1. WebFOCUS 8: Technical Overview
Jim Thorstad
Technical Director, WebFOCUS Product Management
July 2012 Update

2. Agenda
Introducing WebFOCUS 8
Architecture
Security Model
Enhancement Highlights
Migrating to WebFOCUS 8

3. Introducing WebFOCUS 8

4. WebFOCUS 8 Updates the Middle-tier
What is WebFOCUS 8? Understanding Middle-tier vs. Server-tier Components
WebFOCUS 8 Updates the Middle-tier
Report Server +
WebFOCUS Client
Managed Reporting
ReportCaster
BI Portal/Dashboard
WebFOCUS Report Server
Users
Data
What is WebFOCUS 8?
WebFOCUS 8 is a refresh of the middle-tier, which includes the WebFOCUS Client, Managed Reporting and ReportCaster. WebFOCUS 8 introduces the Business Intelligence Portal, replacing BI Dashboard with an updated experience for developers and end users. Dashboards created in a previous release are still supported in WebFOCUS 8 but the Dashboard is functionally stabilized and we encourage you to explore the new capabilities available in the BI Portal.
WebFOCUS 8 requires a Report Server. This presentation is primarily about WebFOCUS 8, but I will summarizes the highlights of the server release in a moment.
WebFOCUS

5. Why Did We Create WebFOCUS 8? A Strategic Platform Initiative
WebFOCUS 8 Supports Information Builders Customers Across Four Key Markets
Enterprise BI
SaaS
Small Business
WebFOCUS ExpressTM
IBM DB2 Web QueryTM
OEM
WebFOCUS Version 8
WebFOCUS Version 8 Platform
WebFOCUS 8 is much more than just a new version number; it’s a strategic platform initiative for Information Builders.
WebFOCUS 8 addresses the needs of organizations that deploy WebFOCUS in an enterprise BI or Software as a Service model. WebFOCUS Express, a specially packaged version of WebFOCUS 8, enables us to reach the small business market through our partner channel. And you may not know this but Information Builders has a very successful OEM partnership with IBM, which has shipped over 40,000 copies of DB2 Web Query, a BI that is based on WebFOCUS and which will be moving to the WebFOCUS 8 platform in 2012.

6. Why Did We Create WebFOCUS 8? What’s Common Across these Markets?
A rich customizable portal
WebFOCUS 8 Platform
Enterprise BI
Easy to use tools
SaaS
A fine-grained security model
WF Express
Integrate with external systems
Web Query
Why does this matter?
All of these markets need a rich, fully customizable portal that encourages collaboration. Easy to use tools that produce informative and engaging output. A fine-grained security model with customizable roles and built-in support for multi-tenancy. The ability to integrate with external applications and security systems. A secure system that is easy to operate and administer. And as always, it must be easy for existing customers to upgrade to WebFOCUS 8.
By focusing our resources on a platform that delivers these capabilities we’ve been able to get a better product for all of our customers.
Easy to administer
A migration path

7. What is Included in WebFOCUS 8 Marquee Features
WebFOCUS Client and Managed Reporting
Integrated repository
Fine-grained security model
External security integration
Business Intelligence Portal
Rich interface for content & collaboration
Drag-and drop and live preview
Page-level security
WebFOCUS 8 sits on top of a new repository that fully integrates Managed Reporting, ReportCaster, and BI Portal content. Repository content is secured by a new fine-grained security subsystem that offers complete control over how content and BI capabilities are granted to users. WebFOCUS 8 also includes new capabilities for integration with external authentication and authorization systems. There are also many enhancements to Developer Studio, WebFOCUS graphics, Active Reports and our Geographic Information add-on so I encourage you to review the documentation to learn more.
[CLICK] One of the biggest changes is the new BI Portal, which brings a rich new interface for deploying content to end users. The drag and drop paradigm with live preview makes it even easier for users to customize their own portal view. We are also introducing page-level security in WebFOCUS 8 so designers have better control over who can see different content

8. What is Included in WebFOCUS 8 Marquee Features
InfoAssist
Rich interface for creating reports & graphs
Ribbon-style interface replaces Java applet
HTML5 charts and a dozen new features
ReportCaster
Full integration with WebFOCUS 8
Ribbon-style interface replaces Java applet
Group schedule administration

9. What’s New in WebFOCUS Report Server 7.7.04 Released April 2012
Ribbon-based Console
Over 110 Enhancements
Language (22)
Active Technology (6)
Server and Console (29)
Adapters (30)
DataMigrator (19)
Resource Analyzer/Gov (5)
Required by WebFOCUS 8.0
… making this a compelling update to consider even if you are not ready to move to WebFOCUS 8.
masterindex/html/html_wf_7704/snfhilit/snfhilit.pdf

