Kisco Offers Release 2 of WebReport/400

  • 02/07/2000
Kisco Information Systems (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) has released the next version of WebReport/400, software which can send AS/400 reports as e-mail or convert reports to simple HTML documents for deployment on a company’s intranet/Internet Web site.

For e-mail report processing, WebReport/400 Release 2 allows users to send reports to any Internet e-mail address and now supports sending a single report to up to 40 users concurrently. The product can also be set up to send reports to an unlimited number of recipients.

For HTML conversion, it includes the ability to generate an optional index, including a skip-to-the-last-page index entry. The new release also lets users select the text color in the HTML document, or add header and trailer banners.“This new release allows reports to be sent as e-mail attachments to any Internet address dynamically, rather than using a system directory. The advantage to using our product is that it’s more affordable and easier to use than competitive products,” says Richard Loeber, Kisco president. “We market products that are broadly attractive to all AS/400 shops and not niche-oriented or intended for a specific audience.

Using WebReport/400, users can:

  • Automatically send daily sales reports to field sales staff as e-mail
  • E-mail targeted control reports to management
  • Post weekly and monthly sales reports to an intranet site
  • Post customer-based reports to the company Internet Web site
  • Automatically route status reports and joblogs from overnight processing for early morning checking by programmers

    WebReport/400 will process any character-based report from the AS/400 print spool. Users can execute the functions manually or set them up to run automatically. The software provides commands to permit calls to WebReport/400 features from user application programs as well. WebReport/400 includes a history log that records all its operations. Users can view or print the log to track activity within the software product.

    Thomas Bacon, director of administrative applications at Champlain College (Burlington, Vt.) has been using WebReport/400 since August 1999. “I currently have three departments set up using WebReport/400, and we are in the process of setting up additional stations to let users run reports. For us, the most beneficial feature of WebReport/400 is that once a report is in the system, we can associate an output queue to an individual. Whenever it goes to output queue, the individual will get a copy of the report. I can make it as flexible as I need, or consolidate it.”

    Joe Igel, lead analyst at Hillshire Farms (Cincinnati, Ohio) purchased WebReport/400 about six months ago. He is converting existing reports to HTML format, which are then posted to their intranet site.

    “This allows for a rapid implementation of existing reports without a lot of re-work,” says Igel. “We’re also routing spool files via e-mail as attachments. We generate spool files to particular output queues that WebReport/400 monitors, then create e-mails with the spool files as attachments to the e-mail addresses that we defined within the package. That allows us to get reports to the field sales force more.”

    While generally pleased with the performance of WebReport/400, both users interviewed had wish lists for future releases.

    “I would like to be able to send anybody an e-mail, rather than predefining my routing entries set up ahead of time,” says Bacon. “If I had a database with 150,000 prospects and 20,000 of them had e-mail addresses, I’d like to send (through the database) an e-mail right to those individuals. However, I’m still very happy with the current product.”

    Igel said he did not evaluate other packages after first trying WebReport/400. “I knew we had a need for this kind of functionality; what hit my eye most was the price. I didn’t find other packages that provided similar functionality for such a reasonable cost.” He added, however, that he would like better naming conventions on the e-mail attachments, because they are currently just a sequential number created automatically by the application. Also, he would like to be able to control the subject line in the e-mail header. “There is no place in the application where you can put a readable subject,” comments Igel. “With the version I have today, the product has absolutely performed how we wanted. It has really helped us a lot.”

    WebReport/400 costs $695.00 and is available for free trial from Kisco Information Systems. A trial copy can be downloaded from the Kisco Website at http://www.kisco.com/webrept.htm (new window).

    Related Information:Kisco Information Systems (new window)

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