With the increasing number of browsers, business applications need to allow users to use these browsers and still have graphic capabilities outside of the MS Office Web Component mentioned here in March 2011. The limitation of the OWC is that it can only be used under IE.
This limitation is lifted by the HTML "Scaleable Vector Graphics" tag SVG.
Using the SVG tag and its subordinate tags of G, LINE, POLYLINE, TEXT, etc. dynamic graphs can be produced under HTML reflecting data held within business and accounting software. Typically these graphs will be simple bar and line graphs, although more complex graphs can be constructed.
Discusses views from the UK both cultural and political. With a distinct interest in software.
Showing posts with label accounting software. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accounting software. Show all posts
22 April 2016
10 June 2011
HTML based Management reports
Most management reports are prepared using the ubiquitous spreadsheet. Primarily because accountants are familiar with the software and it gives flexibilty in layout and computation. Most software packages can download data to a spreadsheet or be SQL queried by them, so starting data for each month can be easily obtained. Then the commentary and insights by the various managers is added. The spreadsheet is then ready for distribution as is, or "printed" to a PDF file for distribution.
Few have considered HTML as a delivery vehicle. Yet for ease of use by a consuming manager it is possibly one of the best. As every PC and mobile device these days can read an HTML page. Not every PC or mobile device has the appropriate software to read a spreadsheet.
The problem with HTML is that "programming" knowledge is required to format a page or series of pages. Plus, how do you get the data into the HTML page?
Considering that the layout of most management reports does not change once established, putting a bit of effort into programming an HTML layout can be cost effective. Provided data can be drawn directly from the accounting and business management system. At RCL our accounting and business software packages provide this ability to draw data out of the system into an HTML document via SQL Select commands and a TableLookup function. What is more that data is not retricted to traditional accounting data; like Balance Sheet and P&L numbers; but can include any element held within the database. Possibles are: stock quantity levels, number of sales orders taken during a period, statistical departmental headcounts and vehicle numbers, even monthly management commentary can be entered, held and reported.
The HTML template document is itself held within the system. The SQL Selects and Table Lookups are evaluated prior to an HTML report being presented in an IE browser.
Having constructed an HTML management report template, the preparation of a "final" monthly report is just a question of awaiting for the monthly data to be complete and the management commentary being entered based upon "early drafts". The "early drafts" like the "final report" are just the HTML being "presented" in a browser. Being held on the system, these HTML reports are visible to all those given access. So "information control" by accountants holding "the cards close to their chests" becomes a thing of the past. As does the man hours consumed is preparing the reports.
Therefore management reports can become much more timely and relevant to the company. The approved final report when "presented" in a browser can be saved to a central server for all to subsequnetly access where ever they are in the world. Access to the underlying system not being required any more.
As my previous blog states, graphs can even be incorporated into a report to accommodate those "numerically challenged" managers that like pretty pictures!
Few have considered HTML as a delivery vehicle. Yet for ease of use by a consuming manager it is possibly one of the best. As every PC and mobile device these days can read an HTML page. Not every PC or mobile device has the appropriate software to read a spreadsheet.
The problem with HTML is that "programming" knowledge is required to format a page or series of pages. Plus, how do you get the data into the HTML page?
Considering that the layout of most management reports does not change once established, putting a bit of effort into programming an HTML layout can be cost effective. Provided data can be drawn directly from the accounting and business management system. At RCL our accounting and business software packages provide this ability to draw data out of the system into an HTML document via SQL Select commands and a TableLookup function. What is more that data is not retricted to traditional accounting data; like Balance Sheet and P&L numbers; but can include any element held within the database. Possibles are: stock quantity levels, number of sales orders taken during a period, statistical departmental headcounts and vehicle numbers, even monthly management commentary can be entered, held and reported.
The HTML template document is itself held within the system. The SQL Selects and Table Lookups are evaluated prior to an HTML report being presented in an IE browser.
