ACPT Architecture

ACPT - Analytica with TableauACPT Architecture

Architecture Diagram

Diagram Flow

To better understand the above diagram, we'll start by walking through what happens when a user changes a user input extension. For any unfamiliar terminology, refer to the successive sections:

1. User changes value of Analytica Extension input in browser.

2. Analytica Extension makes update definition soap call to ACP.

3. ACP tells ADE to update the variable's definition in the model which it does.

4. The variable's onChange event is triggered and dependent outputs are reevaluated and ADE writes/updates the result csv files on the hard drive.

5. The ACP call to ADE returns. Now ACP informs Analytica Extension that the definition has been updated after csv files are written.

6. Analytica Extension makes a tableau javascript api call to tableau running in the browser asking for a refresh of the data in the affected worksheets.

7. Tableau in the browser tells tableau server to refresh the data in the worksheets.

8. Tableau server re-reads the csv files and sends the new data back to tableau in the browser and tableau in the browser updates the affected graphs etc.

Software Applications

Analytica Desktop (Analytica): Analytica is a visual software environment for building, exploring, and sharing quantitative decision models. The latest version can be downloaded at https://lumina.com/support-2/analytica-downloads/.
Tableau Desktop: Tableau is an interactive data visualization software tool. The latest version can be downloaded at https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop/download.

Software Components

ACPT Library (.ana): Analytica Library that can be added to your own Analytica model (.ana) to read in Tableau user/model details and generate/update CSV files for use in Tableau. Get the ACPT Library here.
Tableau Extension Files (.trex): Custom extensions that communicate with Analytica to update the data that Tableau is using. ACPT Extension File Hub hosts the various extensions and ACPT Tableau Extensions details their uses.
Analytica Cloud Platform (ACP): ACP lets you run Analytica models via a web browser, and share your models with other people. More details can be found on the Analytica Cloud Platform page.
Tableau Server: Tableau server is Tableau's official online hosting method for Tableau models and their associated data. More info on this can be found on Tableau's server page.

Data Stores

CSV File (.csv): in this context, generated from running various nodes in Analytica Desktop .
Analytica model file (.ana): generated from the Analytica Desktop application.
Tableau Workbook (.twb): generated from the Tableau Desktop application. Default save location is Documents -> My Tableau Repository -> Workbooks.

Required Folder Directories

Note: These directories (marked in bold) will be created automatically by Analytica Desktop / Tableau Desktop throughout the setup process. These are created for use within the server and can be removed from your local computer once the setup has been completed.

Local Disk (C:) -> ACPT data -> <Model Identifier> Data -> <Tableau UserID>
This PC -> Documents -> My Tableau Repository -> Workbooks