Reengineering Legacy batch reports using XML Reports plug-in

Leverage your existing Pacbase Reports to create XML files automatically and produce data that can be browsed using familiar Web browsers or imported into Spreadsheets.

Let users and third parties automatically get up-to-date information in the format they prefer. With XML, the data is available in a standard format that allows parsing and presentation with popular tools your users already use such as internet explorer (ie). XML format is also very popular for implementing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with third parties.

XML Report plug-in allows automatic import of Pacbase Reports into Excel that now supports XML format. You can tweak the reports to create pivot tables, do “what if” analysis and e-mail the results to others... Fundamentally, you will be enabling your users to fully leverage the functionality and integration of their office suite programs with up-to-date enterprise data already available through existing Pacbase Reports.

With e-ASG’s XML Report plug-in you get immediate results with no additional development or training costs.

XML Report plug-in is easy to implement

XML Report plug-in is added to your existing Pacbase Report Program automatically when the program is generated from VisulAge Pacbase. The XML Report plug-in automatically retrieves meta data information from the Pacbase repository and uses it to parse the content of your report and add the XML tags and structure to automatically generate the XML file.

XML Report plug-in Example

• A fixed layout per page with and Header including the report code, the report title, the date the report was printed, the page number and the titles of the columns being printed below
• Under the corresponding column header the report prints Detail lines including the organization name, the expenditure account #, the account name and the budgeted amount.
• Every organization has a Sub-total line
• At the bottom of the report a Grand total line accumulates the total for all organizations

When generated with the XML Report plug-in option, the report program still produces the report shown above in addition to producing an XML file. The XML file contains the same data as in the report now stripped out of its presentation layout and enriched with information defining its semantic and its structure. The additional information required to create the tags, attributes and nested structures is automatically retrieved by XML Reports plug-in from the VisualAge Pacbase repository when the report program is generated.

Once available in XML format, data can be manipulated with familiar office productivity tools as shown below. The XML file automatically generated can now be viewed with a standard Web-browser that parses the information and organizes it automatically in an electronic tree allowing to zoom in and out of the nested structures. Furthermore, all standard Web-browser features such as print, email, fax, copy, paste, search, and find are automatically available to work with the document. In this example, we have open the XML document with a web browser and collapsed the details of the administrative services organizations that we were not interested in viewing.

Another way to use the information extracted from the report in XML format is to automatically import it into a Spreadsheet. The XML file automatically generated can now be viewed in Excel that parses the information and organizes it automatically in a spreadsheet flattening the tree structure in a table structure. Customized formatting can be specified during the import of the XML with XSLT. Meaningful and standard column names are automatically created from the XML tags while the flattening algorithm creates the corresponding bi-dimensional matrix of cells. Furthermore, the wide range of standard spreadsheet functionality is now at your fingertips to manipulate the information imported from the XML file.

XML Report plug-in advantages

XML Report plug-in has significant advantages over any other approach used to generate XML documents:

• reusability: XML Report plug-in builds XML automatically from existing VisualAge Pacbase Reports with no additional programming or training needed, leveraging your existing Information Technology assets such as the existing VisualAge Pacbase repository, existing, proven and programmatically tested business rules, and your staff’s existing skills.
• complexity of content: when compared to XML generated automatically from a relational database table structures for instance or ad-hoc extract programs, XML Report plug-in allows you to effortlessly construct richer information that is the result of a complex computing and data aggregation processes already built in your existing applications and reports. Typical examples are financial reports, payroll reports, statistical analysis reports, sales forecast reports. Furthermore, the data does not have to come exclusively from relational sources to begin with.
• Consistency: XML Report plug-in produces XML documents automatically compliant with the business rules implemented in your application and is consistent with the definitions and structures of the information managed in your VisualAge Pacbase repository. Since the VisualAge Pacbase repository is used as the single authoritative source of meta-information, consistency of XML vocabularies used across XML documents will be automatically and effortlessly enforced. For instance, XML vocabulary standards promoted by normative bodies such as OASI S can be implemented using the existing content of your VisualAge Pacbase repository and existing report programs and above all your existing technology and skills.

XML Report plug-in additional usages

Just to mention a few additional examples of use of XML Report plug-in, you can use your existing VisualAge Pacbase reports to extract and convert data from a non-relational file system to a relational file system with no additional programming involved. This could be a one-time conversion effort to populate a new database from your existing legacy files or it could be a cyclic process for a data warehouse feed for example. You could also envision constructing automatically an XML database from the data retrieved from your existing reports or use reports to generate XML documents used in the context or in lieu of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

XML Report plug-in runs on any platform your VisualAge Pacbase reports run on. The resulting XML is of course platform independent. XML Report plug-in can be up and running in your organization in just few days. Call e-ASG at 877 864 9100, or e-mail MktSup@e-ASG.com for more information or a price quote.

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