10. WebFOCUS 8 Architecture

11. WebFOCUS 8 Architecture Integrated Repository
WebFOCUS Client
Managed Reporting
BI Portal
ReportCaster
WebFOCUS Report Server
Users
Groups
Security
Reports
Schedules
Content
Metadata
Uploaded Data
Note that BI Dashboard data is still stored in the /worp directory outside of the new WebFOCUS 8 repository
WebFOCUS 8 Repository
Application Directories

12. WebFOCUS 8 Architecture Content is Accessed via the IBFS Service Layer
HTTP Service
IBFS Service Layer
RC Distribution Server
Core WF MR/BIP/RC
ReportCaster uses an IBFS Service API to access report procedures in the repository
Eliminates problematic HTTP requests to the web tier
WebFOCUS 8 Repository

13. Information Builders File System WebFOCUS 8 Architecture Is Built Around IBFS
IBFS Service Layer – Internal Subsystem
IBFS Path – an Object Addressing Scheme
IBFS paths used in drill-down links, schedules, security rules
For backward compatibility, migrated content can still be accessed via HREF properties

14. Information Builders File System IBFS is All-Encompassing
IBFS Used to Reference
Reports, portal pages
Schedules, output
Users, groups
Report Servers
IBFS governs access to everything
IBFS is Hierarchical and Enables
Security policy inheritance
Group nesting
Full control over content organization

15. Information Builders File System IBFS Enables Full Control of Content Organization
Mandatory folders in 7x are migrated “as is”
… but are no longer required in 8.0
Reports, reporting objects, and library output can be deployed in the same folder
Though there is a limite of 1040 characters for the folder path because of our dbms column definition.
Folder depth not limited to one sub-folder

16. WebFOCUS 8 High-level Architecture Running Report Requests
WebFOCUS runs interactive requests through IBFS
ReportCaster runs scheduled reports through JLINK
HTTP Service
IBFS Service Layer
RC Distribution Server
Core WF MR/BIP/RC
Web Requests
JLINK
Scheduled Jobs
WebFOCUS Report Server
WebFOCUS 8 Repository

17. WebFOCUS Report Server
WebFOCUS 8 High-level Architecture Moving ReportCaster Distribution Server Off JLINK
On the Roadmap (post )
Enables Passing of WF8 Groups to the Server
Use server group profiles with scheduled jobs
IBI_WFRS_Passthrough_Groups=ALL
RC Distribution Server
IBFS Service Layer
Enables site.wfs Processing
<set> wfvariable (pass)
Use WF Variables in scheduled jobs
Scheduled Jobs
WebFOCUS Report Server

18. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model

19. Why a New Security Model? Customer Feedback Related to WebFOCUS 7x
Managed Reporting Role Security was Limiting
Only 5 base roles and 9 permissions
One role for all Domains
Domain Security Model was Limiting
Couldn’t customize security on sub-folders
Content Sharing was Limiting
Couldn’t share with specific people
Challenging for Multi-tenancy SaaS Deployments
Couldn’t allow sharing in a common Domain—user’s would see content from other tenants
Dilemma: abandon common domain or drop sharing?
WebFOCUS 8 Addresses These Challenges!

20. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Key Concepts
Security Rule, which Binds Together…
Subjects – objects that can be authorized
Permissions – capabilities that can be assigned
Resources – objects that can be secured
Access – type of the rule: permit, deny, etc.
Apply To – scope of the rule: folder, folder & children, children only
Permission Set – Collection of Permissions
Simplifies Rule Creation
Security Policy – Collection of Security Rules
Effective Policy – Evaluation of the Security Policy
Bob has permissions A, B, C on resource X

21. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Understanding Group Membership
Policy Evaluation Includes Processing of a User’s:
Explicitly assigned groups
Implicit groups
Bob is assigned to the Sales Basic Users group
Bob
Sales Basic Users is nested under Sales
Bob implicitly belongs to Sales
Rules associated with both groups apply to Bob

22. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Simple Security Policy with 3 Rules
Subject
Action
Permission Set
Resource
Scope
Sales Group
Permitted
ShareWithGroup
Folder & Children
Sales Developers
Developer Role
Sales Folder
Sales Group Administrators
Manage Groups
Note that groups (and users) are unique in that they can be both Subjects and Resources

23. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model WebFOCUS 8 Security Center – Users & Groups Tab

24. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model WebFOCUS 8 Security Center – Permission Sets Tab

25. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Creating Security Rules
Select any IBFS resource and then click Security > Rules…
You Must Be Authorized to Create Rules
Member of the Administrators group
Have one of the Assign Rules… permissions
Select a Resource and then select Security > Rules…
Select the Subject
Select the Permission Set
Select the Action and Apply To
Repeat with next Permission Set as necessary
Repeat with next Subject as necessary
Close Security Dialog and Verify Rules Created
Select Security > Rules on this Resource…

26. Dialog shows the resource
WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Creating Security Rules – Security Rules Dialog
You select a subject
Dialog shows the resource
Then the permission set, access type and scope
Click OK to
create the rule(s)
You Must Be Authorized to Create Rules
Member of the Administrators group
Have one of the Assign Rules… permissions
Select a Resource and then select Security > Rules…
Select the Subject
Select the Permission Set
Select the Action and Apply To
Repeat with next Permission Set as necessary
Repeat with next Subject as necessary
Close Security Dialog and Verify Rules Created
Select Security > Rules on this Resource…

27. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Security > Rules on this Resource…
Rules on this Resource dialog answers the question: “Who has access to this resource?”

28. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model WebFOCUS 8 Global Groups
Consider Using Global Groups Carefully
Through inheritance global groups have access to everything in the repository

29. WebFOCUS 8 Security Model Benefits
Flexible Security Model
Over 150 assignable permissions
Can develop custom permission sets
Sub-Groups and Inheritance Simplify Policy Creation
Easy to Use Tools to Create and Verify Security Policies
Makes it Possible to Support Many Different Deployment Requirements

30. WebFOCUS 8 Enhancement Highlights

31. WebFOCUS 8 Enhancement Highlights
Resource Templates
Private Content, Publishing, and Content Sharing
Localization
Licensing
Authorization Mapping

32. Resource Templates The Deployment Challenges Facing Administrators
What are our security requirements?
How do I design and implement a security policy?
How long will it take to create security rules?
What best practices should I be aware of?
Where do I start?

33. Resource Templates Simplifying the Creation of Security Policies
Resource Templates Automate the Creation of
Groups, resources, permission sets, security rules
Information Builders Provides Sample Templates
Predefined policies for specific business requirements
Best practice policy design
Good place to start
The Domain templates prompt for name & title
Select a template

34. Resource Templates Simplifying the Creation of Security Policies
The template creates predefined folders, groups, and permission sets

35. Resource Templates Simplifying the Creation of Security Policies
… and security rules

36. Resource Templates Support Site and Roadmap
Latest Templates Available on Support:
Available Templates
Updated Domain templates
SaaS-oriented templates
Each Template Includes
Release Notes with installation steps, limitations
Policy design worksheet that describes rule definitions and permission sets
Create Your Own Templates
Plan to document the process in
/wbf/v8templates/wbf_8_resource_templates.html

37. Private Content, Publishing, and Sharing Fully Configurable My Content Folders
Folder Property Enables Support for My Content
Assignable Permission Determines Who Gets One
Private content, created and saved by a user to their My Content folder

38. All Content Initially Created as Private
Private Content, Publishing, and Sharing Private Content: Simplified Content Deployment
All Content Initially Created as Private
Doesn’t inherit security rules from above
Visible only to owner
Administrators with Manage Private Resources can access private content
Authorized Users Can Create New Content “In-Place”
In private content, created by a developer is displayed in a non-bold font

39. All Content Initially Created as Private
Private Content, Publishing, and Sharing Private Content: Simplified Content Deployment
All Content Initially Created as Private
Doesn’t inherit security rules from above
Visible only to owner
Administrators with Manage Private Resources can access private content
Authorized Users Can Create New Content “In-Place”
In all content is non-bold and private content is indicated with a grayscale overlay on the icon

40. Private Content, Publishing, and Sharing Publishing Private Content
Published Items Become System-Managed
Inherit security rules from above
Create, Publish & Un-Publish are separately assignable
Offers Flexible Alternatives to Formal Change Control
That require isolated DEV/TEST/PROD environments
Particularly Useful in SaaS Deployments
Formal change control not practical
Tenant developers can work out of view from users
Publishing to users is simple
IBFS paths don’t change
Consider Developing In-Place with Private Content

41. Private Content, Publishing, and Sharing Content Sharing Enhancements
Complete Control Over Content Sharing
Share – simple sharing determined by WebFOCUS
Share with – user determines who to share with
Configurable Policy Determines Available Users/Groups
Enhanced Shared Content View
Only Users with Shared Content are Displayed
Shared content
Assignable sharing options

