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  7. Product Review: BOSaNOVA Launcher/400

Product Review: BOSaNOVA Launcher/400

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Today, even in organizations that depend on iSeries as their primary information technology engine, the technology on users' desktops is increasingly PCs rather than green-screens. Furthermore, because of the prevalence of Microsoft Office, most users are more familiar with the applications in that suite than they are with any other software. Often, they'll even use one or more Office applications at home as well as at work. Taking advantage of this familiarity, while still employing iSeries' superior data management capabilities, can reduce training times and increase productivity, without giving up the iSeries' security, control, and scalability features. Launcher/400 Office from BOSaNOVA can help organizations implement this strategy.

Launcher/400 Office

Launcher/400 Office is designed to serve iSeries data to Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, in a way that is transparent to users. Beyond Office, it also works with any application built to the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) standard, allowing a more-complete integration with the various applications in use on PCs across your organization. In addition, with Launcher/400 Office, any standard Windows program can be launched directly from an iSeries server, thereby making it possible to automate Microsoft Office and other Windows-based application functions.

With Launcher/400 Office working in the background, users can open a standard document and it will automatically be populated with the required information from the iSeries server. The movement of files to and from the iSeries IFS or iSeries DB2/400 queries and users' PCs is fully automated. The documents that users work with can be enhanced with any objects available to either the PCs or iSeries, including barcodes, digitized signatures, and graphics, such as company logos. If the user makes any changes, Launcher/400 Office applies those changes to the source iSeries data, without the need for any additional action on the user's part.

In addition to being able to work with Office's proprietary document formats, Launcher/400 Office can be used to create documents in HTML and PDF formats. It can also be used to email or fax any document directly from an iSeries server.

For organizations currently using OfficeVision/400 applications, the integration features of Launcher/400 Office make it relatively easy to migrate templates and documents to Microsoft Office.

Launcher/400 Office will be appreciated by organizations that want to draw on the stability, scalability, security, and data management features of iSeries, while providing users with a familiar Windows and Microsoft Office front-end.

Launcher/400 SQL

There's another side to the iSeries and Windows integration coin. In many organizations, in addition to iSeries, considerable information is now stored on a variety of databases running on Windows servers. Accessing this Windows-based data through native iSeries programs, without having to duplicate the data, can leverage the value offered by both platforms. BOSaNOVA offers another product, Launcher/400 SQL, that serves this need. With Launcher/400 SQL, iSeries programs can display and update the data in any Windows-based, ODBC-compliant database.

Launcher/400 SQL is an API for iSeries languages operating in both ILE and non-ILE modes. To eliminate the need for data duplication and synchronization, iSeries native programs are in direct connection with live data on the external servers.

Launcher/400 SQL is compliant with all OS/400 and i5/OS versions since V4R2 and works with all iSeries programming languages, including, among others, RPG, CL, COBOL, and C, as well as 4GLs. It also supports all standard SQL commands, including Select, Insert, Update, Call, Create, and Commit. And Launcher/400 SQL can be used to call stored procedures. In addition, it supports all data sources with an ODBC driver, including Microsoft SQL Server, ORACLE, MS Access, MySQL, DB2, and Excel. Furthermore, all SQL data types are automatically translated to the corresponding iSeries data types as required.

Installation

Installing Launcher/400 Office and Launcher/400 SQL is fast and easy. Both products consist of two components, one that runs on Windows and one that runs on iSeries. To install either Launcher/400 Office or Launcher/400 SQL, you first load the Windows component, which takes about four minutes. After that component is installed, Launcher/400 provides the option of installing the iSeries component, which, if this option is selected, is done via FTP.

Even for Launcher/400 Office, which users interact with more directly than Launcher/400 SQL, configuration is usually done by someone from the IT department. Once the configuration is complete, Launcher/400 Office works in the background and users are typically not aware of its existence. They simply work with spreadsheets and documents as they would if they resided on their own PCs.

Installation would likely require some instruction and hand-holding for someone without any computer skills, but anyone familiar with any iSeries programming language, such as CL or RPG, should be able to complete the installation processes without any difficulty or additional training.

Value

Organizations will derive value from Launcher/400 by using it to take the best advantage of the different strengths available on the iSeries and Windows platforms. "iSeries/Windows integration is certainly an important challenge today, and Launcher/400 is a very timely solution that allows users to leverage their investment in iSeries," explained Martin Pladgeman, president of BOSaNOVA Inc. "It empowers iSeries users to combine the power and flexibility of Microsoft Windows applications and the control of iSeries. They get the best of Microsoft and of IBM."

BOSaNOVA offers a 30-day free trial, downloadable through the Web, that allows organizations to try Launcher/400 before buying it.

Specifications

iSeries

  • Compliant with all OS/400 and i5/OS versions since V4R2
  • Programming interface available for ILE and non-ILE environments
  • For batch and interactive jobs

Windows

  • Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT, XP, 2003
  • Supports all databases compliant with ODBC (Launcher/400 SQL)
  • Configuration in "Service" and "Desktop" modes (Launcher/400 SQL)

Connectivity

  • Uses only TCP/IP to connect to Windows. Does not require the use of any other middleware.

Launcher/400 Office and Launcher/400 SQL are independent products. Licensing fees are charged per module and vary depending on the iSeries Processor Group that the iSeries-based module runs on.

Joel Klebanoff is a consultant, a writer, president of Klebanoff Associates, Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based marketing communications firm, and author of BYTE-ing Satire. Joel has 25 years experience working in IT, first as a programmer/analyst and then as a marketer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in computer science and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto. Contact Joel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
http://www.mcpressonline.com/articles/images/2002/050906Launcher00.png
BOSaNOVA, Inc.
2012 W. Lone Cactus Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85027-9919
USA
Web: www.bosanova.net
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 866.865.5250

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