Solutions for Financial Services

OpenLink OpenComponents — Next Generation Component Development Strategy

Market Overview valuation models, and risk calculations become relevant. To

do this, OpenLink:
Today’s constantly evolving financial landscape requires
• Leverages industry standard technology wherever
companies to be agile and flexible. To stay competitive,
possible;
firms’ trading and risk management systems must be
able to adapt to the ceaseless parade of new products, • Empowers clients to use both in-house and third
risk management techniques, and regulatory reporting party libraries; and
requirements. While this alone is a daunting task, it • Provides better tools for client developers that:
becomes an even greater challenge when firms’ proprietary
− Increase their productivity;
business logic and analytics are involved. Companies also
need to be sure that their intellectual property will not be − Reduce client development costs; and
compromised. − Improve the quality of the solutions for their end
users.
Clearly, successful firms require a secure, user-friendly
system that caters to the ever-changing market in a timely,
cost-effective manner. In addition to being fully extensible, OpenComponents
these firms’ systems must be capable of handling all types
of proprietary analytics, which means that the ability to OpenComponents is the core of OpenLink’s next
interface with both third party software tools and existing generation strategy and mission to provide open systems
in-house systems is essential. architecture and extensibility to its clients.

One of the greatest strengths of the OpenLink platform OpenComponents provides a framework consisting of a
is that companies can either use it as a stand-alone, rich set of business-oriented object models and interfaces,
comprehensive front-to-back office system, or they can along with a comprehensive set of utility objects.
integrate parts of it into any existing infrastructure that Together, these provide a consistent, multi-platform
they may have. Additionally, OpenLink gives clients access development environment that is available in both Java ™
to development toolkits which enable them to extend and .NET ™. Specifically, OpenComponents is OpenLink’s
core system functionality directly, thereby giving them component-based tool for developing:
the power to meet their evolving needs and keep up with
• External applications that leverage Findur products;
today’s rapidly changing market environment — without
and
relying on someone else’s IT development schedule.
• Plug-ins and extensions that run natively within
OpenLink’s products, and are seamlessly integrated
OpenLink’s Component into OpenLink’s standard functionality.
Development Strategy
The OpenComponents libraries are consistent across
OpenLink’s development strategy is to align its software development contexts - whether they are external or
design with the dynamics of the market by enabling embedded applications written in Java™ or .NET™.
customization and extension throughout all features
of its products — including analytics, trade modeling, This means that all processes-even extensions-continue to
and screen and application development. OpenLink’s run in a single framework. The consistency and security of
“straight-out-of-the-box” platform comes equipped with running all processes significantly reduces operational risk,
extensive coverage of standard market functionalities, all of while also saving clients a great deal of capital investment
which OpenLink continually enhances as new asset classes, and time in systems maintenance.
External Applications
OpenComponents enables the development of
external applications that interact with Findur. For
example, clients can start a session, launch Findur
services, run a simulation, and interact with transactions
and market data from a custom screen designed
specifically to meet their needs.

Extensions
OpenComponents allows users to create extensions
Eclipse
that seamlessly mesh with the core system. Clients can
develop their own proprietary extensions or license
one of the many that OpenLink already has available.
Proprietary pricing models, curve analytics, simulation
results as well as custom reporting capabilities can all
be easily integrated with the core system through the
use of extensions.

Solutions

APPLICATIONS EXTENSIONS PLUG-INS

Visual Studio

OpenComponents Documentation
OpenComponents comes with a complete set of
JAVA .NET
API reference documentation for classes, methods
PLATFORM LAYERS and interfaces for both Java™ and .NET™. These
are generated directly from the code base, ensuring
BUSINESS OBJECT LAYER precise accuracy and consistency with each specific
product version. In addition, the documentation set
includes a comprehensive user guide with functionality
overviews, set-up instructions, and sample code for
FINDUR each development platform.

Engines Availability
OpenComponents is available in Findur versions 8.1
Database and higher.

