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New Release of MITS Report Expands Database Support, Improves Usability and Integration Capabilities

An improved look, Web services-based integration tools and support for nine additional databases mark version 2.0 of the MITS Report operational reporting solution.

 

 

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Release Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2008

MITS ®, leading provider of reporting and business intelligence solutions, today announced a major new release of its popular operational reporting solution, MITS Report .
Eighteen months in the making, MITS Report 2.0 includes complete integration with a wide range of MultiValue and relational databases, giving customers more consistent and powerful reporting capabilities in today's multi-platform computing environments. The release also constitutes a major step forward in usability, with a new look and dozens of data access, presentation and integration features.

Enhanced MultiValue and Relational Database Support

With version 2.0, all MITS report functions can be used with nine additional databases. Support has expanded to a combination of MultiValue and relational platforms, including: TigerLogic D3 ™, OpenQM , Northgate Reality , Microsoft SQL Server®, MySQL® database management system, PostgreSQL, InterSystems UniVerse ® and UniData ® platforms.

"It is not uncommon for companies to utilize more than one database platform," says Gary Owen, MITS Vice President of Software Operations. "Because MITS Report supports multiple databases, users can create reports while remaining in a single, familiar environment and interface."

Easier Integration, Excel Connectivity, and PDF

The new release also adds a range of new Web application programming interfaces (APIs) which enable software solution vendors to more thoroughly embed MITS Report within their own applications. Thanks to complete integration capabilities, end users may use MITS Report within a third party solution without ever realizing it.

"This new, Web services-based integration is important to end users as well as software providers," adds Owen. "Now any application, wherever it was developed, can be integrated with MITS Report via Web services." While Internet-based applications are a great fit for the new interoperability features, MITS has successfully integrated MITS Report with .NET applications as well.

The new release helps users set up dynamic connections to MITS Report from within Excel workbooks. "Now users can connect to a report from within any Excel document," explains Owen, "similar to the way Excel connects to a database." Once connected, a spreadsheet can be automatically updated as the underlying data presented by the report changes. Excel power users will appreciate the ability to integrate the filtering, summarizing, and formatting capabilities of MITS Report with consolidation, pivot tables, and other advanced Excel features.

Because Excel isn't the only way users share data, MITS has added PDF export capability to MITS Report . End users will enjoy the functionality improvements associated with creating and distributing reports via email directly through the MITS Report interface.

Usability and Reporting Features

Every end user will immediately notice the new look of MITS Report . "Everything just fits together more cleanly," says Owen. "We've also made countless refinements to the user interface, so the solution works more intuitively."

In one subtle but powerful example, clicking on the "last updated" date on a report results in an immediate option to refresh the underlying report data for up to the minute results. In another, users can jump instantly to a specified page instead of scrolling through a report.

Both IT professionals and end users will appreciate the new prompting features, which allow report authors to set up contextual menu-based prompt lists for filtering reports. "Giving users choices simplifies their experience while enabling IT to limit the kinds of queries users submit," says Owen. The feature also allows a single report to replace many in cases where the only difference across reports is, for example, a date range, department identifiers or other easily selected data.

Subtotal and total lines – or rows on summarized reports – can now present averages as well as sums for any column. Summarized reports are easier to use, too, now that users can choose to expand any subtotal into its component details without expanding detail throughout the report.

Even more powerful is the ability to hyperlink a report column to Web content or specific application function. A user checking an inventory report, for example, can see an unusual stock level, click on that column and row, and instantly call up a related vendor or item screen in another application. "Operational reports are meant to be actionable," explains Owen. "This lets people see a report item and instantly click to the relevant part of another application or Web site so they can do something about it."

Simplified Maintenance, Improved Performance

MITS included powerful new performance enhancements and tools to assist internal and external support staff in the new release. In the new Support Console, administrators can review commands and notifications for faster, easier problem-solving. "Administrators can also use this feature to boost performance by identifying opportunities to refine queries and other operations," explains Owen.

Administrators can now manage report source updates – the tasks in which reporting data are pulled from operational databases – more precisely, thanks to new incremental updating options. They can now also enjoy email notification when report source updates are completed.

