InformationWeek

April 19, 1999

Report Catalyst

Aonix's UltraQuest Reporter provides direct access to mainframe legacy data

By Rick Whiting

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onix Corp. this month will ship its UltraQuest Reporter software for creating complex reports from multiple S/390 mainframe databases and file systems. The report writer uses a Web-browser interface to provide easy access to IDMS, Teradata, IMS, VSAM, QSAM, and Nomad 4GL data residing in databases and flat-file systems. Its two-tier architecture eliminates the need for midtier servers or gateway software, the company says.

Aonix will aim the product at companies with large numbers of users requiring access to mainframe legacy data. The system will let users develop and perform ad hoc querying and reporting. It can build dynamic custom reports, run cataloged reports, centralize report management, and extend the development of Web applications.

Boise Cascade Office Products Corp. in Itasca, Ill., has been testing the software and plans to deploy it to 150 users soon, says application development specialist Joan Daniel. "It's kind of like having a direct gateway into the mainframe," she says.

Employees at the company's 50 distribution centers will use the product to access invoice, purchase, and accounts-receivable data for creating reports for analysis. Boise Cascade Office Products has more than 60 databases and VSAM files; UltraQuest Reporter will let users generate their own reports without relying on IS. That should help reduce support costs, Daniel says.

Providing direct access to mainframe databases and file systems is more efficient than downloading the data to local servers for employee access. Daniel also praises the software's ease of use and ability to perform data defines using "if-then-else" logic.

UltraQuest Reporter will run on VM and MVS mainframes and supports all browsers, and ad hoc queries on Windows 95, 98, and NT desktops. Pricing for the software, based on the number of named users, starts at $30,000.

Photo by Eric Futran