Having constructed an HTML management report template, the preparation of a "final" monthly report is just a question of awaiting for the monthly data to be complete and the management commentary being entered based upon "early drafts". The "early drafts" like the "final report" are just the HTML being "presented" in a browser. Being held on the system, these HTML reports are visible to all those given access. So "information control" by accountants holding "the cards close to their chests" becomes a thing of the past. As does the man hours consumed is preparing the reports.
Therefore management reports can become much more timely and relevant to the company. The approved final report when "presented" in a browser can be saved to a central server for all to subsequnetly access where ever they are in the world. Access to the underlying system not being required any more.
As my previous blog states, graphs can even be incorporated into a report to accommodate those "numerically challenged" managers that like pretty pictures!
31 January 2008
SaaS - Software as a Service
Recently I was introduced by someone to the term SaaS or Software as a Service. It was presented as a "revolution" in the means of providing software to SME's.
Being the eternal cynic my views are
- Yes it is a new term;
- No it is not a new idea!
SaaS is basically the 1980's concept of timesharing provided by the likes of GEASCO (or was it GSISCO) during the late 70's and early 80's, but revamped to use the internet/web. The web replacing the dedicated BT telephone lines that timesharing used. Which is why in the 70's/80's it was a preserve of larger organisations who could carry the cost of the dedicated lines. With the advent of cheaper mainframes. midi's and PC's from the late 80's onwards, timesharing faded away.
Yes SaaS does allow software to be used without the headache of maintaining a system/server and it can be an economic means of using such software. But there are hidden dangers to this approach. Dangers that are very rarely addressed by the salesperson for the SaaS provider and often ignored or overlooked by the company using the SaaS system.
These dangers can be highlighted by answering the following questions:
- what happens if you loose internet connection for an extended period of time?
- what happens if the SaaS is continually attacked by a Denial of Service?
- what happens if the SaaS provider goes belly up?
- what happens if a rogue/disgruntled employee has a whole night to corrupt your data before you can contact the SaaS provider and get them barred?
The answer is simple - you cannot get to or rely on your company data!
How will this effect your company?
For most companies it would be a disaster that could at the extreme force you to go under.
Are such extended periods without access to your data likely?
Well the IT news of to-day is about the internet lines to India and the Middle East being severally disrupted due to a broken cable carrying internet traffic between Europe and Asia.
This is the crux of the problem - such downtimes/disasters cannot be forecast.
It reminds me of a situation that occured at a company I worked for in the mid 80's. It was moving from timeshare to an in-house system, with the new mainframe servers being based in the north of England some 200 miles away. Everything was set up, tested and ready for the switch over. On the morning of the switchover after a couple of hours of being live, a builder in a JCB outside the new server building decided to dig a trench and went right through the comms. cables ripping them out of the ground. It took 2/3 weeks to re-instate the cables delaying the switchover by a month. Luckily for the company it could immediately switch back to the timeshare provider to allow its business to continue. If this builder has done his trick several weeks later the switch back would not have been an option and the company would have suffered untold damage to its reputation and business.
Of course, this is why Disaster Recovery Plans are so important, no matter what size of company you are, having a Disaster Recovery Plan is essential.
Do you as a SaaS user have a Disaster Recovery Plan for your data stored at the SaaS provider? Plans and data that are independent of those provided by the SaaS provider.
With your own PCs/server it is relatively easy to backup and store company data off-site on an regular basis. It is all under you direct physical control. Getting to it or barring access to it is relatively easy.
Does the SaaS allow you to do this for ALL your data?
Not its own backups, but your backups that you can get to independently of the SaaS provider.
And having got the data, how easy will it be to get access to underlying applications in an emergency with little or no notice!
The cost of having to carry out these recovery plans will be fairly high but it will keep you in business. Without your data you will be severely hampered in keeping the business going.
When things are going well, it is easy to forget the problems that can be caused by the loss of a simple object like a telephone line.
My overall view is that many companies are attracted to SaaS because it saves time, money and having to deal with mundane things like data recovery plans. The very things that when the 'sh.. hits the fans' you will need in bucket fulls.
