NetSuite 11 Flaunts More Ajax, Easy Scripting

To steal a phrase from "This Is Spinal Tap," NetSuite now goes to eleven.

The new NetSuite Version 11 hosted ERP/CRM applications promises more user/developer flexibility with "SuiteScript."

This toolset, built atop standard JavaScript, will let even non-techies customize implementations and business processes, the San Mateo, Calif.-based company claimed on Wednesday.

"You can describe what you want to happen when a record goes into the database. You can attach parameters to the script. and it's not ABAP or PeopleTools, its standard JavaScript. Even I could almost write code with this," quipped NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson.

ABAP and PeopleTools are proprietary development tools used by SAP and PeopleSoft enterprise applications respectively.

Nelson and other NetSuite execs showed off the release at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. on Wednesday The venue is home field for the Oakland As, a NetSuite customer and team General Manager Billy Beane was in attendance.

The version also sports more detailed "role-based" views of data that provide the user with dashboards loaded with the data meeting his or her needs. That push is very similar to the role-based UI Microsoft has promised in its Dynamics ERP lineup.

"There is one central database but different views" into it based on the user's job, said Evan Goldberg, company founder and CTO. He demonstrated how a user can roll his mouse over a graph element to pull up underlying information and do direct "drill downs" into more detail.

With the 11 release, now available, the company has pushed the use of AJAX methodology into basic product functions such as reporting and scheduling

NetSuite, along with rival Salesforce.com, helped pioneer the advent of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The company runs and hosts the applications, handles updates and patches, and offers users browser-based access to them. Both companies charge on a subscription model.

Now, it seems NetSuite will follow Salesforce.com into the public realm with an IPO. The company was founded eight years ago by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who is now its largest investor.

The company is also continuing its verticalization push. A new Services Company Edition is for consulting and professional services companies who need ot manage clients and projects. The service starts at $1,499 plus $99 per user per month.