You Don’t Know Jack

A Review of Windward Reports Java Engine

Here at Windward Reports we offer a suite of reporting packages composed of four core products you can use individually or collaboratively:

• The Windward Reports Engine. The engine is pure Java (there's also a pure .Net version). The Engine runs on one or multiple servers as part of an enterprise's server-based application. The engine can be called from either Java code, integrated as a Java Servlet/JSP, or called directly from the command line via a batch file or shell script. The engine is typically deployed as a set of JAR files and wrapped into a standalone application or deployed to a web application server such as Apache Tomcat, IBM Websphere, Oracle WAS, etc.
• AutoTag. AutoTag is our report design tool that allows you to create templates in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• AutoTag Max. Your all-in-one desktop reporting solution. AutoTag Max is the enhanced version of AutoTag and includes an express server and automatic report scheduling.
• Arrow for Microsoft SharePoint. Windward Arrow 3.0 extends Microsoft SharePoint to deliver an enterprise reporting, document management, and dashboarding as a full business intelligence package. Arrow 3.0 for SharePoint lets any community of users design, run, and share reports.

This is our account of what a full Windward Reports Java Engine install and usability experience entails:

Installation

Getting the Windward Reports Java engine up and running is a fairly simple and straightforward process. First you'll have to download the correct installer from the latest versions page. From there the package can be installed with reference to online documentation, although the vast majority of users won't need to use the guide at all.

The instructions guide you through installing the engine and the installation will add both WindwardReports.jar and the third-party libraries to your classpath. After this you'll only have to install AutoTag, which automatically detects which components are installed on your system and installs only what's necessary.

Interface

With the install complete you'll be able to design reports right away. Our design tool, AutoTag, is an add-in to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint so report creation is made that much easier by being integrated into an interface you already know. This means you can open Word and begin adding the desired elements to your template (headers, footers, text blocks, charts, graphs, images, tables of contents, etc.) using Word's built-in commands and AutoTag's slick ribbon interface. Since every business and technical user is already familiar with Word, AutoTag requires minimal training.

The charting package included with AutoTag really stands out. The charts are easy to create, have a wide range of layout and theme options, and are accompanied by solid examples in the sample templates and written documentation.

A lot of AutoTag users take advantage of our Excel integration just as much as our Word integration. Of particular note is the ability to use Excel's dynamic formulas and computational capabilities. In an invoice table, for instance, you can set one cell to sum the product subtotals (=SUM(E4)). When the report is generated, the cell will sum all the data in the product subtotals column (cells E4 through E10) instead of a single cell.

Tags

This is a summary of all the basic tags AutoTag uses and their primary functionality:

Out Tag: The most basic and most common tag, it takes just seconds to use the out tag to insert a piece of data into your template.

ForEach Tag: There is no complicated process for iteration over a set of records. This simple tag gives you the power to loop through your data and make an entry for each entry in the datasource.

If and Else Tags: To get the effect of conditional actions simply use tags that allow you to create select statements without hassle. No complicated sections or tricky fields required.

Chart Tag: The chart tag lets you create a series of selects to define the data you need to use in your charts and graphs. The tag interface's Select Data icon walks you through selects for the chart's rows and columns and formatting the chart is easily done within the tag itself.

Matrix, Column and Row Tags: The matrix tag lets you create a table with as many cells as needed and the rows or columns expand automatically depending on the data.

Import Tag: The Import Tag can import images, text, and PDF files directly to your report without requiring you to insert them manually.

Query and Set Tags: To save time you can use the query and set tags to create variables and use them elsewhere in the template. It saves time not only during report design but is also noticeable when running a report as the template will not need to repeatedly re-access the database.

Output

Windward Reports offers nine different output formats: HTML, PDF, DOCX, XML (Word), RTF, XLSX, XLS, PPTX, and direct to a printer. Two other Windward products, AutoTag Max and Arrow for Microsoft SharePoint, allow you to schedule reports to be run as needed and can also automatically email those reports to any recipients you specify. In addition, Arrow for SharePoint gives you the ability to set permissions so authorized colleagues and others can view, share, and edit report templates all on their own.

Support

This is where the Windward Reports team really shines. Our detailed documentation covers everything from installation to program use to system admin maintenance. There are also short "getting started" guides to help you get up and running in as little time as possible. If all else fails, the Windward Support team is here to meet your every need.

Summary

Overall, we think Windward Reports is the reporting package you've been looking for and will make your job infinitely easier. Our products install smooth, run fluently, and leave the competition in the dust. And don't forget, if you think we could do be doing something better tell us on our Ideas Page.

Digiorno Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza – The Worst Frozen Pizza Ever?

During my last trip to the grocery store I hesitated at picking up the usual California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas and instead went for some Digiorno frozen pizzas. Rest assured this is a mistake I will never make again.

First let me state that I consider myself a fairly bright individual. I know how to read the directions for cooking food and was even sharp enough to pick up on the recommended high altitude cooking settings. Digiorno, however, seems to think the statement, "Place pizza directly on center oven rack," translates to, "Place pizza AND CARDBOARD SHEET directly on center oven rack."

Alas, my ESP failed me in this scenario and I placed the pizza directly on the center oven rack at 375° for 25 minutes. I leapt for joy and rushed to the oven as the timer beeped, only to find my pizza had melted through in two places and was dripping on my oven's element. Not only was my dinner after a long day of school, work, and homework destroyed, but I was also given the added bonus of getting to smell burnt cheese and uncooked dough for the rest of the evening.

So for this I say thanks to Digiorno. Thanks for making my apartment smell terrible, thanks for enforcing the starving college student stereotype, and thanks for wasting my time and money. You've earned a favorable spot on my black list of companies and products I will never use or recommend. While I still have your attention, check out this awesome broken link on their site for the frozen pizza from hell.

The Health of a Nation

With the latest version of the healthcare overhaul making its way through the House over the weekend, I figured now is as good a time as any to post my feelings about the whole healthcare issue.

The primary idealogy bugging me since the first mention of healthcare reform months ago is the precedence of money over human life. Since when did the mighty dollar become more important than the lives of your fellow Americans? A country that spends more on their military than any other country (and even combinations of countries) but can't give money intended to improve the health of its citizens has got its priorities dead wrong.

As harmless as it may be (which is another article all in itself), you're far more likely to die from H1N1 and the regular flu than from a terrorist attack. Yet to pay for the healthcare overhaul we hear horror stories of schools shutting down, medicare and medicaid being trashed, and the quality of healthcare going down the tubes. Instead, how about we slash the military budget by 10% for each of the next 10 years to pay for healthcare. Not only would our citizens at home benefit, but we'd also improve the health of a lot of people abroad too (mostly by not killing them).

The healthcare debate also dances around a larger issue, the health of Americans in general. In a nation where we chow down fast food, shovel a plethora of drugs into our mouths, and think exercise involves picking up and putting down the remote it's no wonder we need healthcare more than every other developed country. Bill Maher stated long ago that he thinks America and the American lifestyle cause cancer, and I'm becoming more and more inclined to believe him. The old mantra stands: your life won't change until you change your life.

A few articles, such as this one about Government Healthcare Protesters Receiving Government Healthcare, make me wonder if half the people in this country can actually think for themselves or just feed off the banter of Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. But then again, articles such as this one pinpointing the similarities between the former Soviet Union and the United States make me wonder if there's even a shred of hope for this country at all. If the healthcare reformation efforts fall flat, it will be proof that Americans truly love the all mighty dollar more than they even love themselves.