Overview - SuperSTAR

SuperSTAR is a suite of software products that provides a unique solution to the challenge of fast, confidentialised data tabulation, analysis, visualisation and dissemination of large amounts of organisational data.

SuperSTAR uses a unique approach to analytical processing and reporting through the application of column-based analytical technology and web-based dissemination in one integrated environment. Users manipulate and analyse data at any level of aggregation, from unit record or micro data to aggregated cubes of data.

The SuperSTAR Suite

As of Release 8.0 GA, we are offering a new and vastly simplified way to install a major subset of our products. These are bundled together into SuperSTAR 8.0 GA Suite, which you can install with a few mouse clicks.

The suite includes not only our software products and supporting software, but also PDF manuals, videos and sample data.

You can also manually install the individual products if you wish.

The figure below shows what is shipped with the Suite:

SuperSTAR Database Server

SuperSTAR Database Server is the core of the system. It enables high-performance tabulation, and consists of several components collectively known as one product:

SuperSERVER

SuperSERVER is the SuperSTAR tabulation engine, and is the power behind the entire SuperSTAR product suite. It is a common platform and database format for all the clients, offering consistent privacy protection and access control, integrated metadata and fast tabulations across microdata.

SuperSERVER is a C / C++ based server that exposes its services over CORBA, and collaborates with SuperADMIN Server for access control.

SuperADMIN Server and the SuperADMIN Client/Console

SuperADMIN is the administrator's toolkit for configuring and managing the SuperSTAR environment.

SuperADMIN Server is a standalone Java process providing authentication, access control, configuration management and search services. Its services are available over CORBA and RMI interfaces.
SuperADMIN Client or Console is a standalone Java process providing a command-line interface for managing SuperSERVER configuration data. The SuperADMIN console can be installed on client machines, but it is a mandatory component for the management of SuperSERVER.

SuperCHANNEL

SuperCHANNEL is the database import tool you will use for converting your data from the source database to the star-schema, column-oriented format used by SuperSTAR to provide its cross-tabulation speed (sxv4).

SuperCHANNEL can import source data from systems such as SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and other DBMS (Database Management System) applications through ODBC and JDBC drivers, and provides the interface where you design and build your SuperSTAR databases.

SuperCHANNEL can also connect to data sources in text, Excel, and other formats supported by ODBC or JDBC.

SuperWEB2

SuperWEB2 is a browser based data analysis client that allows end users to create tabulations in their web browser.

SuperWEB2 runs within a Java based web application container (Tomcat), and can use a RDBMS to store user saved tables and large queries pending download by the user.

SuperWEB2 supports mandatory fields, can display relative standard errors (database dependant), can be branded to suit your organisation, can display graphs/charts and maps based on the tabulated data, and is fully multilingual.

SuperCROSS

SuperCROSS is the desktop client for the SuperSTAR platform. It has a powerful and intuitive drag-and-drop graphical interface that facilitates fast, flexible tabulation and analytics for information producers.

SuperCROSS is an easy-to-use solution for analyzing data at any level of detail, and then presenting the information in a variety of formats including tables, charts, and maps. Powerful, customizable confidentiality plugins allow for greater automation of disclosure control, eliminating mistakes and reducing the time required to publish information.

In a world that is becoming more and more quantitative and information focused, SuperCROSS enables the many levels of government, business, and society to depend on easier access to statistical measurements to make faster decisions. Analysts, statisticians, and super users can perform ad hoc data analysis and tabulations over millions of records, and then disseminate patterns and trends to a broader audience.

STR Assist

The following help material (PDFs, Videos, HTML files) and ready-to-use sample data (SuperSTAR databases, Excel and Access data) is shipped as part of the SuperSTAR Suite.

Quick Starts	The above Excel and Access data is used as part of the Quick Starts that are also shipped. For example there is a Quick Start video and accompanying spreadsheet & summary PDF, showing you how to import that exact data into SuperCHANNEL and actually use it in SuperWEB2 and SuperCROSS.
How Tos	These documents show you the practical, end-to-end steps on how to use the SuperSTAR products in real-world, business scenarios’. Examples including branding SuperWEB2 (your logos, headers, footers), disclosure control configuration, and working with multi-homed hosts.

Java and Tomcat

Java is a programming language and computing platform first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It is the underlying technology that powers state-of-the-art programs including utilities, games, and business applications. Java runs on more than 850 million personal computers worldwide, and on billions of devices worldwide, including mobile and TV devices. For more information, see: http://www.java.com/en/download/faq/whatis_java.xml

Apache Tomcat is an open source software implementation of the Java Servlet and Java Server Pages technologies. For more information, see: http://tomcat.apache.org/