RE: Reporting

[Bonnie Cameron <bonnie.cameron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far!  For those of you who have users
building their own queries, do you provide a master listing of the files so
that they know where their information is housed.. or are the users familiar
enough with their data to know what file holds what?

Bonnie Cameron
Polaris Industries

> -----Original Message-----
> From: J.A. Revell [SMTP:jarevell@beldar.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 9:02 AM
> To:   'mapics-l@midrange.com'
> Subject:      RE: Reporting
>
> Bonnie;
> I have found AS/400 Query is the easiest for users.  The only requirement
> I
> make is that if it is going to be used on a regular basis, it be turned
> over to the IS Department to write in RPG.  This cuts down on system
> overhead.  But if it is a one shot deal, then the User knows what they
> want, so we let them.  Security was an issue but we worked through it.  We
> also provide "samples" for our user to go by.
>
>
> Jerry Revell
> Franklin Equipment Company
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ed Chabot [SMTP:echabot@marlinfirearms.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 9:39 AM
> To:   mapics-l@midrange.com
> Subject:      RE: Reporting
>
> Bonnie,
> We have investigated different options in the past, such as ShowCase, etc.
> and could not justify the cost based on the number of users that would
> actively use the product.  We then went and wrote a course on AS/400 Query
> and had the "power user" from each of about 5 departments attend the
> class.
> They went through workshop-like exercises, etc.  We had issues with
> authority and access to certain files and could not justify the expense of
> coming up with an authorization scheme that was configurable by user, etc.
> Perhaps, we just don't know enough about AS/400 authority to make it work.
> In the end, we have one person in the Accounting department that writes
> some
> of her own queries (she was already cleared to see any and all company
> data,
> so security and authorization was not an issue).  We do download data
> extracts for a couple of users and have setup other downloads to be run by
> the user without our intervention or help. Typically, we write the queries
> and put them on the user menu for them to run.  If the record selection
> gets
> too weird for the user to handle, we write an RPG program. The one user
> that
> is writing her own queries is pretty good at it and requires a minimum
> level
> of support, but I have to say that she's the exception.  HTH.
> Ed Chabot
> The Marlin Firearms Co.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mapics-l-admin@midrange.com [mailto:mapics-l-admin@midrange.com]On
> Behalf Of Bonnie Cameron
> Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2002 8:47 AM
> To: mapics-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Reporting
>
>
> Our company currently uses ShowCase Query for accessing Mapics data (where
> the Mapics inquiries and reports are inadequate.)  Although we offer
> in-house training on the software, we constantly find ourselves supporting
> much of our user base as often a user needs information who has not taken
> the class (or took the class some time ago and doesn't recall how to use
> the
> software.)  In addition, we spend a fair amount of time supporting logic
> questions and problems.
>
> I am wondering what tools some of the companies represented in this forum
> use and how you handle reporting in general...do you totally leave it up
> to
> users to create their own inquiries or does IS actively support this
> effort,
> etc.
>
> Thanks in advance for your responses,
>
> Bonnie Cameron
> Polaris Industries
> Roseau, MN
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