topic Re: How to create Reports? in Operating System - OpenVMS

How to create Reports?

ngoht20 — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:44:11 GMT

I was wondering how to generate using OpenVMS reports such as monthly averages, pay salary, yearly income, and so forth..Is it possible to create an accounting type reports using VMS?

Re: How to create Reports?

David B Sneddon — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:47:51 GMT

Personally, I would use my favourite programming
language...
More details? What exactly are you trying to do?

Dave

Re: How to create Reports?

Hein van den Heuvel — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:02:10 GMT

Datatrieve or Cobol (or Perl)

Several 3rd party products as well.

Most important question is probably how the data is stored. RMS? RDB? Oracle?

Next question would be about the report layout details. Is plain text good enough? In that case Datatrieve is probably the most powerful tool and Cobol the best language.
Or are you looking for PDF or HTML output?
For the later, BASIC and PERL may be the easiest.

Cheers,
Hein

Re: How to create Reports?

ngoht20 — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:25:35 GMT

I am trying to create an accounting or a payroll system that would be created from using COBOL.

This is yet in the works for this project.

IS there anyone here that can provide me with a sample on this can be achieved using COBOL? In other words, is there any samples out there on how statistical numbers or reports would be written in COBOL? I would like to see a sample of a program that was written in COBOL.

Re: How to create Reports?

David B Sneddon — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:40:47 GMT

I am trying to create an accounting or a payroll system that would be created from using COBOL.

Is it an accounting system or a payroll system?
They are quite different and payroll systems
in particular tend to be somewhat complex.

This is yet in the works for this project.

Once the project has specified the requirements
for the reporting, you will be in a position
to write the specifications for the programs.

IS there anyone here that can provide me with a sample on this can be achieved using COBOL? In other words, is there any samples out there on how statistical numbers or reports would be written in COBOL? I would like to see a sample of a program that was written in COBOL.

Once the specification is written, then it doesn't
matter whether it is COBOL or some other language.
How do you expect to get a "sample" program
generating reports and statistical analysis from
an unspecified data source?

Did you want someone to provide a payroll (or
accounting package) for you?

Dave

Re: How to create Reports?

Hein van den Heuvel — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 07:55:18 GMT

>> I am trying to create an accounting or a payroll system that would be created from using COBOL.

Wow, really?! From scratch, in Cobol, in 2007? Ok.

>> This is yet in the works for this project.

Is the data storage mechanisme already defined? RMS? RDB? Oracle?

>> IS there anyone here that can provide me with a sample on this can be achieved using COBOL?

RTFM... Read The Fine (F#$#&ing) Manual.
The USERGUIDE has fine snippets of what can be done, the reference manual will answer detail questions.

You'll soon see it will only do TEXT (1960's) style 'lineprinter' reports which may or might not meet your needs.
I suspect that these days the end users expect nice font selections and bolding and shading and stuff.

>> In other words, is there any samples out there on how statistical numbers or reports would be written in COBOL? I would like to see a sample of a program that was written in COBOL.

See the Manuals! They are online
www.hp.com/go/openvms ...

Regards,
Hein.

Re: How to create Reports?

Jan van den Ende — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 09:39:08 GMT

ngoht20,

from your Forum Profile:

I have assigned points to 0 of 49 responses to my questions.

I know, they are all pretty recent threads, but some of them do raise the suspicion of having just about reached the end of the discussion

Maybe you can find some time to do some assigning?

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

Mind, I do NOT say you necessarily need to give lots of points. It is fully up to _YOU_ to decide how many. If you consider an answer is not deserving any points, you can also assign 0 ( = zero ) points, and then that answer will no longer be counted as unassigned.
Consider, that every poster took at least the trouble of posting for you!

To easily find your streams with unassigned points, click your own name somewhere.
This will bring up your profile.
Near the bottom of that page, under the caption "My Question(s)" you will find "questions or topics with unassigned points " Clicking that will give all, and only, your questions that still have unassigned postings.

Thanks on behalf of your Forum colleagues.

PS. - nothing personal in this. I try to post it to everyone with this kind of assignment ratio in this forum. If you have received a posting like this before - please do not take offence - none is intended!

PPS. - Zero points for this.

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

Re: How to create Reports?

Hoff — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:12:55 GMT

>> I was wondering how to generate using OpenVMS reports such as monthly averages, pay salary, yearly income, and so forth..Is it possible to create an accounting type reports using VMS? <<

From this and from your other recent postings, please contact your IT team and your manager.

Is this task possible? Yes. It's a computer, after all.

Is this easy? No. There's no in-built accounting package in OpenVMS for this task, and this will require add-on software and local customizations, or a moderate- to large-scale custom software design effort. Most sites will lease or purchase a commercial package, as that's far cheaper and far more complete.

Is this task a firing offense? Quite possibly. Companies and employees don't tend to like salary-related information exposed, and -- unless your manager asked you to perform this accounting task -- your manager may well decide to fire you for this.

There may well be some sort of a reporting package present, as I'm guessing this box has financial data and some sort of an accounting or database package installed on it. These tend to have report generation tools.

IT and management folks tend to get really cranky if these financial packages and the associated data are accessed without authorization, or if an unintended error accessing the database should cause a failure or an outage.

Talk with your manager. Get training.