6/10/2015
XE Architecture,
Extensibility and API
Strategy Explained for
Banner
Session Description
Confidentiality
The updated new architecture that provides an
evolutionary path to a new web 2.0-based user
interface, optimized delivery, API strategy and an
extendable platform. Additionally, one of XE's
fundamental features is extensibility, and this
session will present the new extensibility strategy.
This session is for all audiences.
This information provides a general strategic view of Ellucian’s
anticipated future offerings. The information in this document is
confidential and proprietary to Ellucian and neither the document
nor its contents can be disclosed to anyone without a written
obligation of confidentiality in place with Ellucian.
The information in this document is not a commitment, promise or
other obligation to deliver any material, code or functionality, and it
should not be relied upon in making any purchase decision. The
document and its contents are subject to change, without prior
notice, at the sole discretion of Ellucian.
Manasa Srinath, Product Owner
May 14, 2015
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Agenda
Ellucian: Future-proof Technology
1
Ellucian XE: Setting the Stage
3
Banner XE Architecture
4
Extensibility Strategy
5
APIs and Integration Strategy
6
Technical Skills
7
Where to go from here..
Architecture,
Extensibility,
and APIs
Ellucian XE
Evolutionary approach
Extensible ecosystem strategy
Global and mobile-first technology strategy
Published roadmaps and product plans
Investment in our products and our processes protects our
customers’ investments
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
The XE Strategy and Design Principles
XE Design Principles
Usability
Features/Function
Cloud Readiness/Scalability
Configuration over Customization
Extensibility
Applications Leveraging XE Strategy
Available Applications
Applications in Development
• Banner
• Banner
•
•
•
•
•
•
Catalog
Schedule
Faculty Grade Entry
Attendance Tracking
Event Management
Advising student profile
• Ellucian eTranscripts
•
•
•
•
•
Registration, controlled release
Academic history, electronic gradebook
Student Profile
Communication Management
Employee Profile
Banner XE Architecture
• Ellucian Elevate
• Ellucian Pilot
• Ellucian Mobile
• Ellucian Portal
APIs/Integration
Single Global Product
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
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6/10/2015
New Banner Architecture Benefits
Legacy Banner
Banner powered by XE – Deployable Applications
• New Web 2.0 User Experience
Identity Provider (EIS, CAS, etc.)
• Common Look and Feel Across Applications
Application Navigator
• Standards-Based, Open, Modern, Industry-Standard Technology
Banner Self-Service
• Evolutionary Path from Banner 8 to the Future
• Fewer Dependencies
• No Monolithic Upgrades
• Faster Deliver of New Functionality
Human Resources
Requisition
Position Description
Advising Student
Profile
Benefits
Employee Profile
Budget Availability
Student Registration
Approvals
Transformed Page Modules
Human Resources
General
Finance
Finance
Student
Student
(A/R Financial Aid, Student)
(A/R, Financial Aid, Student)
• Eliminate or Greatly Reduce the Rework of Customization from
Release to Release
Faculty Grade Entry
Attendance Tracking
Human Resources
General
• Increase the Ease of Customizations
Lightweight Web Apps and APIs
Banner Administration
General
Finance
Student
(A/R Financial Aid, Student)
Common Database Upgrade
Banner Database
Banner Database
DBEU
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Common Database Upgrade – Applications powered
by XE
Coexistence and Evolution
•
Identity Provider (EIS, CAS, etc.)
Application Navigator
BEIS SSO Manager
Banner powered by XE Technology
Banner 8
Self-Service
Admin
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Administrative
Web Applications
Lightweight
Web Applications
•
•
•
•
Eliminates challenges and complexity associated with independent modulespecific upgrades
Reduces the number of upgrades needed to get to a desired state.
Simplifies the upgrade process for all clients.
All database changes are combined into single cumulative
database upgrade
– Released at regular cycle to allow flexible App release schedules
– Clients only required to install latest for their APP
– Applications released and deployed as war files dependent on latest XE
database upgrade
Application Navigator
Identity Provider (EIS, CAS, etc.)
