RE: Question about best query software

MRC sounds like a decent fit. http://www.mrc-productivity.com/
The m-power product supports several DBs, including DB2 and MS SQL Server.

You can also go to http://www.crazybikes.com/ to see MRC in action.

- m-power can be managed wholly in the web browser (there is an
iSeries-specific product MRC Productivity Series that is 5250 and Web-based)
- end user capability
- a little weak in ad-hoc; all files to be queried are imported into an MRC
data dictionary before use
- no built-in scheduling
- can send results by email
- can format output in CSV (not Excel native but may be good enough) as well
as PDF
- not sure what you mean about saving results in physical fields
- rename fields - check
- I consider it power-user friendly, about the same skill level as Query/400
- not too sure about SQL functions; but does implement extensions and custom
logic in "external objects"
- MS SQL retrieval - check
- Excel retrieval - nope, maybe through an external object and custom
programming; not out of the box
- price - not sure as we've had it for many years, although I'm pretty new
at it

HTH,
Loyd

Loyd Goodbar
Senior programmer/analyst
BorgWarner
E/TS Water Valley
662-473-5713
-----Original Message-----
From: Tomasz Skorza [mailto:t.skorza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2006 15:13
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Question about best query software

Hi 

Could you propose some query tool/software which you test, use and it's
working properly and fast (in building query and executing).
My requirements:
- managing - by Web browser or by software itself;
- browsing/changing reports (rather) (by end-user) - by Web browser;
- ad-hoc query;
- scheduled query;
- sending result's reports also by e-mail;
- saving reports in xls format;
- saving result in phisical fields (but it is not very important);
- renaming file's/field's name with user friendly names;
- it should be user friendly at all :-)
- query building with many SQL functions (like CAST), maybe with own/new
functions;
- retriving data also from MS SQL Database;
- retriving data also from Excel files;
- price - CFO firendly :-)

Thanks for any help

Regards

Tomasz Skorza