Construction tools for VARs

Information Builders has introduced WebFocus Express, what it describes as a pared down installation of WebFocus designed chiefly for value-added resellers (VARs). The company says its new offering simplifies configuring and installing a comprehensive business intelligence platform by providing components that can run on a single Windows machine using default settings.

Information Builders calls WebFocus Express a complete, Web-ready data access and reporting system that connects users to data. The company further states Express accesses and processes information in any format, located on any platform and presents that information to users through a Web browser or in outputs such as HTML, PDF and Microsoft Excel. Information Builders says WebFocus Express is especially well-suited for VARs because it makes getting started relatively effortless. Any user, novice or advanced, can install WebFocus Express with little or no interaction with support staff or installation manuals, so that they can begin creating Web-based information systems right away, Information Builders says.

Depending on the user license, there are several WebFocus Express components, including:

• Developer Studio, an integrated development environment (IDE) that provides the tools for creating WebFocus applications;

• WebFocus Client, which provides connectivity functionality and Web-based user interfaces for configuration and report management—the report management interfaces include Managed Reporting and Business Intelligence Dashboard (BID);and

• WebFocus Reporting Server, which provides data access, number crunching and report generation functionality using integration technology from iWay Software.