May 2011

Tech Info

The Latest Version

SEQUEL Software is proud to introduce the latest version of our popular, browser-based interface for SEQUEL. SEQUEL Web Interface 10.0 is the easiest, most cost-effective way to display and work with SEQUEL objects—dashboards, views, reports, tables, scripts, and applications. In this issue you’ll see how to use the SEQUEL Web Interface to search for, navigate, and work with your SEQUEL objects, display SEQUEL views quickly and securely, download output as local files or IBM i files, send data as e-mail attachments, and perform drill-down functions.

Easy to Start

To start the SEQUEL Web Interface, just open your browser. You don’t have to install or maintain software on your PC, and you don’t need third-party software like Client Access.

Once you’ve configured the SEQUEL Web Interface, a simple URL, such as http://yoursystemi:400/secure/sequel/web, is all you need for secure access. After you log on with a valid user ID and password, you see its friendly new interactive Explorer.

The Explorer display is divided into a Navigation window on the left and an Object List window on the right. Along the top are separate tabs for each object you display. You can jump between tabs to review results, drill-down and regroup, create graphs, send e-mail, and more. You use the Actions button (located above the object list) to direct output for a selected object. From the upper-right corner, you can display online help and version information.

Navigating and Searching for SEQUEL Objects

From the Navigation window on the left side of the Explorer, you’ll find options for creating a list of SEQUEL objects to work with. You can search for any combination of library, object name, and object type. To use a wildcard search for libraries and names, just append an asterisk (*) to the search value.

Examples

SEQ*

Finds all library names that begin with the string ‘SEQ’

*X

Finds all library names that end with an ‘X’

*E*

Finds all libraries with an ‘E’ anywhere in their name

Use the Type drop-down option to look for specific types of SEQUEL objects. In More Options, you can filter by an object’s text description, owner, or last-changed date.

The Object List

After you navigate to a library and filter the objects, they display in the main part of the interface—the Object List window. This is where you work with SEQUEL objects and use the Actions options to display, print, download, or e-mail output.

There are many options to control the look and arrangement of the object list. You can sort columns; click and drag to move them left or right; resize column widths; and add or remove columns from the display.

Click the Actions button at the top of the object list to see the actions you can apply to an object. (You also can right-click an object to see the list.)

Working with Results

Quick, easy data access is what the SEQUEL Web Interface is all about. All of your SEQUEL objects display directly in a browser and launch a separate tab next to the Explorer tab. In each result window you can download, print, or e-mail the output. There are three ways to display results for most SEQUEL objects:

• Double-click the object in the Explorer object list.
• Select Display Results from the Actions menu.
• Right-click and select Display Results from the drop-down menu.

Actions button

Actions drop-down menu

The results open in a new, tabbed window similar to the main Explorer object list window. The body of the window shows the data selected by the view, with the column order and row sort based on the view definition.

In the Results window, you can move, resize, add, and remove columns. Use the buttons on the top of the data columns to download the results to a PC, create physical files or IFS documents on the IBM i server, or print, e-mail as an attachment, and graph the results.

Prompted Views

The SEQUEL Web Interface also supports prompted views. Depending on how the prompt is defined and the type of information, you might see drop-down lists, calendars for date selection, multi-select lists, and more.

Just fill in the required information and click OK to display the results.

Dynamic Regrouping and Drill Down

Dynamic regrouping and drill down work great in the SEQUEL Web Interface. (When you display a grouping view, you’ll see a blue arrow to the left of each record, which indicates a grouping record.)

Just right-click a record and select Regroup. When the Regroup screen that displays, choose a new field and click OK. The regrouped results display. Drilling down into detail data is just as easy.

There is much more to see in the SEQUEL Web Interface. Visit the Support page at sequel-software.com for a video overview. Or, go to the Downloads page and download a FREE trial. That’s when you’ll learn the other good news—the SEQUEL Web Interface is as easy to install as it is to use.

By Steven Smith, Technical Consultant