You Don’t Know Jack

What Makes Windward Reports Different?

The following is an email exchange that took place between our CTO David Thielen and a well-respected Crystal Reports consultant. This blog is meant to serve as a reference for anyone curious about the differences between Windward Reports and the majority of other reporting software packages. I think it does a thorough job of addressing the concerns some of the more diligent users may have.

I initially contacted the consultant and offered him a free copy of our product. He and our CTO proceeded to exchange a handful of emails discussing the differences and similarities between our product, Crystal, and a few other packages.

Windward messages are highlighted in light green with black text.

Responses are highlighted in dark green with white text.

 

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Hello ******,   My name is Adam Jackson and I'm with Windward Reports. I'm writing to you after stumbling across your blog and website dedicated to Crystal Reports. I'd like to offer you a free copy of our report design tool AutoTag and the Windward Reports reporting engines. I don't ask anything in return because I'm confident that you'll be impressed with our product and that you'll potentially share or blog about your experience.   If you're interested please visit: http://www.windwardreports.com/apps/PressCopy.aspx   Your download code is: (removed)   Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to know anything further.   Best, Adam Jackson (Windward)

 

Adam,   >> I'm confident that you'll be impressed with our product and that you'll >> potentially share or blog about your experience.   I am always happy to share new ideas with my readers. But I will be honest. I have seen plenty of "no learning curve" tools, all of which promise to be different from the last "no learning curve" tool. So far everyone of them has been useless. You see, I have to solve real world business issues with CR every day. The users have the steepest learning curve understanding their own business issues and then the limits of their own data. It is rare that the reporting tool interface poses the most serious challenge. So my experience is that the complexity of the reporting interface is going to correlate closely with the capabilities of the reporting tool. Tell me your interface is simple and I expect it to be limited. You will have to convince me.   While your offer of free software is a nice gesture, it doesn't compare to the value I place on my time. I am still willing to spend some time with your tool, but only if your team is willing to do some homework for me. The first step is to compare the raw capabilities of your tool to Crystal. I want to see a list of things that each tool can do that the other tool can't do AT ALL. NOT which does things easier, so no adjectives at this point. Do you think you can have someone make an initial list of these features for me? I am sure that there are a handful of things that CR can do that Windward can't (an vice versa) and I won't be impressed if I have to uncover them myself. That would mean that you really don't know your competition and then I would be wasting my time. But here are some places to look:   Subreports. CR can take one already completed report and embed it within another. Cross-tabs. CR can create a grid that dynamically changes the number of rows/columns based on the values in today's data. Group Sort. CR can subtotal each group and dynamically find the top 10 groups today, showing an 11th group for the others. Running Totals. Create a column that automatically increment on every detail line, or even once per group. Formula Functions - Does Windward have a formula syntax comparable to CRs.   Once we get the first part done then I have another simple test that lets me cut through to the heart of the matter. I would like to take one or two standard reports that I use in my Intro and Advanced class and then see what it takes for me and your team to create them in Windward.   Let me know if you think I am being unreasonable.   From ******

 

Hi;   Adam asked me to answer this. Let me give you a general answer, and then a specific one.   With Windward you use Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint to design the report. The report template is the document created by that app. Let's use Word as the example. A Word document is a sequence of objects - paragraphs (which are a sequence of characters), tables, bitmaps, charts, etc. We allow our reporting tags to be placed anywhere within that stream.   Big picture this gives you a couple of advantages: You are designing a report that is a document (if it's a spreadsheet same with Excel) in a layout that is fundamentally a document. This gives you the ability to easily set anything you want that can be hard to impossible in Crystal. The logic can break anywhere. So a forEach loop or an if can start in the middle of a table and end in a different table. You are operating on that stream of objects that makes up a document. Group sort/by does not exist in our system because it's not necessary. You would just have a forEach inside another forEach. Subreports – yes (you just import another Office template). Running totals, functions, formulas, etc. – yes. All of Office's functionality is included. You can lock parts of the document, use version tracking & commenting, display differences between two templates, etc. In Office 2010 some incredible collaborative features have been added to Office. You get all of that.   Now on to some specifics: You want to iterate over a series of rows, where for each row you have a table, some text, a chart, and more text. All of that occurs for one row, then goes to the next row of data. Piece of cake in Windward. From what I know of Crystal – impossible. In Excel, we expand all references so a SUM() of a table remains a SUM() function – this holds for everything built in a spreadsheet. We also carry the Excel cell formatting across and use it for output in any format including PDF, DOCX, etc. In PowerPoint you can set up all the PPT functionality to carry across to the output. Yes it comes under easier – but you can have someone with no training on our system design a report – because they know Office. You can't do that with Crystal.   The above is off the top of my head. If this is sufficient we would be happy to give you a free copy. We would also be happy to answer any questions you have creating a couple of your reports for class. But to be honest, I'll be surprised if you have more than 1 or 2 questions. As you say, ease of use is overused. But when something is a lot easier – it does make a difference.   Thanks – dave (CTO – Windward)

 