"We focused considerable effort on performance improvement," reports Owen, "especially regarding complex and ultra-large datasets."

With thousands of hours invested in the development and testing of this release, there is no doubt that MITS Report 2.0 will go above and beyond—satisfying the operational reporting needs of independent software vendors and end users alike.

 

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About MITS

MITS® is a leading developer of Advanced Reporting and Business Intelligence products. The MITS product line contains both the MITS Discover® OLAP Business Intelligence suite, as well as the ad hoc report tool, MITS Report®. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company's technologies are used by thousands of organizations, resellers and systems integrators worldwide. MITS products are firmly entrenched in a wide range of business areas, including manufacturing, distribution, retail sales and services, education, government, healthcare, and insurance, as well as in many other industries.

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.mits.com

About MITS Reports

MITS Report is the next-generation, interactive operational reporting environment from the experts in Advanced Reporting and Business Intelligence. In developing MITS Report, the company focused on the challenges customers were facing in reporting for MultiValue databases. MITS Report is the result of direct feedback from customers and partners as well as an investigation into customers common reporting practices.

Built by User Request
You asked for it, we delivered. MITS Report is the result of customer and partner demand for a MITS-caliber operational reporting tool and was designed by the experts who developed the pioneering technology found in MITS Discover, the only OLAP Business Intelligence system native to MultiValue. The MITS team of developers brings more than 100 years combined experience in creating reporting solutions for MultiValue databases, and has devoted the last decade to helping thousands of companies worldwide overcome their reporting challenges.

Reporting without Querying
You dont have to learn a query language, know a database layout, or understand MultiValue dictionaries to succeed with MITS Report. MITS recognizes that many users start with a standard report and then modify it, and this reporting flexibility is where MITS Report shines. Simply by clicking buttons and selecting user-friendly options from drop-down lists viewed within your Web browser, you can retrieve data, access existing reports, and customize standard reports. You can also create new reports by filtering, sorting, adding/removing columns, totaling, breaking, and more.

Fast, Interactive Access to Data
Why wait around for the information you need to do your job? MITS Report offers a way to get at your organizations data quickly and efficientlyat interactive speeds you have become familiar with when browsing the Web. You get reports tailored to your precise needs not within minutes or hours but within a few seconds. Having fast reporting speeds means you see the modifications you make to your report (for example, adding and removing columns) in context, with the report changing right before your eyes.

Easy Learning Curve
MITS Report delivers on the promise to provide self-serve reporting. The designers of MITS Report carried out extensive research on the latest advances in usability to deliver a highly intuitive and familiar user interface. The innovative navigation system in MITS Report features simple workflows that eliminate the reliance on wizards or hardcopy manuals. Youll be building and viewing reports in no time, regardless of your technical background. Manage your individual reports in Report Libraries, where you can save, modify, or delete reports. To round out your knowledge of MITS Report and ensure you get the most out of the software, MITS offers Web-based training.

Secure Architecture
MITS Report protects the performance of the MultiValue database through the Report Source architecture, a software-server type system that sits between the database and the user. The Report Source contains all the data the user would need to assemble and view reports. MITS Report separates the reporting environment from your operational system, providing several key benefits. Access to files and sensitive information is controlled by user security. Your operational system is accessed only by authorized users or on a pre-determined schedule, not each time a user makes any change to a report, or if they make repeated requests for the same report.

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.mits.com/​products-​mitsreport.htm

About Caché

InterSystems has enhanced the Caché database with MultiValue data access. Caché natively supports MultiValue data files and dictionaries, a MultiValue query language, MultiValue Basic, PROCs, and more.

Not only do MultiValue applications run on Caché, but the skills that built those applications can be used throughout the InterSystems technology stack. MultiValue developers can take advantage of:

  • Object syntax in MultiValue Basic
  • Seamless SQL and object projections of data
  • Web services
  • InterSystems Zen technology for building rich, interactive Web interfaces
  • Advanced security features
  • Browser-based system management
  • InterSystems DeepSee for embedded real-time business intelligence
  • InterSystems Ensemble for integration and work flow

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.intersystems.com/​mv

About D3

The D3 DBMS embodies the best and most desired features for developers and users. It is simple in its structure but allows for complex definitions of data structures and program logic. The built-in development environment allows applications to be rapidly prototyped, developed, and modified on the spot. Custom applications and on-site enhancements are common in the D3 community. Everything required for development is already in D3, making D3 much more than a typical database environment. Site administration requires a fraction of the staff of other environments of the same size - a large proportion of sites running D3 do not have an IT staff.

