1. What is the MicroStrategy SDK?

The MicroStrategy SDK is a comprehensive Software Development Kit that enables easy customization of the MicroStrategy BI platform and integration with enterprise business applications. Through documentation of the application programming interfaces (API), sample code and utilities, and development tools, the MicroStrategy SDK empowers developers to implement highly customized, functional, and powerful Web reporting BI applications, meeting all of your organization’s BI requirements.

2. What APIs are available in the MicroStrategy SDK?

The MicroStrategy SDK includes following categories of API references:

• Web API: The Web API allows customization of the Web interface and integration with 3rd-party applications. It enables modification of the look and feel of the Web interface, presentation of BI data and functionality available to end users.
• Intelligence Server API: The Intelligence Server API exposes all the functionality of the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server such as creating metadata objects, administering users and security, and tuning Intelligence Server parameters.
• Narrowcast Server API: The Narrowcast Server API allows application developers to manage an information delivery application. This includes the ability to control the operations as well as develop new services. Narrowcast Server functionality can be further extended by adding new sources of information, data formatting capabilities for new devices, and data transmission capabilities.
• Subscription Portal API: The Subscription Portal API comprises eight classes encapsulating the creating, editing or deleting of subscriptions and their associated objects which form part of a self-service information consumption application.
• Office API: The MicroStrategy Office API allows developers to build custom applications that use Microsoft Office products as a user interface to the MicroStrategy BI platform. This includes connecting to a BI application, browsing folders and reports, specifying report parameters using prompts, and running and displaying reports and documents.

3. How can the MicroStrategy SDK be used?

MicroStrategy SDK is used to customize the MicroStrategy BI platform or integrate BI applications built using the MicroStrategy platform with third party applications such as portals, mapping software, identity management products etc.. With the MicroStrategy SDK, developers can:

• Create a completely personalized business intelligence solution that caters to their business standards and requirements and integrate such embedding business intelligence into their existing IT infrastructure
• Expose MicroStrategy intelligence and functionality within any interface of their choosing -- new or existing, email or web -- or easily change the interface that MicroStrategy provides
• (For partners) Build applications and products using best-in-class business intelligence technology that they can resell to their customers

Any application that provides reporting or data analysis to the end user can benefit from the MicroStrategy SDK. Examples include but are not limited to web portals, ERP systems, CRM applications, sales force automation tools, B2B supply chain applications and any information delivery system. These applications can be used in various industry verticals including retail, financial services, telecommunications, healthcare and manufacturing.

4. What are key benefits from using MicroStrategy SDK?

The key benefits from using MicroStrategy SDK include:

• Embed Intelligence in any application (all MicroStrategy Business Intelligence platform functionality can be exposed to create powerful customized applications)
• Extend the reach of BI applications by integrating with enterprise portals.
• Enhance the value of the BI applications through integration with third party applications such as data visualization software.
• Build platform-independent web applications
• Seamlessly integrate with disparate applications through Web Services and industry standard programming languages

5. What Industry standards are supported by MicroStrategy SDK?

The MicroStrategy BI platform conforms to industry standards, such as J2EE, .NET, XML, JSR168, WSRP, SOAP and COM. This adherence to industry standards allows BI applications built using the MicroStrategy SDK to be easily integrated with other business applications.

6. Does the MicroStrategy SDK have sample code?

A set of Java, Visual Basic, VBA and VC++ sample code provide a jumpstart to use the APIs. The MicroStrategy Software Development Library contains all the sample code with illustrative examples.

7. How can I package the MicroStrategy SDK in an installation of a value added product?

The MicroStrategy SDK has easy-to-use silent install and runtime procedures, designed to help embed and package MicroStrategy SDK in any custom installation program.

8. How does the MicroStrategy Web architecture make customization and integration easier, quicker and maintainable?

MicroStrategy Web and Web Universal uses a layered, object-oriented architecture that allows developers to identify and isolate the functionality that needs to be customized, while minimizing the impact on the rest of the application. This layered architecture, together with the open API, allows developers to not only customize the look and feel of the application, but also customize the BI functionality and workflow available to users within the application.

9. What are the benefits of parameter-driven customizations?

The SDK allows developers to customize their Web interface using XML parameters. The benefits of the parameter-driven customizations are as follows:

10. What is the MicroStrategy Developer Library?

The MicroStrategy Developer Library is the one-stop shop for all of your customization and integration needs. It contains over 6,000 pages of documentation and reference material, complete with API references, and how-to’s for developers to quickly access information at the most detailed level.

11. Does the SDK provide any utilities to upgrade Web customizations to newer versions?

The layered architecture enables organizations to easily upgrade customizations to newer versions of the MicroStrategy BI platform as they are released. MicroStrategy SDK contains a Configuration Upgrade utility that compares the parameter settings of the new release of the Web interface to the customized settings, and automatically merges and upgrades the parameter-driven customizations.

12. What products does one need to buy while developing applications with the SDK?

In order to use BI applications built using the MicroStrategy SDK, you have to buy the related MicroStrategy products that provide the underlying BI functionality. For example, in order to use MicroStrategy Intelligence Server API, one must buy MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. If the custom Web application provides functionality equivalent to that provided by MicroStrategy Web Analyst, you must buy 10-user license of MicroStrategy Web Analyst in addition to the 10-user license of MicroStrategy Intelligence Server.