David,   >> With Windward you use Word, Excel, and/or PowerPoint to design the report.   So it sounds like you are assuming that the user already knows how to do specific data manipulation in Office? If someone (like me) has never needed to go beyond Office XP, you really think there won't be a learning curve?   From ******

 

Hi ******;   Good question. BTW, we're going to use these exchanges for a blog post because it's a really good way of making clear how we are unique.   To your question - we don't use the data manipulation in Office. That not only is difficult and has a learning curve - but it is also quite limited. We have our own tags which you place using our Office Add-In AutoTag. If you use our databin and/or user defined tags (UDTs) - then it's just drag & drop from a pop-up window.   If you want full control, then you need to use the tag editor in the Add-In and that does require an understanding of the underlying data - but by and large maybe a minute or two of training on our system. We heavily borrowed from the Excel UI so it looks very familiar.   Where the rubber really meets the road is the SQL and XPath wizards. If you need a complex SQL select, and it was not prebuilt in a UDT, then you need to create the select. You need to try it to see but the best way to describe how easy it is to learn & use - we get virtually no support questions on it.   So if UDTs are set up - truly zero learning curve (except drag this to where you want it to be in the template). For full control beyond UDTs, incredibly easy and most people will need no training on the report design part - but they do need to understand their data.   Thanks – dave (CTO – Windward)

 

David,   >> If you want full control, then you need to use the tag editor in the >> Add-In and that does require an understanding of the underlying >> data -   Oh, I finally get it. Getting full control requires learning how to build a meta data layer like in Cognos. Some people have a use for that model but not me. Thanks anyway.   From ******

 

No, not at all. I agree a meta layer like Cognos is a lot of extra work (and rarely worth it). It's hard to explain because we don't fit any of the existing models and people tend to assume we must be similiar to others. We had the lead product manager for Sql Server Reporting Services stop by for a demo and it took him 15 minutes to start to understand how we work - because he kept looking for things that just aren't required with us.   When I say an understanding of the underlying data, and this is only if you don't set up the UDTs for people, you need to understand that an employee name is the FirstName and LastName columns in the Employee database. You don't need to be a DBA or know how to create a select statement. But you do need to know that the employee name is not in the ProductList table.   What we have is different - and we've eliminated a lot of steps. Not changed them, but eliminated them. We're happy to give you a free copy and you could spend just 10 minutes using it in Word to see.   thanks – dave (CTO – Windward)

 

David, I teach my users to create 10 second reports using the CR wizard to explore unfamiliar tables.  They might have to do a dozen of these before they find the data they want.  Can you report directly from the tables without setting up any UDTs? When doing UDTs whose job is it to link the tables together?  The user or the person doing the UDT? Who determines the type of join required each situation?   From ******

 

I think that's the core issue for any reporting approach. One is that with a ton of setup then it's all right there for the user - but that setup is killer. The extreme example of this approach is Cognos. The other is there is no setup, but users are floundering. This is what the CR wizard works to address. If you want to drop in, do no prep work of any kind, and help people unfamiliar with the tables - then our UDTs are not the solution. They come after. For this case you want to use our SQL wizard (there is also an XPath Wizard - click on links for a video of each). What this does is let you drag and drop to select tables, columns, sort, filter, order by, etc. Every time you make any change in the wizard, you immediately see the resulting table. So you get a very simple to use system, that requires no knowledge of how to write a SQL select.     The final issue is the joins. We build those automatically from the database metadata - where we can. We can't read minds and so we go for the shortest path between two tables, and for two jumps, give precedent to an intermediate table that has two columns (ie a join table). For one or two hops we're almost always right. For more, we can be wrong. If we are wrong, or the metadata does not have the relationship, the user can then set it, again via point and click with the table being built live. (We also have a means to predefine all the joins outside of the metadata, but that does require an upfront effort - generally on the order of minutes to hours.)     I very much wish you would try AutoTag - and give me your feedback after doing so. I'm also happy to have one of the support people here do a screen share and you can ask to see how we do various things, and they would then show you. So you would direct, and they would then do it. If so, again I ask that you give me any suggestions you have for us.     ??? - thanks – dave (CTO – Windward)

 

Dave,   Thanks for being patient. I like the screen share approach and may take you up on that. I am reviewing some CR deployment options for my January newsletter but once I have that in place it might be interesting to see what you have done.   One more question in the meantime. Is there a Crystal Consultant - someone who has done it professionally - who has either converted to using your product or added it to their repertoire? If you know of someone like that then I would like to talk to them.   From ******

 

Hi;   Thank you for sticking with this - I used to be a tech author in my spare time and I know you get hit by a ton of people. I think a screen share will be great because we can then quickly show you what/how/why on your questions.   I'm not aware of any Crystal consultant that has dived in to it but we do have one who has also promised to dive into it "soon." I will ping them right now to see if they have yet.   Thanks – dave (CTO – Windward)

Epic 2009 Picdump!

Here's a collection of abstract, geeky, funny, stupid, and just plain random pictures that caught my eye throughout 2009. Hope you enjoy!

