Fusionsoft Semantic Integration Platform Comparison

Comparison of the product with other products and technologies.

The platform has no close analogues; however its functionality is partially present at many products or technologies. We picked out the soundest products and technologies of each category to compare (see the table and its notes below). The considered products and technologies do not support as tight integration of heterogeneous information systems as Fusionsoft SemanticNet does. Fusionsoft SemanticNet facilitates semantic heterogeneous data integration in simple and complete way, enables end-user-friendly WYSIWYG form development in run-time, and allows creating clusters of integrated information systems in less expense.

Consider the listed features in detail.

1. The integrated space of user forms, the single entry point to all systems. Fusionsoft SemanticNet provides the single space of user forms just as WEB provides the single space of pages. They supplement each other as WEB is focused on document and semi-structured data representation, while SemanticNet is dedicated to structured data representation.

   • Oracle Forms (±). Oracle Forms provides a space of forms, but it covers only Oracle RDBMS. It does not support a space of forms based on heterogeneous data stored in any DBMS, so it can not provide a single entry point to all forms of a heterogeneous information system cluster. While Fusionsoft SemanticNet enables forms based on heterogeneous data, and assembles all the forms into one integrated space.

   • Oracle Discoverer (-). Oracle Discovered provides OLAP-analysis facilities over Oracle RDBMS within one fixed user interface. It is not meant for creation of flexible forms as Oracle Forms or Fusionsoft SemanticNet.

   • RAD Tools (-). Rapid Application Development tools allow development of forms of any functionality; they are not oriented to flexible form space support.

   • Web (+). Fusionsoft SemanticNet supplements WEB providing easy way of structured-data form development and use.

   • Semantic Web (-). Semantic Web is focused on semi-structured document meta-knowledge and has no concern with user forms themselves.

2. End-user-friendly WYSIWYG form development in run-time. Fusionsoft SemanticNet is the only product supporting the feature in full.

   • Oracle Forms (-). Oracle Forms enables for administrators to adjust existing forms declaratively with the specialized interface, but not in WYSWIG way. This functionality is complex, is not intended for end users, and has restricted abilities. You can not create a new form in run-time, in WYSWIG way, publish it for other users. Even if you are an administrator and change an existing form, your correction possibilities are restricted to specifying the column set to show. Fusionsoft SemanticNet eliminates all the restrictions, enables end-user-friendly WYSIWYG form development in run-time with very flexible structure of forms and no correction restrictions.

   • Oracle Discoverer (-). Oracle Discoverer is not intended for flexible form creation and has no such functionality. While using Fusionsoft SemanticNet, one can easily create forms with functionality provided by Oracle Discoverer even over non-OLAP-cube data.

   • RAD Tools (-),Web (-), Semantic Web (-). They are not intended for run-time form development, so they do not provide such functionality.

3. Heterogeneous data representation on one form. Only technologies intended for programmers to develop forms provide such representation. Fusionsoft SemanticNet is a unique product enabling end-user-friendly form development and heterogeneous data representation on one form at that.

   • Oracle Forms (-), Oracle Discoverer (-). They cover Oracle RDBMS only.

   • RAD Tools (+), Web (+), Semantic Web (+). They are programmer-oriented, while Fusionsoft SemanticNet provides end-user-friendly form development process.

4. Global semantic heterogeneous data integration. Semantic data integration is not sufficiently supported by actual commercial products. Actually, the listed products and technologies rather have no such support, except Semantic Web. Fusionsoft SemanticNet is unique in this field, providing complete support for semantic data integration in manner very simple to data providers. The results of each integration process are easily consolidated into one global integration layer without any additional efforts of data providers.

   • Oracle Forms (-), Oracle Discoverer (-), RAD Tools (-), Web (-). They are not destined for semantic integration and so have no such functionality.

   • Semantic Web (±). Today's Semantic Web is concentrated on questions of semi-structured data meta-knowledge rather than ways of semantic integration of structured data. Fusionsoft SemanticNet concentrates on structured data semantic integration exclusively, and provides very efficient and simple solution to this problem. Most complexities arisen in Semantic Web disappear from the point of view taken in the proposed platform.

5. Automatic semantic navigation and drill-down support. At present drill-down analysis mechanism is known in the context of OLAP, so Oracle Discoverer supports it. But it requires data be transformed to OLAP-cube organization, with no heterogeneity or distribution possible. Automatic semantic navigation, defined as ability for users to navigate from a concept to all forms having additional information on that concept, have no any use in present products and technologies. Semantic navigation can be only provided by programming each navigation way possible. While Fusionsoft SemanticNet provides semantic navigation and drill-down mechanisms over any heterogeneous and distributed data with no programming needed. You only create structure of forms, and the functionality become accessible for end users automatically.

   • Oracle Discoverer (±). It supports the standard inner-form drill-down mechanism over OLAP cube backed by Oracle RDBMS, while Fusionsoft SemanticNet supports a new inter-form drill-down method as well as the standard one functioning over any heterogeneous and distributed data. Also Oracle Discoverer has partial automatic navigation support using references among tables of one data base. But this navigation is structural rather than semantic, comparing with the navigation mechanism provided by Fusionsoft SemanticNet. Fusionsoft SemanticNet provides navigation on the level of application domain concepts not restricted to one data base and table references existing.

   • Oracle Forms (-), RAD Tools (-), Web (-). Semantic navigation and drill-down ways should be programmed one by one.

   • Semantic Web (-). Semantic Web describes meta-knowledge about documents, including semantic relationships among them, but it has no concern with applying the information to automatic semantic navigation and drill-down support on user forms.

6. Third-party component set extensibility. This feature is applicable to open products and technologies, providing open interfaces for extensibility. Fusionsoft SemanticNet provides infrastructure extendable in both data access and GUI parts in flexible way.

   • Oracle Forms (-), Oracle Discoverer (-). They are not open products and do not support adding new components by third-parties.

   • RAD Tools (+), Web (+). Functional components added within the technologies can be used by programmers only, while Fusionsoft SemanticNet enables adding new GUI components used by end users directly.

   • Semantic Web (-). It does not provide a user form framework, and so it has no concern with the feature.