Word-based Reporting Tool Gets Upgrades

A reporting tool that uses Microsoft Word as a layout tool has been upgraded to include a new tag editor, and it will be made available for use by .NET developers and users for the first time, the technology's manufacturer said Tuesday.

Windward Studios released Windward Reports Version 3.0, which features a Word menu add-in that simplifies data-source mapping, database connections and the editing of tags. The tag tool integrates as a pull-down menu in Word 2003.

The new release is the first version of Windward Reports to be made available for use in Microsoft's .NET framework. It provides reports to .NET clients via an application program interface that communicates with the Windward Reports server over the network. It's also available for J2EE clients.

Windward Studios, Boulder, Colo., debuted the first version of Windward Reports in 2002. The tool is designed to ease the creation of reports by technical and non-technical users already familiar with Microsoft Word.