Apache OFBiz

Apache OFBiz

File:Ofbiz logo.gif
Screenshot  Apache OFBiz Screenshot Apache OFBiz Screenshot running
Developer(s)	Apache Software Foundation
Stable release	9.04 / November 17, 2009
Written in	Java
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	Business Process
License	Apache License 2.0
Website	http://ofbiz.apache.org

Apache Open For Business (Apache OFBiz) is an Open Source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. It provides a suite of enterprise applications that integrate and automate many of the business processes of an enterprise. OFBiz is an Apache Software Foundation top level project.

Overview

Apache OFBiz is a framework, provides a common data model and a rich set of business process. All applications are built around a common architecture using common data, logic and process components. Beyond the framework itself, Apache OFBiz offers a huge range of functionality including:

• Accounting (Agreements, Invoicing, Vendor Management, General Ledger)
• Asset Maintenance
• Catalogue and Product Management
• Facility and Warehouse Management
• Manufacturing
• Order Processing
• Inventory Management, automated stock replenishment etc.
• Content Management System (CMS)
• Human resources (HR)
• People and Group Management
• Project Management
• Sales Force Automation
• Work Effort Management
• Electronic Point Of Sale (ePOS)
• eCommerce

Technology

All of Apache OFBiz functionality is built on a common framework. The functionality can be divided into the following distinct layers:

Presentation Layer

Apache OFBiz uses the concept of "screens" to represent the Apache OFBiz pages. Each page is, normally, represented as a screen. A page in Apache OFBiz consists of components. A component can be a header, footer, etc. When the page is rendered all the components are combined together as specified in the screen definition. Components might be Java Server Pages ([JSP]s) <deprecated>, FTL pages built around FreeMarker template engine, Forms and Menus Widgets. Widgets are an OFBiz specific technology.

Business Layer

The application layer defines services provided to the user. The services can be of several types: Java methods, SOAP, simple services, workflow, etc. A service engine is responsible for invocation, transactions and security. Apache OFBiz uses a set of well established, open source technologies and standards such as Java, Java Enterprise Edition (JEE), XML and SOAP. Although Apache OFBiz is built around the concepts used by JEE, many of its concepts are implemented in different ways; either because Apache OFBiz was designed prior to many recent improvements in JEE or because Apache OFBiz authors didn’t agree with those implementations.

Data Layer

The data layer is responsible for database access, storage and providing a common data interface to the Business layer. Data is accessed not in Object Oriented fashion but in a relational way. Each entity (represented as a row in the database) is provided to the business layer as a set of generic values. A generic value is not typed, so fields of an entity are accessed by the column name.

Open Source Libraries

Here a list of the existing open source libraries that are used in Apache OFBiz.

Component	Description	License
Apache Commons	A collection of reusable Java components like (FileUpload, IO, Digester, Logging, Codec, and Validator)	Apache
ANTLR	Framework for constructing recognizers, interpreters, compilers, and translators from grammatical descriptions	BSD
ASM	Set of java classes for decomposing, modifying, and recomposing Java bytecode	BSD
BSF	Set of java classes which provides scripting language support within Java applications	Apache
BeanShell	Lightweight Scripting language for JavaJSR 274. Beanshell is being phased out of OFBiz and eventually will be replaced by Groovy	SPL/LGPL
Groovy	An agile dynamic language for the Java Platform	Apache
Jython	An implementation of the high-level, dynamic, object-oriented language Python written in 100% Pure Java	Jython License
Apache Ant	Software tool for automating software build processes.	Apache
Apache Avalon	Software framework provide a reusable component framework for container (server) applications	Apache
FreeMarker	Template engine focusing on generation of text output (anything from HTML to autogenerated source code)	BSD
Apache Geronimo	A certified java EE based application server	Apache
HttpUnit	Software testing framework used to perform testing of web sites without the need for a web browser.	BSD
ICU	Mature C/C++ and Java libraries for Unicode support, software internationalization and software globalization.	MIT
JavaCC	Parser generator for the Java programming language similar to Yacc	BSD
Javolution	Real-time library aiming to make Java applications faster and more time predictable	BSD
Apache Xerces	An XML parser library for Java, C++ and Perl	Apache
Apache Derby	Full-fledged relational database management system (RDBMS) with native Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) support	Apache
MX4J	Java Management Extensions (JMX) tools for managing and monitoring applications, system objects, devices and service oriented networks.	Apache
Apache Tomcat	Web application server supporting Java Servlet 2.5 and JavaServer Pages (JSP) 2.1	Apache
Jetty	Web application server supporting Java Servlet 2.5 and JavaServer Pages 2.1—an alternative to the Tomcat server	Apache
DataVision	Reporting tool similar to Crystal Reports and BIRT Project	Apache 1.1

Bibliography

• Howell, Rupert; Jonathon Wong (31 October 2008). Apache OFBiz Development: The Beginner's Tutorial (1st ed.). Packt Publishing. ISBN 1847194001. http://www.packtpub.com/apache-ofbiz-development-beginners-tutorial/book. 

External links

• Official Apache OFBiz website
• Apache OFBiz: Real-World Open Source Java Platform ERP by David Jones and Ean Schuessler at JavaOne 2007
  • David Jones and Ean Schuessler Presentation
• ERP Application Development Frameworks: Case Study and Evaluation by Nattanicha Rittammanart, Wisut Wongyuedy, and Matthew N. Dailey