Mashup Devolution

Last week JackBe hosted 3-day Mashup Training webcast series. We covered a lot of ground during the Training including the organizational value of mashups (more on that in another blog post), the way in which mashups fit into enterprise IT architecture, how mashups support the executive/analyst/developer, and finally, lots of examples of mashups in action.

During the Training we used our visual mashup composer, Presto Wires, to create/modify many of the mashups-in-action. Interestingly, it seemed that one of the more popular features of Wires was the capability to create 'macros'. Much like macro in Microsoft Excel, Wires Macros are user-defined mashup actions written in Presto's Enterprise Mashup Markup Language that add custom, user- or organization-specific functions that go well beyond the usual 'sum, merge, join, filter' options.

Can you imagine a mashup platform without this mundane-but-important capability? Every major programming/development language of the last 3 decades has had some form of callable asubroutine. Microsoft Excel has gone so far as put this power right into the hands of the non-techy spreadsheet-maker.

But, oddly enough, not all mashup platforms vendors seem to agree with me. Some don't allow the mashup-maker to create and/or share macros. Without Macros or some similar form of simple extensibility in a mashup solution, you are setting yourself back 30+ years. It's some odd form of software 'devolution'.

The domain-specific applications of macros are endless. One of our banking customers added a compound interest calculator as a macro. A data publishing giant added a 'linear data formatter' macro, whatever that means. You can easily imagine a cholesterol calcalutor (healthcare). A risk calculator (finance, insurance). A purchase-price calculator (any purchasing department). A delivery-time or shipping-cost estimator (shipping, airlines). Tax/interest calculator (any industry).

And Macros can cross organizational boundaries as well. JackBe's Mashup Developer Community has started a Macro Code Depot for our Mashup Developer Community (MDC) members where anyone can contribute Macros or reuse Macros created by other mashers. And we believe in Macros some much that the MDC is we're hosting a Macro fo the Month Contest. You can check out a brief video demo of a Macro in action on the MDC.

We've written a lot about the importance of reuse as a mashup best practice (here and here). And macros are a practical, rubber-hits-the-road example of reusablility. But Macros mean more. Macros turn a generic mashup solution into a mashup solution that fits the needs of your organization, your department, and your employees. This is about making a mashup platform in your mashup platform.

Macros are a must-have best practice. Got no extensibility in your mashup platform? Send us a postcard from 1965.