Re: i5 data mining tools for users

[Al Mac <macwheel99@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A major issue is what tools the users and managers are comfortable working 
with.

I have a bunch who LOVE EXCEL and not want to work with anything else.  So 
I have to develop tons of reports to get 400 data into a report that is 
what I call Excel-friendly (minus sign on left side instead of right, drop 
new page headers, first page column headers give field editing particulars, 
avoid interlacing where different types of data in vertical juxtaposition, 
drop subtotals & other breaks).

There's another bunch who have various comfort levels working qith Query/400.
For that bunch, I created an on-line document of query techniques ... how 
to do date math, how to calculate some standard values we use a lot 
(efficiency, different kinds of averages, sorting by absolute value), 
identifying queries we already have from which you can plagarize 
techniques, how LIKE works to search for items that contain key strings & 
phrases.  If I was going to spend more time on this, I might create a 
library just for queries that contain techniques worth copying.  We also 
have a directory of our queries sorted by the descriptinve name that people 
have given them, so we can search to find out if we already have a query to 
perform some need.

Some users are not well equipped to navigate binary math, date math, set 
theory etc. so there are tools they will never learn how to use effectively 
or accurately.  Such individuals need tools that have been developed 
specifically for the company's main application packages, many of which 
already come with some under-utilized data mining tools.

Some users are not comfortable with data mining tools, they just want to 
use standard programs.  To service them, we have modified some standard 
programs to provide more data mining information than came native ... 
example our BPCS INV300 shows what customer we making this part for, and if 
it has any price breaks.

Then we have a hierarchy of owners and auditors who are not on the 400, who 
want electronic copies of some of our reports.  A report with 198 print 
positions on the 400 is not neccessarily friendly to someone trying to 
print that on a PC, even with landscape format and further miniaturization.

For IT people, what's important is data integrity, performance, security, 
decent debug access, capabilities for verification of totals.  Most users 
and managers have other priorities.  One thing we do agree on is the 
importance of a report being readable.

>   Rob,
>   Although I agree that Query/400 is a nice tool, it can only use the old 
> CQE Query engine. In order to take advantage of the newer SQE you need to 
> use an SQL-based application, like Query Manager or SEQUEL (I'm sure 
> there most be more, but these two are the ones that come to mind right now).
>   As always, of course, it depends on your business needs and resources.
>   Regards,
>   Luis Rodriguez
>
> midrange-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:------------------------------
>
> message: 4
> date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:02:12 -0400
> from: rob@xxxxxxxxx
> subject: Re: i5 data mining tools for users
>
> Query/400.
>
> The problem is not the tools.
> It is not the users.
>
> It is in the developers.
>
> Developers need to create powerful views.  What use is it to give the
> users some slick GUI tool and still expect them to know that you join ECL
> on ECH and IIM and, to calculate on hand you need to take
> IOPB+IADJ+IRCT-IISS?  When you can create a view that:
> - joins these files together
> - Calculates these simple fields like onhand
> - renames fields into something meaningful
> ...
>
> We still have users that upload data from their PC's to the i5 so that
> they can analyze it using Query/400.  Frankly, it's a great tool.  Now, a
> user like me prefers SQL so that I can use parenthesis, etc.  But for a
> quick and dirty I may fall into query/400 the way some of you may bypass
> WDSC into SEU for a quick and dirty.
>
> Rob Berendt
> --
> Group Dekko Services, LLC
> Dept 01.073
> PO Box 2000
> Dock 108
> 6928N 400E
> Kendallville, IN 46755
> http://www.dekko.com
>
>
> Jerry Draper
> Sent by: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> 03/30/2007 01:10 AM
> Please respond to
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> i5 data mining tools for users
>
> Great.  The i5 is storing tons of info in a very coolly designed db but
> the data seems to be in the domain of IT.
>
> Users want access but can't fathom the relationships of the objects.
>
> What good tools are there for people (non-pgmrs) to get information from
> this db?
>
> Jerry
>
> --
> Jerome Draper, Trilobyte Software Systems, since 1976
> iSeries, Network, and Connectivity Specialists -- iSeries, LAN/WAN/VPN
> Representing WinTronix, Synapse, Netopia, HiT, and others .....
> (415) 457-3431; www.trilosoft.com
>
>
>
>
> Luis Rodriguez
>
> IBM Certified Systems Expert
> eServer i5 iSeries Technical Solutions
>
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