Blue Curve's Unique Component Architecture

We believe that Blue Curve's software is the most advanced on the market, and the feedback we get when we demonstrate it seems to confirm that claim.  That view is formed from many factors, but one key aspect which sets us apart from our competitors is what we call our Component Architecture.  It's one of the key design features around which our software was built in the first place.  It's part of the Blue Curve DNA.  Some of our competitors will claim they have the same, so we've put together this short overview to provide a benchmark.

First of all, What is a Component?

A Component is any piece of content that can be used within a document, web page, email or other display.  Typical Components include:

  • A piece of text (from a single word to many paragraphs);
  • A number;
  • A table of data;
  • A chart;
  • An image;
  • Any combination of the above.

A document, email or web page consists of several Components laid out in a logical format to communicate a story to the reader.

What can you do with a Component in Blue Curve?

Components are stored in Blue Curve in their native format.  Text is stored as rich text, a table as a table and a chart as a chart, including the underlying data if it's available.  This means we hold information about the component that allows it to be re-used in other applications and, in most cases, re-formatted to fit in with a different design or layout. 

This makes it quick and easy to:

  • Use content and data that has been stored in the database across multiple documents and interfaces;
  • Re-use content that was created in a previous document, regardless of the format of that document.

So how do I use Components?

Components are pieces of content that are either defined by the system administrator or by a user whilst they're editing a document.  System defined Components can be used in document templates, which means they appear in new documents automatically with fresh data or content from the Blue Curve database.  This dramatically improves the speed and consistency when producing a new document.  For version 5 we introduced the feature to allow the content of a component to be updated from an external data source using Web Services, giving you even more flexibility.

Components defined by the user within a document can be used in further documents by inserting them from the drop-down menu in Word or Powerpoint.  This feature removes the need to keep re-typing the content you use a lot.  A user also has the option to share components they've created or keep them private.  A component will always contain the latest content regardless of who created it.

When you use a Component in a document you can modify many of it's features as you work:

  • Components are flexible - change the row or column data in a table for example;
  • You can refresh with Current Data for the current document;
  • You can switch between Draft and Published data;
  • You can switch between Current and Historic data;
  • You can switch between different languages (if available);
  • You can switch between different data sources (if available);

And remember, these changes only apply to that component, leaving the rest of the document unaffected.  This means you can use the same component many times in the same document to tell a slightly different story - very useful.

So they're useful when editing, but what about publishing?

Blue Curve's unique component architecture is underpinned by a component database that stores each component in it's native format.  This mean you can build sophisticated delivery formats, such as HTML emails and sophisticated web pages, by placing the component data into a layout that makes sense. 

We often get asked "Can Blue Curve send an email format that can be read easily on a Blackberry".  The answer is Yes - You can.  You see, with Blue Curve, you design the output formats for email, web pages and other delivery channels using the Components you've created during the production process.  This gives you the ultimate flexibility to create any email format you like, for any target email client. 

You can even create many different email templates to format the components and then assign a specific format to a client email address so they get the best experience.  One Blue Curve customer has created 9 different formats and they're assigned on a client-by-client basis.  "John always reads this on his Blackberry" - no problem, create a Blackberry specific layout and assign that to John's email address in Reach.  He gets the same content, but in a way that makes it easy to get your message across.

The same's true when it comes to creating a web site using Blue Curve.  The Blue Curve API, which is free to any customer, allows a web developer to extract component content and data from Blue Curve using XML.

The XML can then be formatted and laid out in the way you want to express your corporate design and include the features you want on your site.  You can also use the API to integrate Blue Curve component content into an existing website.

Of course, you have control over every aspect of the component, and we have customers out there who make full use of this to build highly functional web sites for their internal and external users.  For example:

  • Build a site in multiple languages - no problem, as each component can display in the languages you configure in Blue Curve;
  • Show Draft data to Analysts but only Published data to Sales - again, straightforward in Blue Curve by specifying the User roles that have access to the specific workflow stages and business areas you've configured;
  • Show a history of forecast data changes - simply create a component that shows the data items you want and select the history of changes.

And remember using components to build websites like this means that every time a user opens the page they're seeing the latest content and data automatically.

Hopefully, you've seen from this short overview that Blue Curve is more than just a document management system, or a basic research production system.  Blue Curve is a software platform that you can build your research business around and which will provide a strong foundation for growth.  Contact us to arrange a demonstration.