Sqribe Software Inc yesterday released what is says is the most significant upgrade release of its SQR Enterprise Reporting Server, enabling, for the first time, developers to access object relational data alongside relational types when creating analytical reports. Sqribe, which recently announced plans to be acquired by business intelligence vendor, Brio Technologies Inc, said the latest version of its flagship reporting software was two years in the making and includes a brand new web-enhanced architecture to make it easier to build, deploy and access enterprise reports. It’s also the first time the company has integrated its products with Brio’s to enable users to port Sqribe-generated reports into Brio’s business intelligence software suite for further analysis.
According to Jack Norris, VP of product management, version 5.0 of the software features a new object data access layer which enables developers to include object oriented data when building reports. As opposed to only having access to relational data sources, as was the case in the past, companies can now incorporate information from multiple object oriented sources, including Hyperion Essbase, OLEDB for OLAP, SAP Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPI) and PeopleSoft Open Query API. It also enables data access to proprietary objects including CORBA, DCOM and Javabeans. In addition, said Norris, the object data access layer provides complete independence with the underlying database, schemas and structures. This means that changes can be made to the database, or new releases of the software published, without having to make changes to a reports themselves.
As well as enabling access to object technology, SQR 5.0 can now output reports to over 100 different output types. Sqribe has expanded its Portable Format (SPF) to enable SQR Server to produce hundreds of output files and transactions, each with its own structure, layout, output definition, graphics and so on. The software also features new interactive web-based report formats, including reports for HTML, XML, cascading style sheets, applets and Javascript files. The enhanced HTML access means that the reports will automatically adjust according to the type of device they are being downloaded to. So if it’s a hand held computer running a stripped down browser or a laptop running the latest version of Internet Explorer, the reports will automatically render themselves in the correct format, said Norris. On top of that, the entire SQR product has been updated to support over 200 character sets, allowing users, for example, to create reports in languages like Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Thai for the first time.
Alongside the roll-out of version 5.0, the company also introduced VisualSqribe 5.0, the latest version of its developer tool for creating enterprise reports. The software features a new user interface that enables developers to easily switch between the report layout, SQR source code and report output preview modes. To speed development of web-based reports, the software includes an embedded HTML viewer that allows developers to run the report locally and view the HTML output immediately, on screen. For the end-user, VisualSqribe cuts down on the amount of time spent sifting through pages and pages of a report on screen by creating simple drop down boxes. These enable users to expand or collapse the display to create a more customized, interactive view of the report. The software is also the first from Sqribe to provide output support for Brio clients. For example, said Norris, a sales manager might run a report on last month’s sales transactions using SQR Server, then he or she could output the report, in HTML format, to the Brio client for further analysis and drill down into the data. SQR Server 5.0 will ship in July with pricing starting at $10,000 per server, while VisualSqribe is shipping now for $995 per developer license.
