legacy systems, proprietary systems ◦ Disconnected islands of automation � Unmanaged data ◦ Ad-hoc productivity tools ◦ Chaotic access and exchange ◦ Restricted publication rights

Enterprise Information Portals �A system to manage access to information � Adopt a standard

Enterprise Information Portals �A system to manage access to information � Adopt a standard for transmitting and representing data using XML � Content must be abstract and kept separate from rendition ◦ Rendition – the file format that contains the actual data and the description of the format

Enterprise Information Portals � Primary advantage is that there is no need to integrate

Enterprise Information Portals � Primary advantage is that there is no need to integrate systems directly between companies or within trading communities � Connect to each system through a point of integration ◦ User interface, database, application server

Enterprise Information Portals � Today, more information flows through user interfaces than automatically through

Enterprise Information Portals � Today, more information flows through user interfaces than automatically through backend integration

Portal Advantages � Supports a noninvasive approach � Faster to implement than real-time information

Portal Advantages � Supports a noninvasive approach � Faster to implement than real-time information exchange � Technology is mature with many portaloriented applications to learn from

Portal Disadvantages � Information does not flow in real time � Requires human interaction

Portal Disadvantages � Information does not flow in real time � Requires human interaction � Information must be abstracted through another application logic layer – complexity issue � Security is a concern when data is being extended to users over the Web

Portal Evolution � Single-System Portals ◦ Single enterprise systems that have their user interfaces

Portal Evolution � Single-System Portals ◦ Single enterprise systems that have their user interfaces extended to the Web � Multiple Enterprise System Portals ◦ Multiple enterprise systems information is funneled through a single Web-enabled application

Portal Evolution � Trading Community Portals ◦ Multiple enterprise system portal is extended to

Portal Evolution � Trading Community Portals ◦ Multiple enterprise system portal is extended to include systems within many companies – trading community portal or digital exchange

Portal Architecture � Made ◦ ◦ ◦ up of components: Web clients Web servers

Portal Architecture � Made ◦ ◦ ◦ up of components: Web clients Web servers Database servers Back-end applications Application servers

Portal Server Architecture From The XML Handbook by Goldfarb and Prescod, Prentice Hall PTR,

Portal Server Architecture From The XML Handbook by Goldfarb and Prescod, Prentice Hall PTR, 2001.

Portal Architecture � Web Clients – any device able to run a Web browser

Portal Architecture � Web Clients – any device able to run a Web browser and display HTML and graphics ◦ PC, PDA’s, cell phones � Web Servers – file servers able to convert information into HTML and deliver to a Web browser using HTTP

Portal Architecture � Database Servers – work as a traditional client/server architecture � Back-End

Portal Architecture � Database Servers – work as a traditional client/server architecture � Back-End Applications – mix of applications such as SAP, custom applications, client/server applications ◦ Portals gather appropriate information from these systems and present it to the user interface

Portal Architecture � Application Servers – provide a middle layer between the back-end applications,

Portal Architecture � Application Servers – provide a middle layer between the back-end applications, databases, and the Web server.

Portal Servers � Three requirements for portal servers: ◦ Performance: reliability, availability, scalability ◦

Portal Servers � Three requirements for portal servers: ◦ Performance: reliability, availability, scalability ◦ Content distribution to PC’s, thin clients, mobile devices such as phones and PDA’s; personalization ◦ Business process integration

Portal Server Architecture � Personalization ◦ Content delivery agents (CDA) is a program or

Portal Server Architecture � Personalization ◦ Content delivery agents (CDA) is a program or script that creates a window for providing a data source ◦ Each user is assigned a “role” which specifies a collection of pages, CDS’s, and a default theme ◦ User may change the layout of any page, change the color and background images of the desktop