Bluemaps connects disparate data sources and combines the business data retrieved from them in a highly visual presentation environment. In that aspect, Bluemaps aims to provide a visualization platform that adds value to existing business data with minimal changes in the existing systems. Such a platform needs to provide easy integration to any business data source in an enterprise. This functionality in Bluemaps was achieved through use of connectors.
Bluemaps provides connectors to retrieve business data from existing systems. A Bluemaps connector connects to a business data source, retrieves data from the remote system based on the configuration parameters provided and transforms this data to a standard that can be interpreted by Bluemaps engines. Bluemaps has a wide variety of connectors readily available and it is also possible to implement new connectors for propriety systems.
Some of the connectors already available for Bluemaps are:
- Microsoft SQL Server Connector
- Microsoft Analysis Services Connector
- Cognos 8 Connector
- Web services Connector
During an implementation, it is possible to use Bluemaps built-in connectors or implement new connectors, to tap into business data sources by specifying a few parameters in the metadata definitions. Once the connector is configured, Bluemaps can visualize the data in a wide variety of ways to communicate it back to the user in a much more comprehensible manner.