Application Navigator
BEIS SSO M anager
Banner powered by XE Technology
Banner 8
Self-Service
Admin
Administrative
Web Applications
Lightweight
Web Applications
Banner Database
DBEU
Common Database Upgrade
Common Database Upgrade
Banner Database
Banner Database
DBEU
DBEU
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
• Provides a single interface for
users to navigate between
Banner administrative pages
• Multiple navigation
mechanisms
o Common menu
o Search
o Recently opened list
• Shared globals and
coordinated time out support
2
6/10/2015
Identity Provider (IdP)
Identity Provider (EIS, CAS, etc.)
Application Navigator
BEIS SSO M anager
Banner powered by XE Technology
Banner 8
Self-Service
Admin
Administrative
Web Applications
Lightweight
Web Applications
Ellucian Identity Service
• Modularization requires
external authentication /
identity provider
• CAS has been the higher
education standard, but is
limited
• Ellucian Identity Service (EIS)
is a valuable alternative
Ellucian Identity Service
• Enterprise middleware identity and access management solution for higher
education.
• Secures access to web applications on-premises and in the cloud.
• Provides SSO across disparate protocols.
• Powered by the WSO2 Identity Server.
• Includes enhancements like CAS protocol support
and internationalized login screens.
• Available to clients under their existing maintenance agreement.
Google Apps
Office 365
Other Ellucian Apps
Ellucian
Identity
Service
Authenticate
to EIS
(Luminis, Ellucian GO, CRM)
SSO Manager
Banner Database
Banner 9 Apps
DBEU
directory
Banner
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Ellucian Solution Manager
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Ellucian Solution Manager
•
•
•
•
Provision Banner environments
Download Banner upgrades
View documentation
View installed product versions
and available upgrade releases
in Banner environments
• Install available Banner upgrade
releases on both provisioned
(OEL5) and existing Banner
(Linux/Unix/Windows)
environments.
Extensibility
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Extensions defined
Banner Extensibility Strategy
• Eliminate (or at least greatly reduce and simplify)
rework associated with upgrades
• Eliminate the need to modify source code
• If source modification is necessary, allow
for continuous integration
• Provide tools that facilitate extensibility
• Make tools simple to use
Code Repositories and
Documentation
Customize Page
Components
(UI Extensions)
Domain Model Extensions
Menu Integration
----------------------------Application Skinning
Aspect-oriented
Programming
External Business Rules
Resource Bundle Editor
Resources
View
Style
Model
Extension
Extension
Business
Logic
Controller
The Extensibility Continuum
Extension
Extension
Extension
(Domain)
• Supplemental code or code
artifacts that change the
application
• Made separately from application
source
• Not overwritten when the system
is upgraded
• “Future-proofs” institutional
personalization
• Implementation may vary based
on application architecture
•
Configure XE Application(s)—Analyst, UXD
–
–
–
•
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Source required?