D3 is developed and supported over the many environments indicated on these pages. All code and data easily migrates between environments without modification, so both developers and users can work on their platforms of choice.

Other products from TigerLogic include connectivity tools like FlashCONNECT for web, the D3 Class Libraries, the Open Systems File Interface for Oracle and other environments, and XML technologies to exchange data with other XML-compliant programs or environments.

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.rainingdata.com/​products/​dbms/​d3/​index.html

About OpenQM

OpenQM is a high performance multivalue database environment with a low price tag and close compatibility with other products. Available for Windows, Linux, Mac, AIX and PDA, a commercial QM licence includes the AccuTerm terminal emulator at no extra cost. The QMClient API allows development of VB, C and web front ends.

OpenQM is the only multivalue database available both as a fully supported commercial product and in open source form under the General Public Licence.

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.openqm.com

About Reality

A MultiValue and relational(SQL)-enabled database, it allows users to maximise the use of existing technologies while ensuring their customers needs are met, now and in the future. While maintaining its virtual machine concept, Reality now has open interfaces - using integrated ODBC/JDBC SQL, Web Services, HTML, TCP/IP Sockets and simple extensions to DataBasic - an extended Dartmouth BASIC language with exceptional database and string handling abilities. Remote calls can also be made in order to provide integration with open Java applications and Microsoft Visual Basic/C/C++/C# and .net.

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.northgate-​reality.com/​

About UniData

Secure and Available 24 X 7

Tuned for business

The current economic climate demands more from your technology than ever before. While easy-to-use, high-performance solutions have always offered a faster return on investment, they may be a matter of survival today. And for businesses prepared to take advantage of changing times to position themselves for the future, they offer a competitive advantage.

UniData(r) comes into its own at times like these, delivering the capabilities you need to develop, enhance and deploy comprehensive business applications rapidly and with minimal cost.

UniData is an extended relational database ideal for embedding in vertical solutions. It allows multiple nested tables within a table, while maintaining support for ANSI SQL access. Data modeling is more intuitive and fewer tables are created compared with a traditional relational database.

Using UniData, developers can create solutions quickly and easily for a wide variety of markets. The product's real-world approach to application development and deployment minimizes time to market, which in turn saves you money and helps you compete more effectively.

Highlights

  • Delivers low TCO and exceptional scalability to meet the challenges of on demand business in the SMB and large enterprise market
  • Provides intuitive design and high-performance queries using extended relational data model
  • Enables use of standard protocols including ODBC, OLEDB, ADO.NET, JDBC, XML and SOAP
  • Supports security and robustness via encryption, authentication and high availability features
  • Features native, high performance interfaces for .NET, Java(tm) and more
  • Leverages application investment with flexible data storage

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.rocketsoftware.com/​u2/​

About UniVerse

Reliable and Flexible Foundation for Business Solutions

Successful businesses continually push themselves to find ways to maximize their effectiveness and reduce costs. UniVerse maximizes return on investment and is built to keep costs low, delivering uncompromising reliability and power with the features that successful businesses need.

UniVerse offers a unique combination of an intuitive development environment and a powerful, reliable data engine. It is easy to embed in an application and delivers high-performance and high scalability in a small footprint. On top of that, it's very easy to use and administer.

Based on technology newer than the relational model, UniVerse uses XML-like data structures resulting in fewer tables, fewer joins and better performance.

Highlights

  • Provides intuitive database design and high performance data access
  • Secures data through encryption and authentication
  • Ensures high availability through data replication
  • Enables access via a variety of APIs, protocols, frameworks and architectures
  • Provides flexible data storage choices for maximum interoperability
  • Accelerates time to market and lowers TCO for business solutions

For more information, visit http:/​/​www.rocketsoftware.com/​u2/​

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