Opal 1.4.0 (1.4.0-b11837) is now available.
This release introduces reporting and web-based view management. Also, a new UI greatly improves usability.
Improvements
Opal 1.4.0 went through three milestone releases. Each time improving the end-user experience.
Reporting
Opal 1.4.0 embeds the BIRT reporting engine. BIRT is a mature and full-featured report design and execution tool.
Using an extension, the BIRT report designer can connect to Opal directly which allows creating reports on views and derived variables available in Opal.
Report designs can be uploaded to Opal so they can be run periodically or in an ad-hoc fashion.
Web-based view management
Opal views can now be created and managed through the web interface. Derived variables can be created in an iterative manner (write/test/modify cycle).
Views can be shared between Opal instances through an XML file (useful to create common dictionaries).
Participant Identifier Management
Opal already stores participant data separately from their identifiers. This release introduces features for managing the participant identifiers.
Specifically, users can now ask Opal to generate identifiers, export and upload existing identifier associations.
SFTP
The Opal filesystem is now accessible through SFTP. Users can connect to the Opal filesystem using an SFTP client; this allows managing files in a secure and friendly manner.
Using Opal 1.4.0
To use Opal, you must first download it here.
Please refer to the Opal Documentation for more information.
Upgrading from 1.3.x
Please refer to the opal-config.properties file included in the distribution for a list of properties that need to be added/specified in your existing configuration.