Dan Burger's article is well-researched, informative, timely, and delineates several historical obstacle to deploying Web Query and having it gain traction. He's done a good job. We have a copy of Web Query on CD, but have not implemented it, so I'm not qualified to answer specifics.
When we ordered our 7.1 upgrade from IBM we were told that our 520 didn't have enough RAM for Web Query to perform well; the box only has 1 Gig. It appears that Web Query suffers from the same types of hurdles that other large Java applications contend against. It has it's own HTTP Server instance, it's own JEE Application Server instance, and deploys as one big package. Deployments and updates take considerable time and resources; including taking down and restarting it's runtime environments.
You've got to have some pretty high impact BI analytic requirements and power users to justify it. My career began in such a position, so I understand that whopping tools like Web Query may be justified. The IT department may not be equipped people wise to support certain high profile power users who need their own power tools, to perform the type of high impact analysis they do.
But we're not in that situation now. When we get requests for new reports from users we generally use STRSQL to tweek our queries until we get them right. We generally create an SQL view, write an RPG module to create the report, add it to a menu, then authorize that user to that menu item; otherwise it won't even appear on their screen.
How do you handle authority for Web Query users? Give them authorities to specific libraries? Write ETL programs to populate their own separate data warehouse? Give specific authorities to specific files?
-Nathan
________________________________
From: "elehti@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" <elehti@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 9:22 AM
Subject: Are you using DB2 Web Query or is it languishing on the shelf?
Are you using DB2 Web Query or is it languishing on the shelf?
- at
http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/tfh111212-story03.html
- Which points of the author Dan Burger do you agree with?
- Disagree with?
- No business requirement to drive experimentation and deployment?
- resistance of a new product when Query/400 was so well entrenched?
- engage with the DB2 for i Center of Excellence team for assistance?
- Or engage other private consulting group for training?
- Licensing Costs?
- Complexity of order process?
midrange.com