“Non-developer”
Tools
Extend XE Application(s)—Developer
–
–
–
Extend Domain (tool, documentation)
Extend Business Logic (documentation)
Tools for transformed pages (model, view, business logic)
•
Modify XE Application(s)—Developer
•
Custom Application Development
–
–
–
–
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Configure Page Components (for existing database fields)
Configure Colors and Fonts (CSS files)
Configure Labels and Text (resource files)
In-line code modifications
Source code required (Git)
Developer-centric Tools,
Documentation
as input only
Developer-centric
Documentation
Developers Guide—getting started, standards
Application Development Tools
DELIVERED
Developer-centric
Documentation, (Tools)
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
3
6/10/2015
Changing Banner is Simplified through Extensibility
Tools
Extensibility Tools Roadmap
Branding via Cloud-based configuration
Branding, Vocabulary
Developed/Delivered
In Development
Common Extensibility Tools
Forms
Transformation
Project
Q2 2015:
CPC for
Web Apps
AngularJS
Support
CPC Tool
TBD:
Branding Tool
Lightweight Web Apps and APIs
Faculty Grade Entry
Requisition
Attendance Tracking
Position Description
Advising Student
Profile
Benefits
Employee Profile
Budget Availability
Student Registration
Approvals
Transformed Page Modules
Human Resources
General
Finance
Student
(A/R Financial Aid, Student)
Domain Ext, CPC
Q2 2014:
Domain
Extension Tool
TBD:
Self-Service
Page Builder
Extensibility Tools
Source code
availability via
Git
TBD:
Property File
Editor
Extensibility Tools
Development
Practices
Q1 2015:
Customize
Page
Components
(Web Apps)
Foundations, Frames
Q1 2014:
Customize
Page
Components
Tool (Admin)
• Similar to Ellucian GO
• Provide a centralized, cloudbased repository for branding
configuration
• Provide an API for applications
to retrieve branding data
• Deployed applications apply
retrieved branding
Ellucian
Cloud
Frames
CommonDatabase
DatabaseUpgrade
Upgrade
Common
Banner
Banner Database
Database
DBEU
DBEU
Foundations
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Cloud-based configuration in Ellucian GO
RESTful API Plugin
APIs and Integration Strategy
Grails plug-in for building Restful APIs
Ellucian-developed, open source
DSL-based endpoint configuration
•
•
•
•
Whitelisting of resources
Specifying supported methods for a resource
Versioning a resource using custom media types
Declaratively specifying how resources are
represented in either JSON or XML
Runtime Capabilities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Standard HTTP Methods & Status Codes
Report Validation Errors
Use Common URI Conventions
Support Paging and Querying
Use a consistent representation ‘domain-style’
Support Hypermedia APIs
http://restfulapi.github.io/intro-restful-api-slides/
http://grails.org/plugin/restful-api
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
ReSTful services and the Higher Education Data Model
Resources
(Nouns)
Verbs
(Get, Post,
Put, Delete)
Output
(XML, JSON)
• Expose “Resources” important concepts and
objects
• Each resource is uniquely
“addressable”
• Provide “representations” of
those resources
• Provide a consistent interface
based upon standard HTTP
methods
• Interaction with the API is
stateless
Ellucian Integration Hub
Banner
Ellucian
Integration
Hub
DegreeWorks
Elevate
• Cloud-based integration
service for Ellucian, 3rd party
and home-grown applications
• Provides hub-and-spoke,
pub/sub data services
• Out-of-the-box integration
• Licensed with each Ellucian
application
• Uses open standards and
HeDM
• Supports ESBs and IPaaSs of
your choice (no vendor lock-in)
The Ellucian XE Registry is the authoritative resource for
discovering, testing, and interacting with Ellucian XE APIs
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
4
6/10/2015
Understand Required Skills
Understand Required Skills - Baseline
Technical Skills
• Banner XE Customization
– CSS
– Property files
• Banner XE Application Development
– Model-View-Controller pattern
– Groovy
– Grails
– jQuery and ZK
– Source Code Management with Git
• Infrastructure
– Java Platform
– Application server
• Configuration
• Application deployment
• Tuning
– Oracle Database
– Banner DBA
• Banner XE Deployment
– Property files
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Path to Adopting XE Application
Summary
Common Steps
Where to go from here . . .
• Banner powered by XE technology is founded on a modern,
extensible architecture that incorporates best-of-breed
frameworks, design patterns, and technologies.
All Clients
Install and
configure ESM
Run DBEU
Hardware
planning & set up
Plan/implement
SSO Strategy
Deploy Banner
application
powered by XE
Leverage Extensibility
Many Clients
Deprecate
and use
baseline
functionality
PL/SQL
Program Mods in XE
• Extensibility features and tools allow changes to be made to
the baseline application without affecting the baseline code,
simplifying upgrades and allowing clients to stay current on
software releases.
Fewer Clients
Leverage
extensibility
Rewrite using
XE technology
Set up and
configure GIT
Review and
document mods
Least Effort/Complexity
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Greatest Effort/Complexity
© 2014 ELLUCIAN. CONFIDENTIAL & PROPRIETARY.
Q&A
Manasa Srinath
manasa.srinath@ellucian.com
5