The server records for small business

Usually the boss needs accurate reports on all divisions «here and now» – in such moments, there is neither time, nor means to acquire and implement big cooperative systems. But, there is an easy solution to such tasks.

Maybe, you had to undertake the installation of automatic systems at film level. Any such system must accumulate data, process it and give the result. Usually, there is already a working program support, which does all this, but when the data is accumulated, sometimes it happens that, the process is not enough and there isn’t the needed report. It is okay, if it’s possible to turn to the developer and ask to do everything, but this is not possible, if the program was installed a long time ago or was bought in a box .In this case, it is important to get a limited fast result which can satisfy the boss and will not be very expensive. The tools for IT development-infrastructure are now, as a rule, limited. But because of the automation, there is need to optimize the business process now, controlling it and as a result, future economy.

Often there is need to do a difficult job, collect data from several bases, connect them together,analyse it and give the result in a group, accessible for analysis and controlling. The data can be different – text file, data base in the formats DBF-file, electronic file table. It happens that, the similar task cannot be solved or needs a lot of money to develop a specific program. Here, one might refuse automation, or to creating a specific solution – using early operating time and collecting constructors from different program «blocks», collect everything from the module available at the market, do a minimum binding and build upon a certain task.

The company Fast Reports (fast-report.com) has got several program products on the market, which can substantially lessen the solution to the above given tasks. This is the very missing «block», which can handle the creation of reports and the given data in the needed form. The base to all these solutions, is a powerful report generator FastReport, which has shown itself to be dependable, fast and an easy solution for data processing. 11 years of successful work at the market has allowed the company to create an easy to use program product for information systems developers and users to create needed reports

One of FastReports flag products – Report server. It is a stand-alone HTTP-server, which can be installed on any computer on a local network under the MS Windows 2000 and above operating system. Apart from the function saving static files, it can process query concerning the creation of reports, including the prior entrance of data through web forms. The user receives the result in form of HTML-page, by using an ordinary web browser or the format needed by him, for example, PDF, Open Office, Rich Text и and many others. The printing function is accessible on any printer on the network, registered on the computer, where FastReport Server, works. Server settings are very easy. Generally, it is ready to be used immediately after installation. If on the computer, there is already a different web server installed, then, only changing the number of the working port and restarting FastReportServer, is needed. It is possible to work together with the already installed web servers like IIS and Apache with the help of the CGI- application or in form of ISAP-module which comes with the FastReport Server packet. Doing that makes the running of the individual servers unnecessary – all the functions of the report server will concentrate on ISAPI DLL. All the server settings will be saved in xml-file, supplying comments and can be changed with the help of the program-configuration. All reports, being done on the FastReport Server, are compatible with the FastReport 4 format and can be transferred from early developed programs, in which FastReport 4 was. The user can, develop his own reports with the help of the FastReport Studio, report designer. Trial version comes together with the server packet, and the license of FastReport Studio Single the buyer of server, receives as a present. It is important to note the possibility of FastReport to create several connections to the data base in one report and collect information from different data bases. Generally, any data can be used, accessible through ODBC-driver

Not long ago, Fast Reports released an update of its server solution. FastReport Server 2.1 has become stable and faster, improved the interaction with famous web servers like Microsoft IIS and Apache. The most important innovation became the possibility to use in the MS Windows authentication , which opens the possibility for a tight integration in the Active Directory domain and make simpler the running of records account and users group – each users group can form a report which it needs – managing – someone, accountant – another. And every user can be absolutely calm because of the accuracy of the information being received – the report will be formed on its query exactly at that moment, when it is needed!