Re: Pull data from several reports into dashboard -- WEB400

I use the term "reports" because they are the browser equivalent of
paper reports or spooled files. The parameters for running are not
granular enough to be called queries; usually a date range and "product
area" are the only parameters. The output is HTML (generally tables) to
the browser; but it is not interactive in the sense it can be changed by
the user. To see different data requires requesting it again using
different parameters.

We have three different request screens: units per hour, scrap, and MRO
spending. Our supervisors want to take data from these three screens /
online reports / pregenerated queries, and present them on one screen. I
call it a dashboard in the sense that we're pulling disparate data and
presenting it together in one place. However, it isn't like portlets,
because our supervisors only want specific pieces of information from
each report, and the data is not interactive.

For example, from units per hour (abbreviated UPH), they want the
yesterday's UPH for their area, the UPH "target" or goal, month to date
UPH, and last month's (October in this case) UPH. Currently that
involves running the request three times: once for yesterday's data
(also gets goal), once for MTD, once for last month. Similarly, specific
data would be pulled from the scrap and MRO spending reports.

If possible I would like to avoid re-engineering the reports / queries.
They are stable and reliable, even if they are (up to six) years old. I
was thinking about "running" the report and saving the generated HTML
with HTTPAPI, and somehow parsing the saved IFS file for the pieces of
information requested.

At this point I don't know what work might be required to refactor or
reengineer the reports to provide "services" instead of output. Just
looking for what others have done.

--Loyd

-----Original Message-----
From: web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:web400-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Nathan Andelin
Sent: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 11:39 PM
To: Web Enabling the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: [WEB400] Pull data from several reports into dashboard

Lloyd,

What you seem to be calling "reports" sound more like "queries" to me.
A report in my mind would be documents formatted for printing rather
than formatted for a window, and generally output from batch jobs rather
than interactive, and would generate static stream files rather than
streaming browser output. But you seem to be looking for an interactive
dashboard solution. Is that right?

It also seems a little odd that you're talking about pulling data from
"reports" rather than pulling data from a database. If a report were
formatted as HTML, are you asking about extracting data from HTML? And
formatting it differently?

I came up with a partial solution for generating static stream files,
formatted with printing in mind, generated from RPG programs, generally
submitted to batch, stored on the IFS, and accessed from an indexed
catalog. But that's not what you seem to be talking about.

My idea of a dashboard is an application that pulls data together into
high-level summaries and graphs. And used interactively.

Nathan.