WebFOCUS is based on a web-deployable architecture that
is scalable and robust. Its core design is founded on several key
components, which we classify as layers, as shown in the following
image.
Presentation Layer. This layer is comprised of the
WebFOCUS Client and the ReportCaster Distribution Server (Primary
and Failover). This layer directly interacts with the end user through
dashboards, portals, and other user interfaces. It includes the
ad hoc development tool InfoAssist, as well as the data discovery
tool InfoDiscovery, to develop business queries and analyze data.
It presents results in multiple formats, such as HTML, PDF, Excel,
and active reports. It distributes report output through multiple
channels, including email and FTP. The Presentation Layer can be
clustered to provide high availability, failover, and load management
through the use of load balancers.
Reporting and Metadata Layer. This layer is comprised
of the WebFOCUS Reporting Server that supports secured access to
the application metadata and data. It manages metadata and processes
requests, formatting and styling data retrieved from various data
sources before sending it to the Presentation Layer for presentation
to the business user. It may also manage various security aspects,
such as authentication and authorization. It generates SQL and validates
it by leveraging dialect translation features. It also monitors
application usage using defined business rules. The Reporting and
Metadata Layer can be clustered to provide high availability, failover,
and load management through the WebFOCUS Workload Distribution Facility (CLM).
Data Layer. This layer supports all requests from the
Reporting and Metadata Layer for data. It manages enterprise data
through Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes that move, store,
and change the raw data from Operational Data Stores (ODSs) to Enterprise
Data Warehouses (EDWs) and Data Marts.