dynaTrace Simplifies Web 2.0 Client-Side Development with Latest Release of AJAX Edition

November 16, 2010

Tools

Version 2 of the popular, free Web 2.0 browser tool saves developers time building faster, cleaner client-side applications that scale.

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- dynaTrace software, the technology leader in application performance management (APM), today announced the release of the dynaTrace AJAX Edition 2, a major update to its popular free software. Initially launched in November 2009, the product was built in response to the acceleration of Web 2.0 applications that, for the first time, split application logic between the browser and back-end. The promise of a better user experience from Web 2.0 applications has been elusive due to added complexity caused by client-side JavaScript and Ajax execution as well as by unpredictable interactions with back-end application tiers. AJAX Edition 2 significantly simplifies the development of Ajax and JavaScript client-side applications and offers built-in comparison capability to assure that new releases perform as well as, or better than, the competition’s.

“The potential benefits of Web 2.0 technologies like Ajax will not be fully realized if they are undermined by the performance challenges they create,” said Bernd Harzog of APM Experts, an analyst firm specializing in application performance. “Front-end developers need to upgrade their performance tools to overcome these challenges so that they can focus on building compelling interactive new features instead of wasting time with old approaches that don’t deliver the right insights into slow client-side code.”

Building on a base of over 20,000 developers who currently use AJAX Edition to optimize their Web 2.0 client-side code, Version 2, available for immediate download, provides the same deep Ajax / JavaScript visibility of its predecessors while adding advanced analytics to pinpoint exactly what needs to be fixed across four major performance dimensions:

browser caching,
network requests,
server-side processing, and
JavaScript / Ajax execution.

Every transaction is automatically analyzed at a deep level, and instantly ranked on these four dimensions. Problem areas are highlighted and best practice recommendations from Google, Yahoo!, and other AJAX Edition users are built into the product.

AJAX Edition 2 provides additional advantages to any Web 2.0 development team:

Built-in ‘compare with competition’
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) for every Web page are summarized in a dashboard.
- Instantly compare your KPI performance vs. your competitors with built-in benchmarking capability.
- Immediately drill-down to code level to fix issues fast.
Automated performance trending reports
- Upload your results directly to ShowSlow, a popular open source performance benchmarking and trending service, to measure how your application’s performance is changing over time.
- Extend trend reporting and regression analysis with the dynaTrace Development Team Edition (released October 2010).
Automated browser testing
- Built-in integration with Selenium and Watir for easy, consistent testing of client-side code.
- Enhance automation capabilities including multiple simultaneous browsers, real-time dashboards, reporting, alerting, workflow, and collaboration with the dynaTrace Development Team Edition.
End-to-end transaction-pure visibility, from browser click to database and back
- The visibility provided by the AJAX Edition is now tightly integrated with dynaTrace’s server-side APM system.
- See how Ajax and JavaScript front-end code affects back-end tiers and services, transaction by transaction, with code-level detail.

“As more and more companies adopt Web 2.0 techniques to improve user experience and interactivity, we’re seeing application problems increase,” said Bernd Greifeneder, Founder & CTO of dynaTrace. “Splitting application logic between front-end clients and back-end servers has always been tricky. AJAX Edition 2 was built to solve three major challenges for Web 2.0 developers: how to build better client-side code faster, how to better test client-side code to assure performance and no regressions, and how to get a complete understanding of front-end to back-end interaction in a deep, yet automatic way. We listened to our 20,000 developer community and are pleased to bring them AJAX Edition 2.”

The dynaTrace AJAX Edition 2 is available for immediate download at http://ajax.dynatrace.com. To learn more about what’s new in this latest release, click here. To learn more about advanced automation for Web 2.0 application testing, click here.

About dynaTrace software Inc.

dynaTrace is the technology leader in application performance management (APM). With its patented PurePath technology, the company offers the only continuous, transaction-pure APM system on the market, transforming how applications are built, tested, and managed. Hundreds of companies including Zappos, Munich RE, SAS, Macy’s, BBVA, EDF, and Thomson Reuters rely on dynaTrace to drive better business results by optimizing performance, accelerating time-to-market for new releases, reducing application management costs, and bringing business and IT closer together. Visit dynaTrace online at http://www.dynatrace.com.