Everyone deals with reports, but different IT departments have different needs and concerns. Help/Systems offers three products to help you manage your System i reports. This article looks at five common business needs and describes how ESEND, Robot/REPORTS, and Robot/TRANSFORM handle them. You'll discover that there is no "one size fits all" solution.
1. I need to generate PDFs from i5/OS spooled files and e-mail them to users.
You can use ESEND to generate a PDF from a spooled file. The PDF it creates from a *AFPDS file is a graphical representation of the data and is not searchable. The PDF it creates from a *SCS file, with or without image overlays, is searchable. You can have ESEND e-mail the PDF to an individual, or to a list of recipients.
Use Robot/TRANSFORM to create PDF output from a spooled file or a PCL file. You can create a PDF from *SCS, *USRASCII, or *AFPDS spooled files. It will work with overlays on the *AFPDS spooled files. Robot/TRANSFORM lets you choose whether the PDF it creates is searchable or non-searchable. To e-mail the PDF, you need Robot/ALERT.
You can use Robot/REPORTS to create searchable PDF output from *SCS spooled files, including overlays. To e-mail the PDF, you need Robot/ALERT.
2. I want to split my report so sales reps are getting only the information they need.
You can use ESEND to burst a report based on a "rule set" that you define. You can select from PDF, RTF, HTML, TXT, and spooled file output. If you choose spooled file output, ESEND sends the complete spooled file to the user's output queue, but prints only the pages that fit the requirements of the rule set. (Note: If the user displays the spooled file, they may see more of the report than you intended.) ESEND can e-mail PDF, RTF, HTML, and TXT files to an individual user, or to a list of users.
Robot/REPORTS provides two ways to split your report. You can define "bursting instructions" to burst reports by specified criteria. Or, you can use OPAL segmenting for reports that are more complex. Robot/REPORTS can output the segment different ways: PDF, HTML, .CSV file, Microfiche, Print, View, or Robot/TRANSFORM. (Note: Robot/TRANSFORM is not a bursting tool.) Regardless of which output form you select, only the segment of information you have selected is available to the recipient.
3. I don't want to print my reports. I want users to view them online.
ESEND doesn't have a online viewer, but it does allow users to display spooled files using the WRKSPLFE command, and many ESEND and System i spooled file options. You can specify the spooled files a user can see. You can specify whether a user can access:
- Only their spooled files
- Spooled files on a particular output queue
- Spooled files based on the spooled file name
Robot/REPORTS has an online viewer that allows users to view their reports as soon as Robot/REPORTS finishes processing them. Users can decide if they would like to save a copy of the report in a different format (PDF or HTML), and whether to print the report on demand. Robot/REPORTS lets users define and save their own views of report, to display certain columns and change the order in which columns appear. While viewing reports online, users can add public or private notes to the report.
Another Robot/REPORTS online viewing option is the Robot Browser Interface. This interface uses Portals for single-point access to multiple types of information and services. Portals let users access information located throughout a network, quickly and easily, from a single location using any device—PC, laptop, or PDA—that can read HyperText Markup Language (HTML).
Portals also reduce the load on an IT department because there is no software to install or update on a user's computer. A Web server pulls information from the System i and processes requests, so the administrator performs all software maintenance on the Web server. This makes Portal software easy to use, easy to maintain, and especially helpful for people who connect to work over the Web. Because, Portals are browser-based, they are familiar, which translates to less training time and fewer Help Desk calls.
The main reason people have Robot/TRANSFORM is to create PDFs. If you have a Java interface, you can view spooled files through the Robot/TRANSFORM spooled file viewer, but this is not really meant for online viewing of end users.
4. I want to archive my reports and access them later.
You can use ESEND to create PDFs and e-mail them or place them in the IFS.
You can use Robot/TRANSFORM to create PDFs that you store in the IFS or e-mail using Robot/ALERT.
Many people find that the IFS is an adequate report archive. However if you need more, Robot/REPORTS has it. Robot/REPORTS is a robust tool for archiving. You can define an archive (retention) strategy for each report using three different archive stages: online, short-term, and long-term. (Short-term storage can be on disk, tape, or optical volume; long-term storage can be on tape or optical volumes.)
5. I want my PDF to have an overlay or form with it.
Use ESEND to create a PDF with an overlay. It can process *AFPDS and *SCS spooled files with overlays.
Use Robot/TRANSFORM to create a PDF with an overlay from an *AFPDS spooled file.
You can use Robot/REPORTS to create printed output containing an overlay, but it cannot create a PDF with an overlay. Summary Each of the three report products we discussed has different capabilities and focus. Take a closer look at the ones that best match your primary business needs.
Contributed by Marie Stangl, Maintenance Software Engineer
Note: You can get more information about Robot/TRANSFORM and Robot/REPORTS on this site. ESEND is a SEQUEL Software product. Visit the SEQUEL site for more information about ESEND.