RE: Report writer in AS/400

[Buck Calabro <mcalabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You're absolutely correct - I deliberately oversimplified the solution!  The
question of "end-user query tools" is a bit general, no?  Posting such a
question in an RPG specific forum would indicate at least *some* interest in
an RPG solution.  I was feeling giddy, and here we are!  

Seriously though, my boss in a previous life would be completely happy
handing some simple auto report templates over to end-users.  He learnt to
program that way!  By creating pre-made templates, you don't get runaway
queries, and you can force them into batch.  We routinely had computer
operators use SEU to edit FMTDTA specs to do include/omits for different
output from the same job stream.  We had right-hand comments so they knew
which columns were for "Company" and which were for "salesperson."  Show
them "*" in column 6, and they'd keep commonly used jobs "on tap", but
commented out.  They had no programmer training and didn't want any.  I'd
call them non-technical.

In all seriousness, given the questions of runaway interactive queries,
security issues and the like, wouldn't a menu of pre-defined templates
(modifiable by the end-user) be considered a candidate solution?  RPG isn't
all that hard - even I can do it!  :-)  It does make for an interesting
discussion...

Buck Calabro

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim 
> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 1:04 PM
> To:   RPG400-L@midrange.com
> Subject:      RE: Report writer in AS/400
> 
> Hmmmmmm...what is your definition of 'non-technical people'? Why dont 
> you take your 'solution' to your boss and see what he can do with it? I
> think 
> you oversimplify the solution.
> 
> From:                 Buck Calabro <mcalabro@commsoft.net>
> To:                   "'RPG400-L@midrange.com'" <RPG400-L@midrange.com>
> Subject:              RE: Report writer in AS/400
> Date sent:            Thu, 17 Jun 1999 10:19:06 -0400
> Send reply to:        RPG400-L@midrange.com
> 
> Posting this question to the RPG list brings up an interesting idea - why
> not let the users use RPG!  After all, RPG was originally written for
> non-technical people...  Try auto-report, even!  (Chapter 12 in the RPG
> user's guide)  Here's a quickie sample:
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Subhash Dubey 
> Sent: Thursday, June 17, 1999 6:24 AM
> To:   RPG400-L@midrange.com
> Subject:      Report writer in AS/400
>
> Is there any user based report writer in  AS/400.

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