News & Views, May 2001

Join mrc product specialist Diane Coli at COMMON’s Spring 2001 IT Education Conference for a special presentation. Diane will present "Making Your iSeries Data Internet Accessible Using Java" at this year’s conference on May 16th at 5:00 PM.

Diane will discuss many of the issues that iSeries shops face today, and how mrc addresses those issues:

Many iSeries shops haven’t implemented Java due to legacy code problems, cost factors, or learning curve inhibitors. Despite these barriers, the convenience and efficiency of browser­based access to iSeries data is in high demand. This discussion will demonstrate an easy and affordable way to integrate new technologies with your current system, without sacrificing the speed or functionality of the iSeries.

This session will demonstrate the use of mrc­Productivity Series, the thin­client rapid application development tool suite, to develop applications that can be executed from an Internet browser from one set of specifications. Java applets will be generated using the tool suite, making actual iSeries data accessible to Internet/intranet users.

You don’t want to miss this presentation, but if you do, it will be available on our Web site after the conference.

Join mrc and COMMON in "The Big Easy" - New Orleans, Louisiana - for four days of education and networking. You’ll learn about "B2B and All That Jazz" at the Spring 2001 IT Education Conference and Expo/Solution Center.

Conference sessions and special events will take place in the Ernest Morial Convention Center and the Hilton New Orleans Riverside at 2 Pydras Street. mrc will provide several educational sessions on Web application development.

You can also visit mrc in the COMMON Solution Center, booth #107.

In the March News & Views, we discussed the benefits of transitioning your legacy or client/server applications to Web-based applications. We’ll continue this discussion by examining the many Web technologies available to our customers and their advantages. This month, we’ll start with the basics: HTML.

HTML is used to create the most basic Web page and is the most standardized, Web-specific language. Typically, HTML involves a graphic designer or Webmaster, as HTML is primarily used to display text or static data — essentially, the "brochure-ware" section of your Web site. HTML is not a programming language, so its capabilities are quite limited in terms of application functionality. It is, however, universally accessible, distributed quickly over the Internet, and easy to learn.

mrc has creatively combined many features of HTML into its application development tool suite. Let’s take a look at what you can do with these features:

MRCRPTSND command autmatically converts your reports to HTML
• All reporting features are supported, so you can build fully functional Web reports complete with conditional calculations, run time parameters, and calls to your external routines. You can also add such Web features as links and pictures to make your reports more interactive.
• Web-based report distribution is a fast and inexpensive way to share information.
• HTML reports can be automatically added to your Web site or e-mailed to the desired recipients.

Automatically generate HTML pages with our "Report to HTML" option
• Put your mrc knowledge to work and publish all kinds of content — even non-traditional data — on your Web site, without learning new technologies.
• Create easy-to-maintain Web pages that allow any user to update your Web site.
• Simply run the report to automatically update your Web site.

Import and export the "look" of a Web site
• The mrc user does not need to touch or understand any HTML in order to build applications that fit in with the rest of the Web site.
• All Web applications and pages seamlessly match each other with consistent navigation, graphics, design elements, and color scheme.
• The webmaster and Web designer can create any look they want for the applications without touching a green screen interface. They are free to incorporate any Web technology and use any HTML editing software to create the desired look.

HTML might be used to display:

• Static content or brochures.
• Data that changes infrequently or at scheduled times.
• Web pages that may be served on any Web server.

Examples of ideal HTML applications include:

• Weekly, monthly, quarterly reports.
• Home or welcome pages.
• Listings - of products, employees, or contact information.

Watch for next month’s News & Views when we take a close look at CGI.

With mrc’s consulting services, you can focus on your key strengths while still reaching your goals — on time. Use our consulting services for:

• Outsourcing: Instead of hiring and training more staff, you can delegate entire projects to your mrc consulting team. From start to finish, we’ll handle any projects you outsource to us.
• Software integration: The mrc-Productivity Series enhances and extends many third-party software packages. If you are struggling to integrate your business with an ERP or CRM package, let mrc optimize your solution.
• Application customization: You may have basic applications already in use, but users want more functionality. Let mrc take your applications to the next level.

Don’t forget to enter our drawing to win three free days of mrc consulting services. Fill out the contest entry form by clicking here.

Discover how mrc’s consulting services can help you get productive! Click here for more information.

Every April, we ask our customers to share their feedback with mrc. Please click here to take our online survey.

Describe your consulting need to enter our drawing to win 3 days of mrc consulting services! Click here to go directly to the contest entry form.

mrc offers training sessions at both your location and ours. Visit our education area for more information on our education services, or click here to view our schedule for the entire year. (You will have to log in with your user name and password to visit this area. If you need login instructions, please click here first.)