Enterprise Reporting Software Should Create Reports Quickly
by: Scott Duglase33
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Word Count: 509
Initial setup experience and ease of use is the first characteristic to research when finding an enterprise reporting solution. If it requires a technical resource from IT just to install it then more than likely it won't be easy to use either. Most modern reporting software will install easily and will integrate into tools that employees are already familiar with, such as Microsoft Office. For example, you can create a document in Microsoft Word and then with the click of a button you can publish the document as a data template ready to be populated with data from a variety of data sources.
Enterprise reporting software should also be able to save multiple versions of your reports. Sometimes you need to make small incremental changes to reports and you want to save each change so that you can revert back to a previous version if the need should arise. By storing multiple versions you can track your changes and combine them to create the report that best fulfills your current needs.
The ability to generate reports from multiple data sources will also speed up the report creation process. Hooking into multiple data sources and presenting them in the same report can be complicated to say the least. Good reporting software should make this task intuitive and fast. For example, you might want to generate a document that retrieves sales figures from a database and statistical figures from a spreadsheet and displays them together. The ability to display and manipulate data from multiple data sources is a very useful and convenient feature.
Enterprise reporting software can also help distribute reports. Some software suites have the capability to prepare mass mailings that can be sent out and some even email documents to their intended audiences or automatically publish to a website where the intended audience can easily view up to date information.
Enterprise reporting software is an invaluable tool to any organization that is faced with the sometimes daunting task of providing reports to a large audience. Good reporting software should be easy to use, integrate seamlessly into existing productivity software, provide report version control, host data from multiple data sources in the same document, and be able to automatically distribute them to their intended audience. All of these key characteristics will help your reporting staff to quickly and easily design meaningful reports to display vital data.
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About the Author
For Scott Duglase, finding a balance between client time and office time can be a challenge. His search for business reporting solutions has led him to Windward Reports. Their SharePoint reporting services allow him to maximize his productivity by streamlining his process all while creating an informative and powerful presentation.
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