Business Intelligence (Or lack of it)
Discussion
Odd one this.
We have a customer that we consume questionnaires for. They prepare the questionnaire and our systems read the results and store them to a file (plain text I think).
Now this customer wants a web based query facility. So the scenario is that they have a web based front end to prepare the query, they submit the query onto our machine and then get the results back on the originating PC.
Now I am aware that there are a plethora of tools that can present a HTML report but are there any that any of you are aware of that have a thin front as well?
I just think we should give them the data or prepare the reports up front but they dont fancy either of those solutions.
Odd on the whole...
We have a customer that we consume questionnaires for. They prepare the questionnaire and our systems read the results and store them to a file (plain text I think).
Now this customer wants a web based query facility. So the scenario is that they have a web based front end to prepare the query, they submit the query onto our machine and then get the results back on the originating PC.
Now I am aware that there are a plethora of tools that can present a HTML report but are there any that any of you are aware of that have a thin front as well?
I just think we should give them the data or prepare the reports up front but they dont fancy either of those solutions.
Odd on the whole...
plotloss said:
Odd one this.
We have a customer that we consume questionnaires for. They prepare the questionnaire and our systems read the results and store them to a file (plain text I think).
Now this customer wants a web based query facility. So the scenario is that they have a web based front end to prepare the query, they submit the query onto our machine and then get the results back on the originating PC.
Now I am aware that there are a plethora of tools that can present a HTML report but are there any that any of you are aware of that have a thin front as well?
I just think we should give them the data or prepare the reports up front but they dont fancy either of those solutions.
Odd on the whole...
I've done quite a few things like this before. Drop me a line if you need any info.
Matt...
Do you (they) want an off-the-shelf solution or do they actually want something bespoke that does the reports the way they want them?
If you need bespoke web-based systems development let me know, eh? Depending on the nature of the business we might take it on or provide an introduction to someone suitable...
Do you (they) want an off-the-shelf solution or do they actually want something bespoke that does the reports the way they want them?
If you need bespoke web-based systems development let me know, eh? Depending on the nature of the business we might take it on or provide an introduction to someone suitable...
We were looking for an off the shelf affair.
The only proposal that I can come up with thats quick easy and cheap is to run something like MS Query through N-Fuse (Citrix web thing) on a Citrix server here.
They just want to query a file thats held here, no requirement for clever front end really more that they want latency over the reports rather a 'static' set.
The only proposal that I can come up with thats quick easy and cheap is to run something like MS Query through N-Fuse (Citrix web thing) on a Citrix server here.
They just want to query a file thats held here, no requirement for clever front end really more that they want latency over the reports rather a 'static' set.
Matt,
Do you already have a MetaFrame server (or servers) in place?
If so (and you have a valid Subscrption Advantage) then you can deploy Web Interface (what NFuse Classic is now called) and Secure Gateway to do this in a secure fashion - only cost will be hardware, MS licenses and server certificates (assuming you DIY).
If you haven't got MF in place then this probably an expensive way of doing things.
If you go the Citrix route and have any questions then drop me a line - I'm a consultant with over 7 years of Citrix experience...
Do you already have a MetaFrame server (or servers) in place?
If so (and you have a valid Subscrption Advantage) then you can deploy Web Interface (what NFuse Classic is now called) and Secure Gateway to do this in a secure fashion - only cost will be hardware, MS licenses and server certificates (assuming you DIY).
If you haven't got MF in place then this probably an expensive way of doing things.
If you go the Citrix route and have any questions then drop me a line - I'm a consultant with over 7 years of Citrix experience...
Another suggestion for an 'off the shelf' package. Cognos Reportnet. This provides the functionality of Impromptu (ie interactive reporting) but is Zero foot print. All requests are defined within a visual app running in IE. The request is sent to the server and returned to IE for display. All reports are stored as XHTML and can be modified directly as templates or as completed reports.
I was running the product durring their Beta program and was very impressed with it. There may be a downside and that is the cost. It depends what you want realy.
I was running the product durring their Beta program and was very impressed with it. There may be a downside and that is the cost. It depends what you want realy.
Plotloss,
how many users are your clients looking at?
Is it adhoc querying they want or do they effectively want to run 'canned' reports and return the data to their PC?
What machines have you at your end? Webservers running Windows or Unix?
Mail me if you want to 'discuss' in more detail as I am a BusinessIntelligence Consultant so should be able to help out or point in the right direction.
how many users are your clients looking at?
Is it adhoc querying they want or do they effectively want to run 'canned' reports and return the data to their PC?
What machines have you at your end? Webservers running Windows or Unix?
Mail me if you want to 'discuss' in more detail as I am a BusinessIntelligence Consultant so should be able to help out or point in the right direction.
Gassing Station | Computers, Gadgets & Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff