ReportPlus v2.5 released, adds HTML5 Dashboard viewer, Oracle connectivity and more

ReportPlus version 2.5 adds two highly requested features by our user base to the Pro version in the app store, and introduces multi-platform support for the Enterprise version. It definitely represents a big step forward for the product and a major milestone for the team. 

Among the new features made available in the Pro version in the app store are:

Oracle Databases connectivity from your iPad or iPhone

Over the past months we've received several requests from our user base to support Oracle databases. After months of research we've been able to implement it in the same way we support other data sources, with no server side setup required, just configure the connection from your iOS device, and get started analyzing and charting your data. 

If you attempt to create a new connection to a datastore with ReportPlus v2.5 you will now see a new Oracle option, which will enable you to connect to Oracle database servers versions (10G,11G & 12C). 

Data Integration from multiple data sources

Another major feature shipped with this release is the ability to combine data from multiple data sources. This appears as a new type of data source, that can be found in the new data source wizard, under the name Multiple Data Sources.

In order to create one you must select two data sets, specify the conditions that need to be met so that ReportPlus may match rows from the different data sets, and finally the list of fields that will be retrieved from the participating data sets and will be used in the new combined data set.

This has basic applications such as if you have a data set that holds code numbers (foreign keys) for some variables but not their actual description (e.g; OfficeId, instead of OfficeName), you can now join the data set with the descriptions to have both code, and description, in a single view of the data.

It also allows more sophisticated scenarios such as merging two widgets that analyze the evolution of a metric over time so that they can be charted in the same widget side by side. You can do this just by tapping the new icon on the top navigation bar to enable selecting two widgets to be merged, and then selecting the widgets. The following is a sample of web site visits over time on the left, and sales on the right.

HTML5 Dashboard rendering for the Enterprise version of ReportPlus

The Enterprise version of ReportPlus, meant not just for individuals but for the implementation in teams or even company-wide now includes an HTML5 Dashboard repository and renderer, which enables browsing dashboards in any html browser.

This is a key piece for companies implementing BYOD (bring your own device), where iOS is part but not the whole picture, and need to be able to access ReportPlus dashboards in other devices, such as Android, or even desktop browsers. HTML Dashboards support maximizing widgets, drilling down on data, filtering by pages, etc, as the iOS version do.

The following is one of the sample dashboards displayed in a Safari browser. You can see the html rendering honors the definition of styles made in the iPad design. 

If you want to learn more about the enterprise version of ReportPlus don't hesitate to contact us.