Architecture

Metricus provides a framework for the rapid development of IT Performance Management in organizations. This framework is built on reliable and secure Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) technologies. Metricus completes the Microsoft BI suite by providing a valuable knowledge layer that allows organizations to measure, manage, and improve their IT performance in the following ways:
  • Metricus represents a framework built using Microsoft BI that facilitates the rapid development of IT Performance Measurement solutions.
  • The Metricus Data Mart database is optimized for the transformation and storage of data related to IT Performance. Metricus has a proprietary concept called “IT Service Entities” that acts as table structures for the storage of IT Performance data and enables rapid transformation into metrics, reports, and scorecards.
  • Standard SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services) and SSAS (SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services) objects and associated processes ensure consistency and best practices in data integration and cube development.
  • The missing link in the current Microsoft BI stack is stored procedures and table structures to transform IT Service Entity data into Metrics. The Metricus DataMart contains these as well as the utilities to configure/manage and process Metrics. These Metrics are then used by Performance Point, Reporting Services, and Microsoft Excel to provide the end user with content, that is, acting as a centralized repository for metrics.
  • All data is stored in both the relational and multidimensional format (SSAS). This allows all the presentation media of Microsoft BI (Reporting Services, PerformancePoint, Excel Services, and so on) to be readily used to develop end-user content.
  • Subject Matter Experts in both Microsoft BI and IT Performance Measurement ensure successful implementations.
  • Metricus contains Metrics Metadata to store all relevant information on the metrics required.
  • There is integration with SharePoint collaboration mechanisms, including projects and lists.
  • There is integration with customer security models, for example, Active Directory (both onsite and the SaaS model).
BACK-END ARCHITECTURE FRONT-END ARCHITECTURE
  • SQL Server database: This provides an optimal storage for all data warehousing needs. The database engine is optimized at several points to handle specific data warehouse queries better. SQL Server also provides a perfect security mechanism to make sure that only the right people have access to the information they are cleared to view.
  • Integration Services: This is the ETL tool from Microsoft. It is an enterprise grade tool for extracting, transforming, and loading your data warehouse.
  • Analysis Services: This is composed of the OLAP (Online analytical processing)/cubes solution of Microsoft.
  • Reporting Services: This is the Microsoft solution for all your reporting needs. It comes with its own reporting portal environment where you can run the reports online or schedule them to be automatically delivered to a central folder or your mailbox. Apart from the standard reporting portal, you can also choose to incorporate reporting services in your SharePoint environment, so all your information is available in your corporate portal environment.
  • Report Builder: This delivers intuitive report-authoring capabilities to end users. In addition to offering an enhanced authoring experience for business users, Report Builder 2.0 benefits power users who are looking for a more sophisticated authoring environment. This authoring of reports can be done on a delivered semantic report model or on several data sources, such as SQL Server and Oracle.
  • SharePoint: From all the knowledge management functionalities that Microsoft SharePoint offers, probably the most important feature for Business Intelligence is to facilitate the collaboration between individuals and teams in your organization. With SharePoint, a portal can be created, where all information -to make important corporate decisions is accessible from a single location. Apart from uploading important business data documents to be shared with all stakeholders of the information, you can also analyze data online or open reports created in Reporting Services. You can also open Microsoft Excel files online in Excel Services. Finally, users can create their own pages or dashboards with a mix of scorecards, filters, charts, and data.