How to Generate Reports on the AS400 Accessing Multiple Databases

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ibm i, ibm, as400, softwareMultiple departments in your company want to get their hands on the market intelligence that lies in your IBM Power Servers. Critical decisions that affect growth rely on the ability to quickly create and distribute these reports.

The challenge is that as companies grow and add new systems, or perhaps need to access data from partner vendors, report writing is no longer a one-and-done process accessing one database. It gets complicated.

Here is how report writing software for your AS/400 can make it uncomplicated.

Access multiple databases via simple menu options

Join multiple database files by selecting data by record range, and select the fields you want for your custom reports. No programming. Just point and click.

Create your report in user-friend formats

After extracting the data, sent the output directly to user-friendly formats including Excel, PDF, or CSV. Simply choose the format that makes the most sense for the type of report you are generating.

Distribute the report

Send the reports you create to network servers for archiving or email them directly to the users that need the data.

Create a custom address list by accessing email addresses from your own address book or from customer database files. Adding or deleting lists is as simple as (wait for it) point and click.

Creating a print distribution list is just as easy. Depending on when the report is due, you can schedule the print job for evenings or early mornings when there is less demand on your server.

Make it Automated

Here’s where it gets exciting. Once you have set up your report parameters, select a time and date range for the report to be created and choose the frequency – daily, weekly, monthly – it’s up to you (and whomever is asking for the report).

Whether the report is emailed or printed, report writing software gives you the ability to create a repeatable process.

Meet the Big Data challenge

IT is increasingly challenged to play a significant role in finding and supporting customers online. At the same time the ability to collect data on prospect and customer online behavior is creating a huge demand for extracting market intelligence from this “big data” that accumulates on your servers.

Report writing software can bring organization and efficiency to the process of extracting data from multiple databases on your AS/400 and presenting it in familiar report formats like Excel and PDF. The ability to automate the generation and distribution of these reports brings reliability to the process and frees up IT to concentrate on other projects and tasks.

For more tips, tricks, and tools for getting the most out of your IBM i, AS/400, and IBM Power Systems products, subscribe to our blog.

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