Overview
Javelin is installed on your company's server and allows for access and control from any application – regardless of programming language.
Main Benefits
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Easily integrate reporting into your system.
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Never forget to send out a report again – schedule reports to be created and run automatically.
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The ability to generate reports in ANY programming language. Want to use Ruby or Python? Now you can.
What Javelin Does
Javelin is a product for generating reports. It works in conjunction with the report design tool, AutoTag; the user designs a report in AutoTag and runs it with Javelin. Javelin is used as a server that a company installs in its own organization.
Differences Between Javelin and the Windward Engine Solution
(In other words, why would someone want to use Javelin instead of the Engine?)
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Javelin has a built-in scheduler. Obvious benefits -- schedule a report to be run later, run a report regularly, save versions of reports, etc.
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Javelin lets you generate reports using a programming language other than Java or the .NET family of languages (such as C#). To access Javelin, you make a Web service call (a generic way to communicate that doesn't depend on the programming language.) This opens up Windward as an option to a whole new group of users. Want to use Ruby or Python? Now you can.
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Javelin has a simple management layer. User accounts allow for more control/security; a user can use only templates he or she has access to.
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Integration is easier (although keep in mind that compared to other solutions on the market, the Engine is already relatively easy to integrate). Javelin's code is simpler. Plus, it's integrated differently (Javelin as a server vs. the engine as a library).
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Javelin comes with a UI that works in a Web browser (users don’t need to install anything -- including AutoTag). It also comes with the code for the UI so you can modify it however you want. With the Engine, you either need each person to have AutoTag installed or get a developer to build you a UI for the engine.
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With Javelin, the reporting is not part of the application; Javelin is a separate application. The application asks for a report from Javelin and Javelin returns it. With the engine, you actually wrap the engine inside of another application; the application needs its own engine key and requires the same things the engine does. So Javelin gives you one more way to generate reports. (This can be useful for licensing -- clients can run multiple projects with reports off of one Javelin server.) If you want all the reporting as part of your application, stay with the engine. If you want to separate it, go with Javelin.
Javelin Resource Model
The Javelin resource model consists of four major types of resources.
One: Templates are report templates used to generate reports.
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These are the same templates created in AutoTag.
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Reports can be directly generated from a template.
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A template can contain any number of tasks.
Two: Tasks are scheduled tasks.
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This will generate a report at given times and email the report as an attachment.
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A scheduled task contains information on when to run (start time and recurring pattern), what variable values to use for the template, the output format, and emailing information (who the email is from, who to send the email to, and the email subject text.)
Three: Packets are used for organizing templates.
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Packets contain templates.
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A packet can contain any number of templates.
Four: Users are used for authentication and authorization.
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Users own packets. Only the owner of a packet can work with that packet and anything contained in that packet.
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A user can own any number of packets.
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When a user adds a template, they choose which packet it goes into.
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An administrator can see everything (all templates across all packets)
How To Use Javelin
This short video introduces you to using Javelin. It covers how to create packets, upload templates, and run reports.
Integrating Javelin
The Javelin API
The Javelin REST API is used to interact with a Javelin server. See Getting Started with the Javelin REST API.
Read more information on the Javelin RESTful API.
System Requirements (self-deployed Javelin)
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Windows operating system with IIS
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SQL Server 2005/2008
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.NET Framework 3.5
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J# 2.0
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