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Yellowfin allows partners and clients to integrate Yellowfin into an existing application or intranet. This allows for seamless user and data integration, and for the replication of user security at the report data levelThis section provides information on how to embed various elements of Yellowfin into a web-based application or portal.
Available Integration Methods
- JavaScript: This method lets Yellowfin reports and dashboards to be embedded into an external web page using scriptlets. This method makes for a quick and easy way to integrate Yellowfin, without the need for advanced developer knowledge.
- IFrames: Yellowfin widgets can be integrated into external interfaces using IFRAME. This provides for a seamless user experience with full Yellowfin functionality.
- Tight Integration: This method embeds Yellowfin as a re-branded, tightly integrated portal. This is done by creating a seamless link between the parent application and Yellowfin, without making the end-user aware that they have navigated from the parent application to another. This involves customizing Yellowfin with the custom header and footer with links that navigate to the third-party application. The user will easily experience the full range of Yellowfin features within the external website.
- Web Services: This method is used to manage communications between third-party applications and Yellowfin. Yellowfin provides a Java web service API for connecting to the SOAP web services, but it is also possible to connect using practically any other programming language or environment such as .NET, Ruby and Python. This method requires advanced developer knowledge, but provides flexible navigation.
Choosing a Method
Choosing one method over the other, depends on the user's requirements and technical abilities. Consider the following cases to help you decide on a method:
JavaScript
- Applying this method is suitable in cases where you want to quickly embed a chart or report into your website. This is a quick way to expose users with information as well as interactivity.
- The basic JavaScript method is a simple way to share information for public consumption, but with the advanced option, data can be filtered.
- This requires next to no development experience or knowledge.
- Supports single sign-on.
- Access to other Yellowfin functionality (such as the view builder, report list, administration, etc.) will not be provided.
- Only recommended if there is a requirement to share a chart or report.
IFrames
- Loads Yellowfin into your website by using IFrame tags.
- This could result in security flaws due to IFrame.
- Issues related to browser display can also arise.
- Single sign-on is possible.
Tight Integration
- Requires Yellowfin to be loaded into an external page, with custom header and footers added with links to your application.
- This provides your users with full Yellowfin functionality
The easiest way to incorporate Yellowfin content into a external portal is by embedding a JavaScript scriptlet. This allows including individual charts and reports into your environment. IFrames and Tight Integration are fairly simple methods, however each require at least basic style customization that matches the external portal. Web services provide the most flexible integration, but also require that the users possess advanced developer knowledge.
Open Source Libraries
Free Open Source Software (FOSS) Statement
Yellowfin ships with some restrictive open source libraries. Yellowfin does not link to or directly reference these libraries, and Yellowfin’s use of these libraries is in compliance with each applicable open source license. Yellowfin is designed to compile independently and without reference to these open source libraries. It is, however, technically possible for a Yellowfin partner or end user to alter the Yellowfin application – for example, by adding additional pages and/or plug-ins and/or libraries – which could directly or by combination with those libraries, violate the open-source licenses applicable to the libraries shipped with Yellowfin. There are numerous situations where such license violations could occur, including, but not limited to, incorporation of database drivers and authentication processes into the Yellowfin environment.
The Yellowfin partner, or end user, must ensure that any additions or modifications to the Yellowfin code do not enhance or extend, in any manner, the scope of use of the open source libraries shipped by Yellowfin beyond the scope of use originally utilized by Yellowfin and do not link to or directly reference those libraries.
Yellowfin disclaims all liability and responsibility for any violation of any open source license caused by additions or modifications to the Yellowfin code.
Yellowfin provides a range of different integration capabilities that broadly fall into the following two categories:
Content Integration
Individual items of content (reports, dashboards) can be embedded into the host application or web page. This can be done using the JavaScript API or using an iFrame. Using the JavaScript API allows for fine-grained control over the content and its interactions. Using iFrames provides a more out-of-the-box experience with less development effort but offers less ability to customize.
Application Integration
Previously we referred to this as Tight Integration. This basically involves integrating the whole Yellowfin application (this can be done as a full window or within an iFrame). Various custom elements can be included (such as a header containing a menu) that allow for seamless navigation to and from the host application. Various capabilities can be turned on or off to further customize and achieve the desired experience. Application integration is often the simplest method, can expose more of the Yellowfin application (including content creation capabilities such as report builder) and involves the least development effort.
Yellowfin also provides a wide range of web-services that can be used to obtain content from the Yellowfin server in order to create custom user-interface objects.
Choosing a Method
The choice of method will come down to a number of factors, including but not limited to:
- The desired User Experience - what is the outcome you are aspiring to for your target application. For example, if you just want to bolt-on a full, modern BI experience for minimal effort - then Application Integration is likely the best option. However, if you want to seamlessly blend rich-BI content together with your own application content - then the JavaScript API is likely their best choice.
- The functionality you want to expose - the JavaScript API for example, only allows for certain content types to be embedded - namely Dashboards and Reports (tables, charts or canvas). Other content - including self-service reporting via Data Discovery, Signals, Stories, Timeline etc - are only available through iFrame embedding or full Application Integration.
- The available skills and time - creating a customized experience using the JavaScript API requires programming skills and typically will take slightly longer to achieve depending on the desired outcome. If time to market is more important than the look and feel, iFrames or Application Integration might be best.
All of these methods can be used together within the one application. You could have a landing page that seamlessly mixes content from the host application with rich content from Yellowfin using the JavaScript API; Signals or Stories embedded in iFrames; and a full Data Discovery self-service experience with an Application Integration - all within the one application.
Integration Capabilities
Each integration capability is described in the following sections:
Other Resources
Be sure to check out these other important resources for integrating Yellowfin:
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