42. Other Security Enhancements
For Customers Using Internal Authentication
Strong Encryption for Passwords
Configurable Password Policies
Built-in User and Administrative Activity Auditing
This user
Used this API
To move this user
[ :30:13,267] INFO groups ed214e45667f0f1 thoja13 addUserToGroup SUCCESS user:smija03 ( ) group:IBFS:/SSYS/GROUPS/Retail/Developers ( )
Into this group

43. What If We Use LDAP/AD for Authorization?
Authorization Mapping Key Requirement for Enterprise & SaaS Deployments
What If We Use LDAP/AD for Authorization?
The user’s group memberships
A custom attribute on the user entry
LDAP/AD Authorization Mapping is Built-in to WebFOCUS 8
User Attribute
LDAP/AD Groups

44. Authorization Mapping LDAP/AD Authorization Mapping Built-in to WebFOCUS 8
Administrator Maps the Value to a WebFOCUS Group
Resource Templates Can Configure the Mapping (8.0.01)
Group DN or attribute value is mapped to WF group

45. LDAP Authorization Mapping Powerful Integration for Enterprise & SaaS Deployments
Mapped WebFOCUS groups have a link icon
User accounts are automatically created during sign-on

46. Localizable Content Titles A Complete Solution for Localized Applications
Repository data can be localized
User sees label based on their language preference

47. WebFOCUS 8 Client License New for WebFOCUS 8
Enforces Licensed Options
Features: BI Portal, InfoAssist, ReportCaster, etc.
Managed Reporting user count
InfoAssist user count (future release)
Work with Customer Support/Account Team
Make sure your site code (XXXX.nn) reflects your products
WebFOCUS 8 includes a new licensing system. The WebFOCUS client verifies that features being accessed are licensed and that the number of users in the repository doesn’t exceed the number specified in the license key. The Managed Reporting user count is enforced for BI Portal access and for access to legacy Dashboards, for those who are migrating Dashboards created in 7x to WebFOCUS 8. In the future we will also be enforcing the number of InfoAssist users licensed. License keys can be obtained through your account team or through Customer Support—simply open a support ticket for assistance. WebFOCUS 8 client keys are tied to specific Site Codes but not to specific machines so they do not need to be changed as your hardware is upgraded. They do have an expiration date and we are currently creating customer keys with an validity period of about 10 years. A warning is displayed 30 days in advance of expiration.
You can update license keys, view their expiration date, and see what is being enforced within the Administration Console.

48. Migrating to WebFOCUS 8

49. Migrating to WebFOCUS 8 Built-in Utilities to Simplify the Process
Utility Migrates 7x Content
ReportCaster Content
Managed Reporting Content
Dashboards
Dashboard Conversion to BI Portals
Not Automatic
User Experience and Policies Preserved
Identical folder structure
Identical security policy
8.0 7x

50. 7x Security Policies are Replicated in WebFOCUS 8.0
Migrating to WebFOCUS 8 Understanding the Security Policy for Migrated Content
7x Security Policies are Replicated in WebFOCUS 8.0
The User Default Role feature is enabled
Special User Default Role (UDR) Rules Connect Migrated Groups to Migrated Domain folders
Special permission sets are configured on the user
User Default Role tab is enabled

51. Migrating to WebFOCUS 8 Managed Reporting Realm Driver
WebFOCUS 8 Does Not Include Realm Driver
External authentication & authorization support is built-in
Using Realm Driver for Authentication Only?
Simply configure authentication in WebFOCUS 8 Console

52. Migrating to WebFOCUS 8 Managed Reporting Realm Driver Configurations
Using Realm Driver for Authorization?
During migration, external authorization data is read
UDR security policies are created
Effective security policy is identical after migration
However, WebFOCUS 8 no longer looks at external data

53. What If I Need to Authorizing to External Data?
Migrating to WebFOCUS 8 Managed Reporting Realm Driver Migration Planning
What If I Need to Authorizing to External Data?
LDAP or Active Directory
Switch to the LDAP mapping feature
RDBMS
SQL updates to WebFOCUS 8 repository not supported
RDBMS mapping feature (roadmap)
Use RESTful web services (planned for )
Custom Security
Java plug-in interface for authN/authZ mapping (roadmap)
Please create a support case to get assistance with any migration topic

54. Summary

55. WebFOCUS 8 Technical Overview Summary
Rich Portal and Tool Interfaces
Replace Dashboard and Java Applet UIs
Integrated Repository Based on IBFS
Single fully localizable repository for MR, BIP, RC
Full control of content organization and security policy
Resource templates simplify security policy creation
Enhanced Content Publishing and Sharing
External Authorization Built-in
WebFOCUS Requires Report Server
Migration Utilities Streamline Upgrade

56. Thank you!