The IBM® Flexible Internet Evaluation Report Architecture (FIERA) allows for the rapid creation of online surveys for an inventory of items in a streamlined and efficient manner. The software provides for the generation of online surveys and reporting of survey results. FIERA supports a mechanism for brand-level association through a J2EE™ application (under WebSphere® or Tomcat), which uses a relational database back-end (DB2® or MySQL) to allow for the creation, display, and reporting of survey results for user items. The software allows for the centralization of diverse brand items in a single framework, while maintaining a distinct, brand- specific look and feel for surveys.

FIERA runs on Windows® and Linux®.

How does it work?

FIERA is a multi-user environment for generating surveys across a collection of user-defined inventory items. Inventory item surveys are presented with user-defined levels of look and feel (branding), but survey results can be collected and processed in a single centralized model. User defined questions and HTML are brought together into a multi-faceted, Internet survey. The survey is composed of three main parts: look and feel, general questions, and inventory item-specific questions. Each of the three parts of the survey can be dynamically changed from the FIERA management console so that brand-based look and feel can be managed across a loosely-connected inventory.

For example, in a university setting, general questions may reflect the efficiency of the school as a whole, while the look and feel of the chemistry department would differ from that of the political science department, and each particular class will have questions that are specific to itself. FIERA allows for easy handling of the creation and reporting of the above multi-dimensional organization where a single owner (the university) has many faces (departments) and each face has specific products or services (department X classes.)

Dennis McFarlin is the principal data architect for the IBM alphaWorks® group. He holds a masters degree in computer science from Binghamton University. Mr. McFarlin designed the game execution and reporting architecture for alphaWorks's Robocode Rumble and has been the lead architect for alphaWorks's back-end systems. He holds certifications from Lotus (PCLP Administration, PCLP Design), Microsoft (MSCS+I), Red Hat (RHCT) and IBM (CT for Lotus on AS400).