RE: Creating Reports?

We spent quite a bit of time on training.  Our users are very knowledgeable
of the db and doing joins.  We use Crystal Reports on a browser so a person
simply looks in the catalog of reports before any new development.  I would
agree it is not the persons job, but this client has a small IT dept and
some of these reports would never make the priority list.  The users also
share their knowledge of the reporting tool and any new reports.  We have
worked with the client to move them toward employees as knowledge workers
and the more knowledge they have the better they can be at their job.

Bottom line is, the IT group can focus on addling value to the bottom line
and the users are satisfied in getting the information they need in a timely
manner.

We also use ezprint for forms printing on the AS/400.  Great product, easy
setup and cost effective.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
[mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Phil
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 2:40 PM
To: midrange-l@midrange.com
Subject: RE: Creating Reports?


Nathan,

It's **not** the only language, though, so I can't say!  I can say that I
won't use PC reporting tools today.  Simply don't need to, and don't want to
add more complexity to the environment.

It shouldn't matter what I use (to the user).  All that the user should care
about is the quality of the data.

I find it interesting to read the posts where the users know the database,
apparently know how to do joins (even updates!), layout the report, and have
complete faith that the data returned is accurate.  That hasn't been my
experience with even the most knowledgeable user.  I've found that all but
the simplest query (no more that two tables) will take a user a long time,
and a lot of my time to explain and support that it is quicker in the short
run to write a report pgm in rpg.  And in the long run the decisions made
based on the data are better because the data is accurate, and the data is
consistent. (Well, at least the reason for a bad decision won't be incorrect
data!)

Besides, these users have a job to do and it isn't developing reports.  I
envision 20 employees each with their own report programs that they created
on their own but which return the same data (hopefully).  This is what
happens when you give users access to Query/400.

Phil


> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
> [mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Nathan M. Andelin
> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 12:59 PM
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: Creating Reports?
>
>
> Phil,
>
> Your comment kind of confirms my view that shops that deploy Java
> applications will still find a need for RPG.  If Java were the only
> supported language on the iSeries, would you use it to produce
> reports?  Or
> would you choose a PC based tool?
>
> Nathan.
> www.relational-data.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Phil" <sublime78ska@yahoo.com>
> To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 10:42 AM
> Subject: RE: Creating Reports?
>
>
> > All RPG.  Even for the java projects I've worked on, reports
> were done in
> > RPG.
> >
> > Phil
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
> > > [mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Wills, Mike N. (TC)
> > > Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 12:30 PM
> > > To: 'midrange-l@midrange.com'
> > > Subject: RE: Creating Reports?
> > >
> > >
> > > Almost 100% RPG. Most of the management are using Access for data
> access.
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Nathan M. Andelin [mailto:nandelin@relational-data.com]
> > > Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2001 11:23 AM
> > > To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> > > Subject: Creating Reports?
> > >
> > >
> > > Are people still using RPG and COBOL to create reports?  Or, have
> > > they moved
> > > on to some other tool?  For example, Seagate Software claims
> that their
> PC
> > > based report generator (Crystal Reports) is the most popular
> > > reporting tool
> > > on the planet.  Actually, I'm familiar with several other PC products
> that
> > > use an ODBC connection to access OS/400 data and generate
> > > reports.  But I'm
> > > interested in hearing opinions about the best ways to produce reports,
> > > invoices, account statement, etc.  What are people using, and why?
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > >
> > > Nathan M. Andelin
> > > www.relational-data.com
> > >
> > >
> > >
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