iPlus - F.A.Q's

Extract Translate Load (ETL) tool to extract data from single or multiple sources, such as MS Office files, databases, or any other form of electronic storage and then to translate such data into a load format. This load format could be for the iPlus data model itself, or MS office files or databases. The ETL tool is highly granular, allowing, for example, several rows and columns from the second worksheet of an Excel spreadsheet to be merged with the third paragraph of a Word file and with the results of an SQL query into a single iPlus data item, or a new Excel spreadsheet.

The ETL tool can also be used to define custom outputs from data stored within iPlus, in this way, a workflow step can be defined which merges XML output from the publishing engine with the results of a query into a CRM system, carrying out macro subsitition of client name and address and other, more complex, personalisation, and then feed this merged data back into the publishing engine to generate low resolution PDF's for automated e-mail distribution. Or, to produce powerpoint slides as sales collatoral for a client presentation.

Workflow Engine Complex, or simple, business processes can be modelled within the iPlus workflow engine. The engine includes the ability to trigger external applications, or the ETL tool, and allows processes to be "one off" or cyclical and includes a scheduler to automatically trigger workflows.

The first stage of a workflow, for example, could be to automatically trigger a query on an underlying market data feed (such as Lipper or S&P) at the start of each publishing cycle, to then run the results of this query through a defined iPlus benchmark analysis module for the fund, or fund group, and so seed a "Comparative Performance Chart" data item within iPlus with the result. The next workflow stage could be a visual check of this data item, which would be achieved by a user clicking on the performance chart in DirectEdit and opening the underlying data in Excel for any fine tune editing, or simply marking this data item as approved.

Content Management iPlus contains a highly sophisticated data model within which all content is managed. This allows for associations to be maintained between data items, and new associations made without any modifications to the database schema. In this way an "Institutional Disclaimer" data item can be associated with all relevent institutional reporting, for example.

Meta-data (or descriptive information) provides data contextualisation and version controlling allows data items to be rolled back to a previous state. A complete audit trail is maintained of all times data is used, modified or viewed and the versions of data items which make up a particular output.

Authorization and Authentication All use of the application is controlled by a strong authentication and authorization layer to ensure that any use of the application is by an authenticated user at the appropriate authorisation level for that use.

Direct EditThis tool allows data to be edited in its source format (such as Excel, or Word) whilst being viewed in its output format (such as PDF or HTML). Seamless integration with MS Office provides all the ease of use of Office applications whilst storing data within a structured data model to readily allow for its use in a variety of final output formats.

Template and Layout Designer GUI High level DTP and charting functionality is available within the Template designer whilst the layout, or content, of output, either in PDF, HTML or XML, is controlled by the Layout designer.

Publishing Engine The publishing engine allows for the production of profession print ready high resolution PDF or postscript output, Powerpoint output, HTML and any other XML or data format output.