Hi Gerry,

during my stay in London at the Advisory Council you promised me to help me (ROCHE <--> BAYER).

I urgently need arguments against Oracle 10 HTML-DB as a development tool.
My BAYER colleagues are adicted to Oracle-Tools but I want to keep and grow WFS within my new company.

I need at least 5-10 arguments, why WFS is better and easier and more more efficient to use, than HTML-DB.

Please Help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thx Achim

P.S. Previously ROCHE Consumer Health, now BAYER Consumer Care.

Hello Achim -- Just wanted to let you know we're working on creating a thorough list of answers for you (specifically, the five to ten arguments in favor of WF). From a previous post it looks as though you require this information by this weekend/asap -- please let me know if otherwise.

Thank you.

Maryellen

Hello Achim,

HTML DB is very similar to WebFOCUS Quick Query. But as you know WebFOCUS is capable of much more.



What other databases does your organization in Bayer require access to? The number one point to consider is that HTML DB is part of the Oracle 10G database. As such, it is for use only with the Oracle database. WebFOCUS can be used with any database. Any heterogeneous joins will be much easier for WebFOCUS, difficult for the Oracle toolset in general. And we support read/write for all those data types, not just the major relational ones (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2, etc.)



HTML DB users must have knowledge of the data prior to building queries. It appears they must pick a load method, go get the data (using copy/paste), and define the properties before even beginning to create a query. This work is already done for the WebFOCUS user.



You can only create one kind of report with HTML DB, a summary report. With WebFOCUS, users can create many different kinds of reports � summary, detail, cross tab, multi-object and more.



It appears that available graph types in HTML DB are very limited. WebFOCUS supports over 100 different graph formats.



Both tools support �themes� or stylesheets. However, WebFOCUS users can also add their own styling.



Scheduling of reports, whether single execution, recurring, or event-based, is out-of-the-box with WebFOCUS Report Caster. With Oracle, it requires coding to implement.



WebFOCUS intergrates with many third-party security packages such as LDAP, Active Directory, Site Minder. With Oracle BI, integration with third-party packages is not out-of-the-box.



HTML DB is aimed at power users. WebFOCUS provides much more capability for power users including the ability to issue joins, create OLAP-enabled reports (an area that many leading BI vendors are still trying to accomplish), select any output format, schedule, and easily deploy reports to a large number of users.



WebFOCUS has tighter integration with Excel and PDF. Within an Excel spreadsheet, WebFOCUS users can:

Work within a fully formatted Excel spreadsheet, not just a CSV file.
Have live drill downs
Have WebFOCUS automatically generate Excel pivot tables
Have their formulas and macros fully retained
Burst a report into individual workbooks


Within a PDF file, WebFOCUS power users can:

Easily create compound documents (multiple graphs and reports
Have live drill downs to other parts of the document or �bookmarks�
Have pixel-perfect reports.


If you can let us know more specifics regarding your environment and some the projects at hand, we can probably add to this list.