1. Pentaho JavaScript API
Andy Grohe
December 8, 2010

2. Agenda Motivation, Goals and Principles Current API Components
Modules/Samples
Solution Repository
Metadata
Analysis
CDA
Application
Next Steps
Source code available at code.google.com/p/pentaho-addon

3. Motivation James Dixon Technical WebEx – September 2009
Analytical Application/Plugins will leverage JavaScript API

4. JS API Goals
Facilitate development of Pentaho Analytic applications and plugins
Significantly reduce creation/knowledge of server side components
Provide useful objects for client side processing of user interactions
Provide common layer for disparate components on server
Solution Repo, Session, Metadata, Analysis, Scheduling, etc…
Provide functionality beyond what is provided by existing server API
Example: Retrieve the last 10 reports/actions run by the platform
Example: Execute an arbitrary MQL, MDX or SQL query
Ability for a web developer to create a Pentaho application/plugin with only knowledge of JavaScript, HTML and CSS
The API would be A LOT smaller if biserver was 100% REST based
Still need API for client side sugar, but moves into nice to have

5. JS API Principles Follow best practices for JavaScript development
Minimize globals, create and use objects instead of calling global functions
Follow best practices for server communications
Data is provided by the server, UI is rendered by the client
Use dedicated objects to talk to server
Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Open Layers, Bing Maps, Netflix, NPR
Do not make direct ajax requests from a web page
Leverage model JS objects that know how to talk to the server
Provide some API sugar
Consumers of JSAPI only communicate in JS objects
No need to parse responseText or responseXML or eval() JS strings
JS objects have additional methods that are not necessarily on server
Remain library/framework neutral
All JavaScript required ships with server already

6. JS API Architectural Layers

7. Talking to the BI Server- xhr.js
Manages communication to the server
Where does the BI server place XML response?
responseText
responseXML
Methods
execute
SOAP2JS
parseXML
Could substitute jQuery $.ajax at this level

8. Repository – solrepo.js
Discover Pentaho actions exposed to the current user via the BI server
Execute actions on the server and return results to the browser
Save and Load action state to the repository
Classes/Objects
Solution Repository (solRepo)
Solution
Directory
Action
Execute
Load
Save

9. Metadata – pmd.js Discover Pentaho Metadata exposed via BI server
Execute Metadata Queries on the server
Classes/Objects
BusinessModel
BusinessView
BusinessColumn

10. Analysis – pas.js
Discover Pentaho Analysis content exposed via BI server
Execute arbitrary MDX and return results to the browser
Likely to include PAT or xmla4js integration in future
Classes/Objects
Cube
At this point, no interaction with schema level objects

11. Data Access – cda.js
Discover Data Access objects exposed vi CDA plugin
Execute Data Access Queries on the server
Descriptor
discoverQueries
Query
discoverParameters
Why not use $.getJSON(listQueries) instead?
Above functions return JS objects that have sugar methods
EX: discoverQueries returns array of pentaho.cda.Query, can walk the whole hierarchy without knowing servlets or server API’s.

12. Browser Utilities puc.js location.js
Manages interaction with Pentaho User Console
Register to handle PUC events
Save, Edit Mode
location.js
Parses out browser url location into JS objects

13. Application Framework
Client-side application framework based on N Zakas’ theory
Structure to independently manage modules/widgets on a page

14. Application – app.js Promotes lose coupling of modules
Modules communicate by notify and listen functions
Application starts and stops modules
Independent of base JS library
Create applications for type of use (Metadata, Analysis, etc…)
Promotes reuse of application types while maintaining separation
How is Application different than a CDF Dashboard?
Application is not a singleton, i.e. can have multiple on a page
Modules can communicate in ways other that pre/post and change
Modules can be create before/after dependencies
Modules aren’t hard wired together with global variables as parameters
Application does not require usage of jQuery and jQueryUI
Application can embed CDF components and manage communication
Leverage notify and listen to wrap pre/post/change events

15. Sample Plugin with JS API
Demo

16. Next Steps Provide additional coverage for server API’s
Scheduler
Content Repository
Others ?
Update to Sugar 4.0
Solution Repository
Pentaho Report Builder
Replacement for WAQR with parameter prompts and drill linking
Build new MQL queries or use existing CDA files
Server Side JavaScript with Rhino
Create sevlets using RFWA ( )
Render web pages with claypool ( or env.js and YUI/jQuery ( )