This memo discusses my methodology for "direct" output of information into Excel for ANY DataFlo Release Level. This software will operate on ANY release level of DataFlo, and does NOT require Report Manager.

Access (paper) reporting is limited by the 131-character-wide output. Excel has no such limitation, and the software provided can place up to 255 columns in one Excel Sheet.

To simplify populating Excel Sheets from the vast number of available Dictionary Items provided, including translations to other files, a new structure to define applicable Dictionary items has been added. The Dict items are delivered, already broken into logical "groups", such as Customer-related or Part-related. There is a "favorites" group, and the end-user can place any Dict item in any group for retrieval by the built-in "search" facility.

XML documents can also be generated, using Excel Column Headings as XML Tags.

The structure for Excel generation, detailed here, permits the end-user to create multiple output lists of fields for a single report to Excel, or the re-use of any existing stored output list for multiple reports, from the same file. Therefore, the user is no longer limited to baseline reporting, in terms of fields to be presented in Excel.

File structures for Excel generation:

Z_xxx_DICT_TYPE - provides specific TYPES for distinct selection of fields, using items in Z_xxx_DICT.

Z_xxx_DICT - allows for the identification of selected Dict Items, with Headings more tailored to serves as the Headings of Excel Columns, and the "typing" of those records to aid in user selection for Z_xxx_PARAM.

Z_xxx_PARAM - allows for setting up pre-stored Output Lists of selected fields, to populate Excel Columns.

Z_xxx_EXCEL - holds the "work" records for EXCEL.

Additionally, I recommend the use of the MITS Warehouse from IBM, to add significant capability to segment data, and to offer reporting at any Summary or Detail level required. This Third-Party software has excellent capabilities to transmit user-formed MITS reports to Excel from subsequent user drill-downs and data reformats.

This is a fully enabled Data Warehouse and OLAP tool, written in MultiValue, and resident on your existing database machine, for advanced, end-user controlled reporting, and you can build additional Excel Sheets from within. For further information, go to www.mitsonline.com.