Everyone wants data in different ways.
They want to see data in a dashboard. They want to get data on mobile devices while on the run. They might even expect to have data reports waiting in their inboxes when they arrive at the office. And above all else, they want data in Microsoft Excel.
But sharing IBM i data is easier said than done. You’re left wishing you had an automated way to share that data in those formats—without doing it manually.
Unfortunately, when you’re using tools like Query/400, you don’t have much of a choice. It’s painstaking to share that data in a business user-friendly format.
That’s why we recently shared 3 Ways to Share IBM i Data (Without Losing Your Mind). Watch the 30-minute webinar, or read the short recap below.
When It Comes to Sharing Data, You Wear a Lot of Hats
We all wear too many hats these days. Most of us have many tasks and responsibilities on top of our regular duties.
If you’re a programmer, you might spend a lot of time handling ad hoc reports. If you’re a strategist, you’re handling demands from managers that change from day to day.
Some of these scenarios might sound familiar…
“I want a visual dashboard of business KPIs.”—CEO
“I want to dig into sales by rep and region.”—Sales Manager
“I want to keep an eye on inventory levels.”—Warehouse Manager
“I want to move on from Query/400.”—Programmer
“I want a weekly financial report in Excel.”—CFO
“I want to track my truck drivers’ mileage and maintenance.”—Transportation Manager
“I want to track transactions and make sure we don’t go over budget.”—Nonprofit Manager
“I need to track daily admissions and discharges across our locations.”—Healthcare Manager
“I want to give my business users the ability to dig into data in Excel.”—IT Manager
“I want to schedule invoices to be delivered to customers automatically.”—Law Clerk
Hat #1: Visual Dashboards for the CEO
“I want a visual dashboard of business KPIs”—CEO
Your CEO is busy and doesn’t have time to waste waiting for information—or sifting through it. So, you should design a dashboard with just the information the CEO needs.
Visual dashboards packed with key performance indicators are the answer. Building dashboards helps you give business information quickly. That means your CEO can make decisions to move the business forward.
But building dashboards doesn’t need to be difficult.
Jump to 11:37 of the recording above to see how it can be easier.
Hat #2: Excel Financial Report for Finance
“I want a weekly financial report in Excel.”—CFO
Microsoft Excel is beloved by many business users—especially those in the finance department.
Your financial department keeps a constant watch on your organization’s financial health. That means they need quarterly, monthly, and even weekly reports. And they want these reports in Excel.
But when you’re relying on a tool like Query/400, it’s not so easy to share the data in Excel. It’s a lot of manual work for you.
Jump to 23:28 of the recording above to learn how to share data in Excel with ease.
Hat #3: Reports for Healthcare Professionals
“I need to track daily admissions and discharges across our locations.”—Healthcare Manager
If you’re working in the healthcare industry, you know how important your reports are.
Doctors, nurses, hospital staff, and even patients depend on reports to understand the health of the hospital and the health of the patients.
One example of these is a daily admissions and discharges report that those in the healthcare industry count on to understand their capacity.
These reports are important. But if your programmers are creating them from scratch, they’re time-consuming.
Jump to 19:30 to learn how to automate your healthcare reports.
To learn more about getting real-time insight from data, we recommend this webinar >
What Happens When You Wear All of These Hats?
If you wear all of these hats—without tools to help you—you’ll wind up overwhelmed and overworked.
Your business users will keep asking for IBM i data in different ways. Those requests will pile up. It will take you and your team time to shift from the mindset of building an executive dashboard to building a healthcare report.
It gets to be too much. That’s why you need to rank your priorities and delegate tasks (ideally to automation) to reduce your hat count.
Otherwise, you might just lose your mind…
Stop Wearing All the Hats
Using modern tools like Sequel Data Access can help you stop wearing all of those hats and start sharing data instantly.
