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Intelligence Reporting Options

  • 1.  Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:06
    Are there any white papers differentiating the myriad of data mining reporting options?  We have Sage intelligence (for who knows how long), Sage Enterprise Intelligence, Sage Data and Analytics, Dataself, Biznet and Frx.

    I have a client that has outgrown SI(gh) and I need to recommend something.

    TIA

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    Jeff Schwenk
    FORMER 90M Board Member -140,000,000 is a TERRIBLE thing to waste!!!
    Bottomline Software, Inc.
    Waynesboro VA
    540-221-4444
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  • 2.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:38
    Edited by Doug Higgs 03-02-2022 10:39
    @Jeff Schwenk  I don't believe it is necessary to include FRx in the analysis. 

    I did a presentation for the 2021 MOTM comparing some reporting tools.  The tools I compared in the evaluation were: Crystal Reports, Sage Intelligence, Excel, Power BI, Tableau, and DataSelf Analytics. if you are interested in the PowerPoint I have, then have @Robert Wood or someone with authority send me an email authorizing me to share it with you.  
    ​​

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    Doug Higgs
    Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
    (312) 315-0960
    Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
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  • 3.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:43
    I am interested in this as well.

    Thank you

    Jeff Fiddelman

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    Jeff Fiddelman
    Exeplex, LLC
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  • 4.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:48
      |   view attached
    Here's the PowerPoint.  I received permission to share this.

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    Doug Higgs
    Midwest Commerce Solutions, Inc
    (312) 315-0960
    Chauffeur, Chef, and Personal Assistant to Sprinkles
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)



  • 5.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 10:49
    Edited by Wayne Schulz 03-02-2022 11:43

    I think this is an interesting topic.
    Also need to consider WHAT aspect of SI is being outgrown.

    Is it a speed of reporting problem? 
    I had a customer who thought they had a problem and found out that the lowball provider they found online just did a really ( really ) bad job of creating reports. ( Spoiler: Using outsourced overseas bids for this type of thing rarely ends well ).

    Is it an issue with analytics and wanting more powerful dashboards? 

    One of the issues IMO with SI is that it tries to be all things to all people

    The other issue, IMO,  with SI is that it's part of the Sage first line of ISV integrations where earning tier and commissions are the number one and two goals ahead of creating a highly satisfied and referenceable customer.

    And the other big issue that I feel all Excel reporting tools have is the customer thinks "this is Excel - I can do this myself" and you hear from them in 2 years and they have this rats nest of reports they created which frequently aren't supportable except by the person who created them.



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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    http://www.s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    860-516-8990
    Moodus, CT
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  • 6.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 11:53
    @Wayne Schulz - Great points.  Probably all of the above.  Would add another irritant in that SI will run great then one day the Excel Addins are missing.  Or user will get new laptop/workstation and then you have to go through set up once again which is painful to say the least.  Full disclosure, I am not a SI expert.

    For this client, there are many users, five plus companies, large data sets ​and a very aggressive IT department (they were off line nearly a month last year from a cyber attack).  Financial (only use) Report generation on a good day take time.  Now it is taking hours.  Something happened about a month ago to slow reports tremendously.  Still looking for the reason.  But because of all the other issues, it is time to look at other products.

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    Jeff Schwenk
    FORMER 90M Board Member -140,000,000 is a TERRIBLE thing to waste!!!
    Bottomline Software, Inc.
    Waynesboro VA
    540-221-4444
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 12:25
    IMO the biggest functional disadvantage of SI is that you can't just click "refresh" from within the spreadsheet (to pull in newly posted data).  You have to run it from Sage again to regenerate the hidden temp data (which takes far too long sometimes).

    F9 should be a part of this discussion...
    https://www.f9.com/erps/erp-sage

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    Kevin Moyes
    Technical Systems Analyst
    Munjal White Consulting Co.
    Toronto ON
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  • 8.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 12:26
    It doesn't help that over the past 3 to 5 years Sage seems to have given up on this product in terms of producing updates or providing additional support resources.

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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    http://www.s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    860-516-8990
    Moodus, CT
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  • 9.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 13:00
    just in the past 3-5 years?  I am still waiting on the rewrite the RMA module released in the first decade of the 21st century.  Many times I have felt as if I am stranded on a deserted island.  Thanks goodness for Wilson.

    Cast Away (3/5) Movie CLIP - Never Again (2000) HD - YouTube

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    Jeff Schwenk
    FORMER 90M Board Member -140,000,000 is a TERRIBLE thing to waste!!!
    Bottomline Software, Inc.
    Waynesboro VA
    540-221-4444
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  • 10.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 13:14
    The RMA update is coming right after IRP.
    No wonder every slide from Sage 100 2022  is stamped "Sage Confidential - DO NOT SHARE".
    They should be embarrassed by how poorly they've managed their product line.

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    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    http://www.s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    860-516-8990
    Moodus, CT
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Intelligence Reporting Options

    Posted 03-02-2022 17:26
    I suggest moving this discussion up a level with the customer. Because not resolving this bleeding sore can lead to junking the entire Sage 100 system for something else. 

    If that happens, it would be for some version of a cloud system. So, suggesting that part of the solution is to put Sage 100 into cloud/TS is not crazy, whether SPC or not. At the least this removes the idiocy of their IT dept and the challenge of new user-computers; our cloud customers simply don't experience workstation-related crapola anymore. 

    Data access problems indicate perhaps migration to Premium -- or using a product like DataSelf that periodically collects the data into a warehouse of some sort. 

    This is not free. So they need to do a significant investigation into the value they can gain from changing this up. I am pretty sure that somebody in that org is already pestering somebody in charge that they know of a better way ... so best to get ahead of this.

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    Jerry Norman
    At-Large BOD Member, 90 Minds
    Smartbridge Partners
    512.419.1444 x112
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