Eliminating Buyer’s Remorse: 6 Questions to Ask Before Buying BI Report Generation Software – Part 2 of 2

How do you make sure that the BI report scheduling software you buy today isn’t going to be obsolete two or five years down the road? Last time I covered three questions that will flesh out high maintenance BI software. Today, I wrap up my story with three questions that will help you find a BI software that will grow with your company.

Question #4: Does the BI software work over the web?
Here again is another forgotten feature that many vendors are first starting to introduce in their products. Web-based administration has always been a mainstay of ChristianSteven, and now they’ve extended web access to business users through their recently-released LOKI.

With LOKI, users can review reports, run ad-hoc jobs, and manage report schedules via their smart phone or any web-enabled device wherever they are, whether that be in an airport, at a customer site, or in a meeting.

LOKI is a cost saver, too. By migrating users to the web, IT can significantly reduce the number of Crystal Reports and ChristianSteven licenses your company needs to support company-wide BI initiatives.

Question #5: What auditing capabilities come with the software?
ChristianSteven automatically records everything that is done within the software, making it a huge asset for organizations that must comply with HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and other regulatory agencies. You’ll not only know what people are doing with the software, you’ll also have a complete set of archived reports to prove compliance.

Question #6: What can be customized?
To fully address your users’ needs now and in the future, you’ll want a BI scheduling software that lets you customize messages, generate and distribute reports in a variety of formats and delivery mechanisms, and alert users via text messages.

Add to this the ability to create custom tasks that run before and after report production and delivery, and you open up the door to business process automation. For example, one millwork manufacturer and distributor transformed ChristianSteven into a real-time MRP that acknowledges customer orders; prints shop and warehouse paperwork; and delivers statements, invoices, and ship notifications.

ChristianSteven’s report scheduling and business process automation software works with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, Crystal Reports, and Microsoft Access. Watch online demos on YouTube or download your free, 30-day evaluation copy from the ChristianSteven website. Have a partnership question? Send an e-mail to partners@christiansteven.com.

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