Client Spotlight

For more than a century, BSES has led research, development and extension services for Australian sugarcane production. The BSES head office and major laboratories are located in Brisbane, Queensland. More...

 

Technical Overview

ElasticApps is a Java based Platform as a Service (PaaS) Web Application used for developing Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

  • The application consists of a range of capabilities, which are anchored by a set of Schemas known as “Models”, which can be used to define all of the behaviour in an application. Application developers design and configure these Models through a simple web-based interface.

  • Models consist of basic components for inputting information such as Text Boxes and Radio Widgets that are used to build forms as well as advanced components such as Google maps integration and custom scripting.  Components can be linked together into complex chains of dependencies using a simple language called EARL (ElasticApps Rule Language) that can determine when each component or section should be displayed.

  • End Users create a record called an “Assessment” against a Model, and the system progressively generates forms for the user to fill out, based on the components and rules specified in the Model. As an example a model could prompt a user to enter information as simple as a single text field, or as complex as a hundred page assessment, with thousands of components. Once an assessment is complete the user can submit it into the system where it is available to be reported on or searched.

  • Submitted assessments are subject to Events and Actions that determine what should happen to them. Complex workflow rules can be determined by creating “Repositories”, which assessments are posted to and can be moved between by executing “Actions”.  Actions are added to a model to determine what can happen to an assessment inside each repository. For example- Assessments by default might be inserted into a repository called “Pending”, where an administrator reviews them and executes the “Publish” action to move them to the published repository.  

  • Additional features of the platform include a Skinning system, which allows for custom look and feel capabilities for the applications and the creation of dynamic HTML forms and scripts.  There is also a published API that allows advanced development and direct access to the database structure and data allowing application developers to create very complex applications.

  • Typical applications of the platform have included assessment, collaboration and work flow related activities as would be found in a range of business environments including; compliance, risk management, general business processes, sales performance and customer service activities.
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