Hey guys,
One of the most critical requirements of our clients is that we
deliver ad hoc reporting for the database we build them. This is
always a PITA because ad hoc reporting is a PITA to build. Usually, we
offer two possible solutions:
* Buy Crystal Reports
* Download a snapshot of the data and munge it with Access or
Filemaker however you please.
Neither of these are perfect solutions, of course. Crystal Reports is
a powerful app, but it's expensive. Access or Filemaker, well, they
are nice applications too but I ask Dave Bauer to comment on how much
fun doing Access development is.
I know the GNUenterprise
(http://www.GNUenterprise) folks are working on a GNUe Reports
tool, but it's sort of a whiz-bang XML middleware thingermajig.
I was wondering whether anyone has any idea on whether we could build
some kind of framework or application in the OACS toolkit to provide
reporting solutions. This might mean building some kind of utility
that might provide a RAD environment for generating ad hoc reports.
I'm not sure we need to have the user friendliness of a Crystal
Reports (is it that user friendly?), but something that could allow a
developer to save a day's time (what is usually recquired to throw a
good report together).
Is there already a tool for this in the OACS? Has anyone tried to hack
something like this together?
I'm not going to ask whether this is needed because our need for this
is large enough that I assume this is important for everyone.
talli
