DBxtra’s report designer has the ability to group, sort and perform calculations. Standard formatting options are also available. A drawback is the inability to use your keyboard’s arrow keys to move objects in the report designer, which would allow you to fine tune alignment.
Another important feature of DBxtra is the ability to generate graphs quickly. Without DBxtra, you would need to transfer your data to an application that supports graphing. For example, you could use DTS to transfer the database to Microsoft Excel. Then you would need to define the graph parameters in Excel. However, a problem arises whenever the data in your database changes. To update the graph whenever it is needed, you will have to transfer data from the database to Excel and format the graph all over again. DBxtra 2005 solves this problem with dynamic graphs.
To chart the data from your query, you first define the X and Y values and titles.
Then you define the graph’s properties. Most of the common graph types, such as Bar, Area, Scatter, Pie, and Step are available. You can also set the colors to be used and the format of the all the elements in the graph.
When you are finished setting the properties, you can simply view the graph. (You can’t move the titles, graph, or legend by holding the mouse when viewing the graph, as you can in Excel.) After you save the graph, all you need to do is open it and the graph will be re-created dynamically from the data in your database. No further configuration is required.
Another feature of DBxtra is the ability to create dynamic ASP files.
As you can see, you can create queries, reports, graphs, and ASP files with ease in DBxtra. If you need a certain report on a regular basis — weekly, for example — you can schedule the creation of a report and output it in text, XML, PDF, HTML or Excel format. The availability of XML gives you the option of linking it to a Web service.
The scheduling feature also allows you to send reports and alerts automatically by e-mail. You need to run the DBxtra schedule service in order to get scheduled objects.
Summary
This is simply a fascinating tool for database developers. Most significantly, you can generate reports and graphs by linking different database types. With its ease of installation and sound user support, DBxtra provides you with the basic features you need to perform your job. DBxtra reduces the time you spend generating complex reports, graphs, and ASP pages. This alone is invaluable. Download DBxtra and try it out for yourself.
]]>