Examples
OpenComponents Framework
Here are a few examples that illustrate some of the
ways that clients are using the OpenComponents
Development Environments development toolkit.
OpenComponents development is available for both
Java™ and .NET™. For Java™, OpenComponents Example I
provides a plug-in for the industry standard
Eclipse development environment. For .NET™, A client’s demanding traders request customizable (and
OpenComponents also provides a plug-in for the ever changing) trade capture screens that consolidate
Visual Studio IDE. pre-trade analytics, real-time trade pricing, and the
trade entry process in one convenient location.
 Example III
A client develops proprietary pricing models and
analytics for new products. Prior to trading a new
product, the client must incorporate these new pricing
models and related analytics into its trading platform
so that they can easily see the product’s valuations and
risks net against the rest of the portfolio.

The OpenComponents development tools allow the

client to quickly develop new models in-house, whether
each model has been developed from scratch or more
likely as an extension of some existing functionality.
The design and implementation choices are under the
client’s control. OpenComponents pricing models
Custom Trading Screens and Position Views integrate seamlessly into OpenLink’s platform,
meaning that the new product’s valuations, risk runs,
The OpenComponents development toolkit allows and batch reporting all run as though its proprietary
the client to create a customized presentation layer model were standard, off-the-shelf pricing models.
of the user interface that precisely fulfills traders’ Thus OpenComponents allows the client to swiftly
requests and is supported by OpenLink’s powerful and inexpensively bring new products to market while
database and analytics, including custom analytic protecting their intellectual property and leveraging all
extensions implemented through OpenComponents. of the functionality of its existing platform.
OpenComponents’ ease of implementation and use
reduces development time, allowing the client, to
create a cost effective, efficient, and user-friendly GUI,
thereby minimizing iteration cycle times, costs, and
frustration across the entire institution.

Example II
A client regularly implements new risk reports to
adhere to the latest requirements demanded by
internal senior management and external entities.
The implementation of these reports — whether they
are required in real-time or as part of the end-of-day
process — requires different levels of development and
adaption from the existing reporting frameworks.
Proprietary Analytics
Through OpenComponents, the client streamlines the
development tasks from finely-tuned risk calculation
measures to the end user presentation and formatting Conclusion
layers, efficiently promoting reuse without wheel re-
invention and extraneous development. OpenComponents represents OpenLink’s
dedication to providing its clients with efficient
and effective tools that allow them to adapt to this
fluctuating market environment and evolving end user
requirements. OpenComponents enables clients to
incorporate external applications as well as client-
based plug-ins, such as proprietary analytics and
reports, directly into the OpenLink system. Storing
all information, calculations and reports in one single
database provides clients with consistency, security,
speed, and accuracy in their processes. The business-
oriented object models and interfaces provided
by OpenComponents ensure timely and efficient
development.

Risk Reporting
About OpenLink
Founded in 1992, OpenLink (www.openlink.com) is
the global leader in Transaction Lifecycle
Management (TLM) solutions for the commodity,
energy and financial services industries. OpenLink’s
products address portfolio management, trading, risk
management, and operations processing for both
financial and physical assets.

Owned by leading private equity investment firm

Hellman & Friedman, OpenLink is a global software
and services business that has grown both organically
and through strategic acquisitions, to achieve
revenues in excess of $300 million. The company
serves over 500 clients, including 12 of the world’s
largest commodity and energy companies, 9 of the
largest financial institutions, and 11 of the largest
central banks. OpenLink has 1,300 employees in 12
global offices on five continents, with headquarters
outside New York City and field offices in Houston,
London, Berlin, Vienna, Toronto, Moscow, São Paulo,
Singapore, Dubai, and Sydney.

OpenLink has received numerous industry awards and

recognition, including citations as the industry leader
by Gartner and first-in-class ranking by Energy Risk
Magazine for Commodity/Energy Trading and Risk
Management (C/ETRM) systems.

For more information about OpenLink’s solutions contact:

OpenLink — Headquarters
1502 RXR Plaza
15th Floor — West Tower
Uniondale, NY 11556
United States
Phone: +1 516 227 6600
Fax: +1 516 227 1799

www.openlink.com

SAFE HARBOR: This material is intended to outline our general product offering and direction. It is intended for
information purposes only and it is not a commitment to deliver any material, code, or functionality, and should
not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. The development, release, and timing of any features or
functionality described for OpenLink’s products remains at the sole discretion of OpenLink. All materials provided
are the confidential and proprietary materials of OpenLink.

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