Disco!

Someone has a lot of time on their hands… and two lobsters

Awesome cyclone

Staple Metropolis

See the resemblance

Geeks get it

No thanks

A lone, brave soul

Air guitar

DUCK

Martian sunset

I love facebook and awesome facebook conversations

I Hate Twitter!

Yowza

South Park WIN!

I want to be like mommy!

Four non-intersecting circles (trace each one with your mouse and you'll see)

Random

More geeky awesomeness

Crazy paper art

I have never and will never read or watch Twilight. Ever.

Unique and geeky resume

Teenage Mutant Ninja Raccoons

PHOTOSHOPPED… or is that just what they want us to think?

I'm pretty sure this one is photoshopped

Star Wars geek epicness

Mesmerizing

The perfect Christmas gift

Headlamp

Calvin & Hobbes Snowmen FTW!

I Hate Twitter

It seems like everywhere I look these days someone is talking about Twitter. Whether it's on the news, commercials, or online Twitter definitely seems to be "the next big thing". The thing is, I just can't understand why.

So I'll just come right out and say it. I hate Twitter!

My addiction to Facebook is bad enough, but at least there I can do more than tell the world my deepest thoughts (with more than 140 characters no less). I understand why companies love Twitter, with its ability to spread free advertising in the blink of an eye. What I don't understand is why so many individual people are drawn to it. Do you think your life is so meaningful that everyone is dying to know what it is you're doing at every waking moment throughout the day? Are you so materialistic your world revolves around the latest product announcements and sales? Or are our lives are so dull we have to read what famous people are thinking about all day and fantasize about what it would be like to live the lavish and luxurious lifestyle ourselves? Well, I'm sorry but I just have to say, NO ONE CARES!

I use TweetDeck at work to browse Twitter for any mention of our company name. Unfortunately, our name is similar enough to a mall in a Hawaii to pick up the tweets of people referring to the mall. I'm tired of reading people mindlessly ramble about, "Going to Windward mall. Hunnnngrrrrrrry," "The Windward mall is the haps, yo!" and, "OMG WINDWARD MALL LOLZ!"

I read somewhere that 10% of Twitter users account for 90% of tweets. Furthermore, a painstakingly large percentage of Twitter registrants tweet once, and then never tweet again. Obviously I'm not alone in my thoughts that Twitter is just rather meaningless.

Celebrities love to share the intimate details of their life on Twitter. From cooking breakfast to boasting their thoughts on politics, people just can't seem to get enough. It blows my mind. Are we such a narcissistic culture that face-to-face conversation and human interaction has been traded for 140 characters of garbage?

Maybe I'm missing the big picture, or maybe I have a brain and can actually think for myself and recognize Twitter as being entirely pointless. You decide.

Do you use Twitter? Think I'm being pompous and inconsiderate? Sound off in the comments.

Going Green – Everybody’s Doing It

While relaxing and watching a slew of movies and television shows this weekend I came to a sudden realization: going green has become the latest fad.

The night started off with one of my favorite flicks, WALL-E. The movie tells the story of a simple robot who partakes in a spectacular journey and ultimately saves humanity from laziness, obesity, and a general sense of apathy toward caring about the environment.

Wall-E is the man. Errr, robot

On an interesting side note, I love how this movie portrays robots as friends to humanity rather than the typical American view that they're going to kill us all.

I am from Californ-EE-YAH and I am going to KILL YOU

After WALL-E, I flipped over to HBO and caught The Day The Earth Stood Still for the first time. Starring Keanu Reeves in his perfect clueless and emotionless role, the plot revolves around an alien sent to save Earth. Unfortunately, the alien concludes that the only way to save the Earth and its precious life is to destroy every human being. A sad end for us, but considering we're causing a mass extinction faster than any the Earth has seen before it's hard to argue with his logic.

"I really have no idea what is going on right now"

Finally, I tuned to Animal Planet for a Jeff Corwin special. Little did I know the show, titled 100 Heartbeats, centered on all the animals facing endangerment or extinction. With a mixture of optimism and despair, Corwin describes how these animals arrived in the danger zone and what is being done to ensure their survival.

This dude is just crazy

Throughout all of this, the brutal reality of what we as humans are doing to the planet started to sink in. Tragic, barbaric, and barely describe the state we've brought the planet to with overpopulation, uncontrolled pollution, and global warming. Scarier still is the fact that some people refuse to recognize the scientific evidence behind all of these problems, only worsening the situation.

Back to my original point, is the green movement in? My answer is I hope so. It's so easy to scoff and say that changing your lifestyle won't fix anything, but it's this kind of thinking that will ensure these problems persist and grow worse rather than get better. Changing your entire way of life overnight is nearly impossible, so maybe instead try to focus on one thing at a time. Eat vegetarian or vegan a few times a week or for a few meals a day. Set your thermostat to one or two degrees lower and put on a sweater. Take the bus or, better yet, walk somewhere you're going once a week. It's tough to say if one person can make a difference, but we'll never know until we try.