Everyone loves Microsoft Excel. IBM i and remote databases (like DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL), on the other hand, are like a foreign language to the non-technical user. You can see the data, but it's too much to analyze.
Getting that data from database to Excel is difficult if you're using tools like Query/400. It can easily take two hours just to get your data into Excel. With Sequel Data Access, it's a different story. Sequel makes it easy to get your data in Excel in seconds. You'll save time and you'll be able to give the people what they've been asking for—real-time data in Excel.
Watch the video or read the transcript to see how simple Sequel makes it to:
- Give users a dashboard where they can download data in Excel
- Email users IBM i data in Excel
- Access live data directly in Excel, via an add-in
Full Transcript
[00:00:00]
Today, I will show you how Sequel makes it easy to export your IBM i data or data from an attached SQL server directly into an Excel document. Then, I'll show you how quick and simple it is to bring in current live data into an existing Excel document with Sequel.
[00:00:18]
First, let's take a look at how the data is displayed on the IBM i. Running a simple query, we can quickly see all the data. We have a lot of unformatted detailed data, really too much to analyze. Now, let's take a look at this information from Sequel. With Sequel, we can easily summarize and group the data as needed, export to Excel from a single object, even from a customized webpage where users click on a button and see the data just like that. Or allow the business users to easily access data from a webpage.
[00:00:47]
From a browser mobile device, users can navigate to the reports and simply select it. A double left-click allows them to run and display the results pretty quickly to the screen. Once the results are displayed, they can click on the option to save results, download and export right to Excel. With the options, they can save or open up the document, quickly open it up and there they have the results. Pretty simple, right?
[00:01:13]
Users can also right-click for additional options. If I do a right-click, you can also do a save, download and export right to Excel versus displaying the results first. Or if you prefer, click on the email, enter in the email information of who you want to send it to. Maybe you want to include a subject line and the attachment type. For our example today, we'll pick on Excel and they can also include a message text and press okay. The email will be sent out quickly and arrive in your inbox.
[00:01:47]
Another option is from an Excel spreadsheet. Using the viewpoint plugin, users can simply pull in your data. You navigate to your database, such as Wisdom, the library where the objects are saved at, and then also the name of the object you want to run. You also have the option to include a header or also refresh the data. Refreshing the data each time the document's opened up keeps the current information, but there you have it. Very quick way to access your data.
[00:02:16]
Another great benefit of using the viewpoint plugin. When you open the existing Excel document, that document may include additional custom formatting options from highlighting, shading, bolding, some nice charts, and an option to refresh the data. Thus, you can see current information in how the business is doing now, not in the past. By selecting yes to refresh the data, you will be prompted to log in checking your security rights, making sure you have the authority to access the information. If running an existing Sequel object that does have some runtime prompts, users can be prompted to select what information they want to see.
[00:02:52]
First is the California Colorado in the background. Let me grab some different states. Let's grab Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, etcetera, and press okay just to refresh the data on my screen. Now, you see the data's been updated, even external areas been updated along with the charts so that way the information looks great, it's easy to see, and that way we get the total amount due right there.
[00:03:17]
Also, this particular Excel document has two other sheets, the AR report, nice data and chart, and also some customer data. As you can see here with the custom highlighting options there, you can save it with your existing Excel document. For each time you open it up, it looks great. With Sequel, we have several ways to export your data into Excel document. Today, I only showed you a few ways. Contact us and learn how Sequel can bring true data and empowerment to you and your business users.
The ability to export a view to Excel is probably everybody's favorite feature. I hear more about that than anything else. It empowers users, without us having to write new queries.
IT Leader, Healthcare Organization
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