IBM AS/400e

IBM Licensed Programs: Systems Management Products
634 AS/400e System Handbook
• Compressing reports from one-half to one-seventeenth of the original size immediately
increases effective magnetic storage space.
• Magnetic disk storage becomes affordable for extended high-access periods before
compressed reports are automatically migrated to optical or tape. Migration to optical
libraries takes less time using OnDemand compression and multiple report
management cycles that allow writing to multiple drives at the same time.
OnDemand for AS/400 report definition is fast and easy with the Graphical Report Definition
tool, included as part of Spool File Archive. The graphical report definition tool enables report
administrators to easily define reports, using a visual mouse-driven point-and-click approach.
Using the tool, AS/400 spooled files are selected directly from the workstation. Reports are
then defined to OnDemand by highlighting the location of data such as key fields and report
date. Other characteristics of the report are also defined using the tool, such as the report's
printer file and collection name.
Report definitions can be exported to OnDemand for AS/400 servers with the Report
Definition Import/Export Utility.
The graphical report definition tool is an alternative to the 5250-based Work with Report
Definition screens, which are available to administrators who do not have access to a
programmable workstation. The graphical report definition tool reduces the time required to
get reports into production for end-users and requires less time to learn report definition.
The graphical report definition tool runs on a Windows 95 or OS/2 or workstation and requires
Client Access.
Spool File Archive APIs are available to add advanced integration function to application
programs. The APIs enable functions to:
• Retrieve a list of archived document segments that match specific search criteria
• Retrieve specific archived document segments from the document hit list
• Retrieve a set of archived index records
• Retrieve a specific set of archived resources
Reports and documents can include electronic “sticky” notes with the document annotation
feature of Spool File Archive. Annotations allow end-users to attach notes to individual
archived documents or segments. Viewing annotations can be limited to the user who
created the note or made it available to all OnDemand users. Annotations are stored
separately from the archived document, maintaining the integrity of the original spooled file.
OnDemand provides support for the integrated file system. Spool File Archive reports and
Object Archive objects which have been archived to disk are stored using the integrated file
system. Using integrated file systems can provide faster data retrieval times and an easier
way to save OnDemand data, while excluding other data stored in Integrated File Systems
files or folders.