Nobilis' Approach To Using Web Services
Nobilis Ci relies on a JBoss Enterprise JavaBeans container at the desktop to access XML data directly from Microsoft Excel 2000/XP, setting it apart from development methods that rely on Microsoft .Net.
Web services components can be linked to an Excel spreadsheet by simply mapping the output of the service to an individual cell. Using the .Net framework is a bit more cumbersome because it requires knowledge of the Microsoft Office API and SOAP.
.NET VS. NOBILIS Ci USING OFFICE 200O/XP
WEB SERVICES CONNECTIVITY>> .Net: Requires programmers to connect Microsoft Office and XML/SOAP.>> N obilis Ci: Connects to Web services using J2EE.INTEGRATION OF LEGACY/PACKAGE APPLICATIONS >> .Net: Requires programmers to link legacy systems.>>** Nobilis Ci: Provides a single data reference to a J2EE application server BUILDING WORKFLOW APPLICATIONS >> .Net: Supports creation using the Groove Networks application.>>** Nobilis Ci: Within Excel, end users can create and track business processes.****************
Nobilis Ci's user interface is embedded in Excel. From a single button bar inside Excel, users can find any assigned process, design templates and even build business rules. The product includes 10 reporting templates out of the box, such as expense reporting and budgeting, that can be used to build applications without requiring the use of a programming language. Nobilis also plans to offer access to additional templates via its Web site through a template-sharing program.
Nobilis provides an environment for developing business rules that can be used by solution providers interested in creating their own customized applications. The product relies on an easy scripting language created with JavaBeans.
Any class library already created by a solution provider,including Web services components,can be added to the environment, making Nobilis Ci truly an extensible platform.
The basic language library includes looping and conditional rules, data variables and connectivity to a resource library. Each rule can be categorized and controlled based on user-access privileges.
Nobilis also offers a unique way to maintain a variable state for Web services components. In situations where customers have to pay for a service, only one call is necessary. The rest of the time a variable can hold the data in place. Users that travel or disconnect from the network have the benefit of using cached variables because their values can be recovered by simply re-establishing a connection to the service.
Nobilis offers connections to data resources including document libraries and databases. It also can tie in messages to e-mail, pagers and PDAs.
According to Nobilis, any solution created on the desktop product can scale up to the enterprise level, which could create a dependence on Nobilis' enterprise business process management engine and integration capabilities.