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.