If your planned large-scale UI modernization program is mired in the economic slowdown, consider upgrading your query, reporting, and BI solution now to present graphical reports and dashboards.
Written By Bill Langston
Editor's Note: The following article introduces the webcast, " NGS-IQ Business Intelligence for Manufacturers and Distributors" available for free download from the MC Webcast Center.
One of the things we've been hearing from people who have been looking at our software, as well as from our existing customers, is that you typically have a lot of terrific business application software running on your IBM i or AS/400 but it may not have the most modern user interface.
A lot of people are still running applications built as long as 20 years ago with the efficient 5250 green screen interface. Perhaps certain things have been modernized, but overall there may be a tendency to view what's on the AS/400 or IBM i as being legacy and old. It's different from the Windows and Web browser interface that people are accustomed to today.
So what we are going to show are several examples of how you can leverage what you have and make it better and launch into a modernization initiative. One of the best ways to modernize is to use business intelligence software to present a more graphical interface for your data and help people make decisions through having better access to timely, critical information yet do it through a more graphically attractive manner and do it without having to rewrite code, learn new languages, or get your whole IT department geared up to learn new technologies. This is a very quick and easy way that you can get a lot done.
We're going to illustrate ways to use our query tools and our dashboard tools to create web presentations of data. We think they will be the kinds of solutions you are looking for. One of the reasons I talk about this is that given the economy and the way things are right now, you may be wishing you could launch into some big effort to change your interface and modernize your applications. But this may not be the best time to attempt to get management on board for a big project. So one of the beauties of NGS-IQ is that we can help you achieve some of your modernization goals, build some momentum, and really help your managers obtain better access to your AS/400 data without the cost and learning curve that some of the alternatives require, yet still complement those modernization efforts you have planned for those areas.
With NGS-IQ, you can modernize and enhance how your managers see and use critical business data to support daily decisions with the application's--
- Integrated Web portals
- Dynamic dashboards and Web forms
- On-demand drill-down reporting from browsers and smartphones
- One-step output to MS Office applications, OLAP models
- Email alert messages… and more
To learn more and see a demonstration of the kinds of output NGS-IQ can produce, visit the MC Webcast Center.
Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
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