Reporting - End User Reporting
Business intelligence reports are the most common way for businesses to display and distribute formatted information from enterprise data sources. Historically, IT professionals created these reports using development tools such as programming languages, and more recently with WYSIWYG design tools. Results were then made accessible to business users via Web browsers, or reports were delivered via email.
However, IT departments are inundated with changing requirements and new report requests - distracting them from other critical corporate technology initiatives. The challenge is to find a way to empower end users to create their own customized information, without requiring them to become business intelligence experts. Throughout the years, advancements in technology have made report development tools easier to use, yet most business users don't have the time or the skills needed to create their own reports from scratch.
Now, WebFOCUS has made true end user reporting a reality. With our Guided Ad-hoc technology, users can rapidly create custom reports as simply as if they were shopping online. They can easily choose columns, sort criteria, measures, and output formats, to generate their own personal reports.
Additionally, simple menu selections enable repeat delivery via email in any preferred format including Excel, PDF, HTML, Word, or even as innovative Active Reports which allow for offline analysis. A single Guided Ad-hoc Reporting template can generate thousands of different reports to meet all your business users' requirements, from executives to frontline workers.
And, through the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Portal, users can organize and navigate through Guided Ad-hoc reports, dashboards, and archive report libraries. Additionally, built in security keeps data protected at all times, by granting access to authorized users based on their role within the organization.
This example of guided ad hoc shows the many options that can be provided to users without requiring them to learn how to use a tool: the ability to set multiple columns and filters at runtime; setting the output, such as PDF Excel, PowerPoint, Active and more; setting user definable drill-down paths at runtime that are propagated to HTML, Excel and PDF; distribution and scheduling capabilities; the ability to save current form selections. All of these options are also available within the Managed Reporting portal where users can share their results and collaborate. This guided ah hoc report can produce over 400,000 unique report combinations.
* PDF file. (Download Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
