I’m often asked what makes Innovator such a great platform to work with, and I wish this were an easier question to answer.  Innovator is so different from other products in the marketplace that I've always found it hard to come up with a concise answer.  When you compare Innovator with other enterprise software applications and platforms, it stands out as uniquely flexible, open and easy to use.  But why, you ask?  I'll try my best to summarize, but forgive me if leave something out.

Innovator is:

  • Flexible and Extensible: From the beginning, Innovator has been about extensibility.  It has a flexible data-modeling tool, a slew of built-in behaviors, a solid API and a rich event model.  And since everything is open there's always a decent starting point, so you never have to start from scratch.  You are free, and in fact encouraged, to extend just about anything.
  • Dynamic: Any changes you make are immediately reflected in the application.  No recompiling, restarting services, or anything of the sort.  The Innovator platform detects changes, adjusts accordingly and keeps right on going.
  • Self-Describing (and then some): There are a number of so-called "self-describing" systems out there, but Innovator takes it to a new level.  Some systems will allow you to inspect the definition of an object/entity without having to dig into code.  For example, you can find out that "Part" objects have a "Part Number" attribute or that "Purchase Order" entities may be in "Pending" or "Approved" states.  Innovator takes it a few steps further, allowing you to also learn about behaviors (like whether revisions are tracked or what workflows are enabled), the details behind those behaviors (like the revision scheme and workflow steps), the details behind the details, and so on.  In fact, you can get all the way down to the root class and inspect that if you wish.  Better yet, Innovator allows you to accomplish this either through its standard browser-based UI (the same one end-users use), through the API, or using a simple SOAP message.
  • Open and Standards-Based: Innovator is an open platform by design.  The entire application, including its data model and business logic, is exposed through a web service using open standards such as HTTP, XML and SOAP.  There are no proprietary macro languages or protocols – the only things to learn are a simple XML dialect and a well-documented API.  Even at the application level, packaged solutions are based on industry standards, such as PMI, CMII and APQP.
  • Addictive: After using Innovator for a while, building solutions with it becomes second nature.  Get a few small solutions under your belt, and you'll find yourself looking for problems it can solve.  Don't believe me?  Only one way to find out…

 

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