SaaS is fine when it works, but can be a real disaster when it does not!
For me SaaS is a disaster waiting to happen because it gives a false sense of security to the user company. Just because you use SaaS does not mean that you do not need an independent Disaster Recovery Plan for your company data.
How many SME's that currently use SaaS have Disaster Recovery Plans for the data held at the SaaS?
Was SaaS not supposed to remove the need for such things?
Well yes, but as you can see you can't!
Being the eternal cynic my views are
- Yes it is a new term;
- No it is not a new idea!
SaaS is basically the 1980's concept of timesharing provided by the likes of GEASCO (or was it GSISCO) during the late 70's and early 80's, but revamped to use the internet/web. The web replacing the dedicated BT telephone lines that timesharing used. Which is why in the 70's/80's it was a preserve of larger organisations who could carry the cost of the dedicated lines. With the advent of cheaper mainframes. midi's and PC's from the late 80's onwards, timesharing faded away.
Yes SaaS does allow software to be used without the headache of maintaining a system/server and it can be an economic means of using such software. But there are hidden dangers to this approach. Dangers that are very rarely addressed by the salesperson for the SaaS provider and often ignored or overlooked by the company using the SaaS system.
These dangers can be highlighted by answering the following questions:
- what happens if you loose internet connection for an extended period of time?
- what happens if the SaaS is continually attacked by a Denial of Service?
- what happens if the SaaS provider goes belly up?
- what happens if a rogue/disgruntled employee has a whole night to corrupt your data before you can contact the SaaS provider and get them barred?
The answer is simple - you cannot get to or rely on your company data!
How will this effect your company?
For most companies it would be a disaster that could at the extreme force you to go under.
Are such extended periods without access to your data likely?
Well the IT news of to-day is about the internet lines to India and the Middle East being severally disrupted due to a broken cable carrying internet traffic between Europe and Asia.
This is the crux of the problem - such downtimes/disasters cannot be forecast.
It reminds me of a situation that occured at a company I worked for in the mid 80's. It was moving from timeshare to an in-house system, with the new mainframe servers being based in the north of England some 200 miles away. Everything was set up, tested and ready for the switch over. On the morning of the switchover after a couple of hours of being live, a builder in a JCB outside the new server building decided to dig a trench and went right through the comms. cables ripping them out of the ground. It took 2/3 weeks to re-instate the cables delaying the switchover by a month. Luckily for the company it could immediately switch back to the timeshare provider to allow its business to continue. If this builder has done his trick several weeks later the switch back would not have been an option and the company would have suffered untold damage to its reputation and business.
Of course, this is why Disaster Recovery Plans are so important, no matter what size of company you are, having a Disaster Recovery Plan is essential.
Do you as a SaaS user have a Disaster Recovery Plan for your data stored at the SaaS provider? Plans and data that are independent of those provided by the SaaS provider.
With your own PCs/server it is relatively easy to backup and store company data off-site on an regular basis. It is all under you direct physical control. Getting to it or barring access to it is relatively easy.
Does the SaaS allow you to do this for ALL your data?
Not its own backups, but your backups that you can get to independently of the SaaS provider.
And having got the data, how easy will it be to get access to underlying applications in an emergency with little or no notice!
The cost of having to carry out these recovery plans will be fairly high but it will keep you in business. Without your data you will be severely hampered in keeping the business going.
When things are going well, it is easy to forget the problems that can be caused by the loss of a simple object like a telephone line.
My overall view is that many companies are attracted to SaaS because it saves time, money and having to deal with mundane things like data recovery plans. The very things that when the 'sh.. hits the fans' you will need in bucket fulls.
SaaS is fine when it works, but can be a real disaster when it does not!
For me SaaS is a disaster waiting to happen because it gives a false sense of security to the user company. Just because you use SaaS does not mean that you do not need an independent Disaster Recovery Plan for your company data.
How many SME's that currently use SaaS have Disaster Recovery Plans for the data held at the SaaS?
Was SaaS not supposed to remove the need for such things?
Well yes, but as you can see you can't!
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