I was having a discussion about what set WebFOCUS apart from the other BI tools with a consultant and we came up with these.

1. HOLD files

With the HOLD file you are able to build up your report from multiple queries working from the results of the previous query.

With SQL you have to embed subquery or subresult after sub result to obtain complex results. Eventually the result is indecipherable as it becomes a tree like structure which must be eventually resolved into the linear sequence that is immediately obvious from the WebFOCUS code.

The consultant mentioned the difficulty of replacing simple reports with a few hold sequences in places that had tried to replace wf with something different.

2. Dialogue Manager

Code that writes interpreted code allows you to do virtually anything with a query and drilldowns that would be impossible in any other tool.

3. MATCH FILE

Explicit sort merge tool that allows fast combination of disparate sources of data.

We thought these were the big 3.

What do others think?
Are we wrong in saying these are features unique to WebFOCUS.

As always I look forward to hearing your responses.

Regards

John

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hammo1j,

Access any file on any platform.
Cross-file and cross-platform joins.
Fully portable code to any WebFocus platform.

DUDE, WE DO!!!!!!!!

I'm new to WebFOCUS, but my brother has been touting its prowess for years.

I would put the "adapters" in the list, at the very top, for fast access to to combinations of disparate sources of data.

The "MATCH FILE" process makes this even simpler.

I'm finding the re-usable "answer sets," in the HOLD files or saved to disk, to be most interesting and powerful aspect of WF.

WF takes advantage of the power of structured data access, which is recursive by nature, and integrates procedural code, for the best of both worlds.

Self-modifying code, using .EVAL(xx) and variables(to store not only data but lines of code ?), is an interesting use of the interpreted nature of WebFOCUS.

Fascinating !

The cross platform JOINs is the BI "excuse" to buy into WebFOCUS though – that is a BIG problem out there with data in so many disparate formats – (actually data conversions are my specialty, but that’s another story)

Does any other BI do it all in one package (without having to hire me) ?
(Ok, you need to 'subscribe' to each adapter, but they’re there if you want 'em !)

I'd add that being able to get to the code is a good feature of WebFocus. You can either work exclusively with the GUI, or you can get "underneath the covers" and work with the code for more complicated requests. I don't believe Crystal or Cognos (two of the other BI vendors) allow this option.

Code generators (i.e. : "wizards" and the like) do let you get a lot done with less work, which is the plus side of the "80-20 rule."

The code can be a bit generic sometimes, but it works, and you can always tweak it yourself.

WebFOCUS even borders on "open source" since anyone can get into your code.

However, is this also the down-side for the same reason ?

Can WebFOCUS Code be protected from prying eyes (and hands) by compiling it ?

Instead of listing everything that I like about WebFOCUS, I'd like to add the following from "Government Computer News:

Louisiana takes a bite out of food stamp fraud:
@ http://www.gcn.com/print/23_23/26943-1.html

One program to read them all.
WebFocus reporting tool can handle practically any format @ http://www.gcn.com/print/26_20/44827-1.html.

Of course, as Susannah said so eloquently: DUDE, WE DO!!!!!!!!

A possible answer to Charles's question about prying eyes: WF procedures do not compile but they can be encrypted!

yeah like charlez im new to WF too (hence the name) and i'd second everything mnetioned above but include the use of DOS CMD - as this really makes it an all in one solution, ive seen some dead clever stuff which utilises this

i dunno if other BI languages do offer this, i'd be insterested to know if any articles do compare them in this way,

quote:

I'm finding the re-usable "answer sets," in the HOLD files or saved to disk, to be most interesting and powerful aspect of WF.

yeah i actually shudder to think how i'd achieve some things with straight SQL, before i used focus i used to rely on an ill-concieved multiple view procedure which was a real pain to maintain- webfocus makes it so much easier with hold files...

I would add using Report Caster as a scheduler. It has great flexibility and with pre-processing fexes, one can do very complex scheduling.

hey yup fellas , you ppl rock..

BTW i dint c any comments from Tony in this topic ..he s one wizard.. ..The best part is as stated before you can work with the code too..this provides more flexibility and gives you a clear picture as to what is happening..

What lies beneath :P

Arvind, Thanks for your kind words - I like to help those who are prepared to try and help themselves

As for comments on this subject? I don't think that there is much else to say. However I would totally agree that this Forum (IMHO) is one of the best resources for any programming language for the breadth of information readily available, and by working together we can make it even better, by replying when we are given solutions to our questions so that others following the thread can see that recommendations have had an impact. Even posting a snippet of code that resolved your question might help.

Revising a well known statement - Ask not just what the Forum can do for You, also Ask what You can do for the Forum

T

So many good things already said,

How about:

External Styling (CSS)
Dialogue Manager
Invoke JavaScript
Link to an external system on another server
Dialogue Manager
Drills within EXCEL,PDF
-REPEAT
Dialogue Manager
Create your own DASHBOARD with TABS and access Active Directory for security
DataMigrator
PMF
1000 Data adapters

OK, I'm done...

Tom

P.S. Did I mention Dialogue Manager???

I agree with many of the previous comments, but have to add ReportCaster's Burst and Distribute functions.

It's great to be able to produce a report once, on a schedule, in the output format most useful to the user, then scatter e-mail it under control of a distribution list, and have each receipiant get not the whole report, but only the small part that carries their own sort key!

We use this every day tell all of our customers the status of every one of their open orders.

It's easy to learn, English like code for those whose native tongue is English.

Very intuituve.

I agree WebFOCUS Rocks.
I have been using FOCUS for over 11 years now and have never had a situation that it could not handle.
In my experience if you are having a problem getting some data correctly the answer is a "Hold File" and there is always more than one way "To Skin the FOCUS Cat".
Unlike so many products it just keeps getting better with each new release.

quote:

Skin the FOCUS Cat

Sounds like another T-shirt slogan

T