Cognos Software Inc has updated its Impromptu query and reporting tool architecture to 32-bit, bringing it in line with the company’s 32-bit on-line analytical processing tool, PowerPlay. Impromptu 4.0 which also comes with an automated report navigator for publishing reports to HTML and OLE automation is being realigned to include what the company calls Analyse-then-Query. Using PowerPlay, the user moves through summary level data, while Impromptu is invoked to submit qualified managed queries. Cognos has also updated PowerPlay 5.2 to support Powercubes, PowerPlay data sources, on personal computer and local networks and added support for back-end multidimensional databases including Oracle Corp’s Express and Informix Software Inc’s MetaCube. PowerPlay already supported Arbor Software Inc’s Essbase Version 5.2 also publishes reports to HTML. Impromptu 4.0 and PowerPlay 5.2 are priced at $695 each. They are up on Windows 95 and NT. Meantime Cognos has upgraded its RealObjects component-based application development tool to include productivity processing patterns, along with wizards and inheritance models to automate the process of building and assembling libraries of reusable business components. RealObjects business components can be deployed on 32-bit clients or servers and accessed over LANs, intranets or the internet. It comes with several pre-built integration components that work with PowerPlay and Impromptu, to link information access and update including an application organizer component for organizing, managing and launching reports and documents within application dashboards; a utility for fast and easy packaging and deployment of application dashboards and libraries of integration modules for regenerating PowerPlay cubes, accessing Impromptu and PowerPlay user class security and managing dashboards from central servers. Also included in the libraries are sample dashboard backgrounds. RealObjects 1.1 provides easy heterogeneous data access natively to Microsoft SQLServer, Oracle version 7 and Sybase version 10. Other data sources can be accessed through Open Database Connectivity. It is certified as Microsoft BackOffice compatible. No prices were given.
