Niagara^AX

Niagara^AX is a software framework and development environment that solves the challenges associated with building Internet-enabled products, device-to-enterprise applications and distributed Internet-enabled automation systems.  Niagara^AX builds on the pioneering capabilities of Niagara R2, originally introduced in 1999, and the experience gained in deploying over 235,000 Niagara-based products worldwide.Niagara R2 introduced the concept of a software framework that could normalize the data and behavior of diverse devices, regardless of manufacturer or communication protocol, to enable the implementation of seamless, Internet-connected, web-based systems. Niagara^AX takes that concept to the next level.

The core concept of Niagara is its unique, patented component model that transforms the data from diverse external systems into uniform software components. These components form the foundation for building applications to manage and control the devices. In Niagara R2, the component model focused primarily on modeling data from the various systems to create a uniform data set for applications. The Niagara^AXcomponent model goes beyond unifying protocols and data from diverse systems, to unify the entire development environment used to build applications.

The key requirements that guided the development of Niagara^AX included:

Creating a uniform software environment and component model across all layers of the device-to-enterprise solution stack. This means that whether you are building a small controller or a comprehensive enterprise application, with Niagara^AX , developers work in the same programming environment with the same tools;

Providing open APIs to all system services and an extensible component model that enable partners to develop their own applications, plug-ins and drivers independent of Tridium;
Providing all-inclusive support for web-services data handling and communications with enterprise applications;
Enabling large system scalability and a distributed processing architecture over any Internet, Intranet or Wireless network.
Niagara^AX provides the environment, tools and services to enable partners to develop products and applications quickly and easily.

Niagara^AX Highlights

New Graphics Presentation Framework and Graphic Development Tool
Niagara^AX  includes an all new technology for creating browser-based displays. This new technology supports both rich client displays for use with browsers that support Java plug-ins, plus pure thin client displays that support only HTML and JavaScript. This comprehensive framework permits you to create displays for wide range of devices including PC’s, PDA’s and smart phones. AX’s new presentation technology automatically generates navigation trees that eliminates substantial application development effort, and includes an extensive library of graphic elements to aid in the user experience.
Comprehensive Library of Control Objects
We’ve added a new comprehensive set of control objects to make it easier to accomplish control strategies. Custom programming objects can be developed to provide even more flexibility.
New Data Archive Model and Flexible Archive Destinations
A new time-series model provides a fast and scalable historical database. This allows historical data to be archived from anywhere to anywhere, permitting unlimited flexibility in system architecture.
New Alarming Capabilities Provides Better Visualization and User Experience
Many of the features provided by the separate Vykon Alarm Service application are now built into the core of Niagara^AX ,e.g., Sortable Columns, Sound Files and the ability to add Notes to Alarms.
Reporting
Niagara^AX  includes a comprehensive, built-in reporting system. A native query language (BQL) allows you to query and assemble data from anywhere within a station, and a built-in PDF document engine produces complete, high quality report formats – even directly from a JACE. A single click on a link in a graphic can produce a customized, dynamically created report.
Open Driver Development Toolkit
Now partners can develop their own communication drivers independent of Tridium. A comprehensive “driver framework” dramatically reduces development time and insures that all drivers are modeled in a uniform way to insure consistency and reduce complexity.
Open APIs for Developers
In Niagara^AX , all of the APIs for internal system operations are available to developers. You can create your own applications, plug-ins, wizards and drivers completely with the Framework.