Query: Easy Analysis

No mainframe skills required
Dozens of “ad hoc” query options
Simple yet effective display tools
Reduce complexity: Include only the tables, columns and rows required
Improve clarity: Give the Tables and columns user friendly names
Help available from experienced experts
Every step in your analysis is logged

No mainframe skills required

Even though you may not be accessing a data mart or warehouse, you don’t need to be an expert in mainframe programming and data formatting rules to run Query directly against your mainframe data. A permanent read-only data definition link can be set up using our Data Definition Wizard that automatically handles all of the processes required to access and present the data.

After that, Query brings you the current data automatically. All the Query interfaces and commands are in a standard Windows format. Just start up the application and select a table. You are immediately shown the data in a spreadsheet-like format and can then choose from a wide range of commands (such as Summarize, Duplicates or Stratify) to begin generating results in moments.

Dozens of “ad hoc” query options

Not all of us are skilled at planning what we intend to analyze beforehand—and even the best data analyst comes up with new, spontaneous questions based on seeing initial results. That is why Query is designed with a wealth of simple ad hoc commands.

As an example, suppose you want to see your sales broken down by region, or product, or customer. We call this “classification”. There’s no need to type in complicated syntax. Simply use the Tools menu, pull down the Classify command, choose the columns you want classified and totaled, and you’re done. Query does the rest, with amazing speed, and without the need to prepare the data (such as sorting).

Exception reporting is another common example. Suppose you want to identify all purchases over $1,000 with no purchase order. Just a couple of clicks in the data view and you’ll have your list.

Query has been used to analyze mainframe data for almost 20 years, and is up to the most challenging requirements.

Simple yet effective display tools

Query presents data in a spreadsheet-like format. As an example, if you want to add a column to an existing view that shows an existing column converted from dollars to British pounds, no problem. You can rearrange the data columns, resize each one separately, assign a different font, build a report header and print the table out. Query also comes with a variety of graph formats, including pie, line and bar charts.

Reduce complexity: Include only the tables, columns and rows required

You’re not required to show all the data on your server, nor are you required to show every data element for the data sets chosen. Instead, you explicitly select which tables and which columns are displayed for users. This can serve both to remove unnecessary complexity from the interface, as well as to focus on the remaining items.

Similarly, you can choose to restrict the rows (records) that are included in the table to those that are relevant for the application.

Using our easy Windows based tools, it is simple to add, delete or modify the set of tables, columns and rows available to the users.

Where you have multiple user groups, each user group can see an appropriate set of information.

Improve clarity: Give the Tables and columns user friendly names

You’re not limited to displaying the mainframe’s internal system names for the tables and columns you choose to present. Query allows you to easily re-label any table or column so users will instantly know what they represent.

Help available from experienced experts

For the user, Query handles the data retrieval in the background, requiring no attention or effort. It’s the same with our support. Whether your organization needs support, training, or consulting, Arbutus is always there.

Our data experts have decades of experience in mainframe data access and conversion. We will ensure you get access to your data on schedule, and that users and IT administrators can do their jobs with confidence.

Every step in your analysis is logged

An “ad hoc” query doesn’t have to be disorganized. Are you unsure afterwards how you got a result? Or do you occasionally need to stop in the middle of a task, and resume hours or days later? Query records every step of your analysis, including a summary of the results, in a log. You can even cut and paste from the log to create a scripted series of commands for reuse later.