TERR, TERR Service, and TIBCO Spotfire Statistics Services

You can run TERR data functions in Spotfire Analyst by using the local TERR engine, by using the TERR service, or by using the TERR engine provided with Spotfire Statistics Services.

The engine Spotfire Analyst users specify depends on the statistics language used, and whether the analysis is shared with others through the TIBCO Spotfire® Web Player service.
Note: Make sure you use the same release of TERR™ for analyses across services.

TERR

Spotfire Analyst authors can create analyses that use TERR data functions or TERR custom expressions to run locally (on Windows only). They can use the built-in predictive analytics in Spotfire Analyst. They can use TERR engine that is provided in the Spotfire Analyst installation. (Spotfire Analyst authors must have the correct Spotfire license to use the TERR engine.)

To specify the local TERR engine:
  1. In Spotfire Analyst, from the menu, click Tools > Options.
  2. In the Options dialog box, from the left list, select Data Functions.
By default, the option Use locally-installed TIBCO Enterprise Runtime for R engine is selected.

TERR service

The TERR service is installed on a node for your Spotfire Server. The TERR service is a licensed component of Spotfire Statistics Services. You do not need to install Spotfire Statistics Services to use the TERR service. The TERR service provides similar functionality to the Spotfire Statistics Services service for deploying TERR data functions, expression functions, or other advanced analytics; however, it is a completely separate architecture, designed to integrate with Spotfire similar to the other existing Spotfire services.

Spotfire Analyst authors can share analyses that they created using TERR data functions, TERR predictive analytics, or TERR custom expressions with users of TIBCO Spotfire® Business Author and Consumer. The TERR service distribution must be installed on a node for the Spotfire Server. By default, when such an analysis is shared, the TERR service provides the functionality for the Spotfire® Business Author and Consumer users.
Note: Prior to the release of Spotfire Statistics Services version 10.0, the Spotfire Statistics Services service was used to share analyses created using TERR data functions, expression functions, or other advanced analytics. Starting with Spotfire Statistics Services version 10.0, TIBCO recommends using the TERR service instead, which is provided to Spotfire Statistics Services customers as a component in eDelivery.

Note: Data functions written to use open-source R require Spotfire Statistics Services. They do not work with the TERR service.

Spotfire Statistics Services

If Spotfire Analyst authors are using a statistical language other than TERR (that is, SAS®, MATLAB®, or open-source R), then you must have installed and configured Spotfire Statistics Services to work with that language in your Spotfire Server environment.

To specify the URL for the Spotfire Statistics Services installation:

  1. In Spotfire Analyst, from the menu, click Tools > Options
  2. In the Options dialog box, from the left list, select Data Functions.
  3. In the Data Functions panel, select Custom URL, and in the text box, type the URL for your Spotfire Statistics Services.
Note: If the data functions or custom expressions have been created using TERR, and if you have the TERR service installed and deployed on a node for Spotfire Server, then Spotfire always uses the TERR service, even if the analyst supplies a custom URL, and you have Spotfire Statistics Services configured to use TERR deployed in your environment. Spotfire disregards the custom URL for all analyses that use the TERR engine. This behavior provides both backwards compatibility with existing Spotfire Statistics Services + TERR installations, and makes migration to the TERR service easier.
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