Re: Interactive Interface for Oracle ?

fransh_at_hotmail.com (Frans H.) wrote in message news:<31abf0e5.0304180456.502a30eb_at_posting.google.com>...
> Daniel Morgan <damorgan_at_exesolutions.com> wrote in message news:<3E9F7617.35F3D6C8_at_exesolutions.com>...
> > RM wrote:
> >
> > > I need to create an application where the end user can retrieve data from
> > > Oracle and send the output to excel spreadsheets. Basically, I need to
> > > provide a user friendly graphical interface where the user can input their
> > > criteria's.
> > >
> > > Do you have suggestions as to sources that can tell me how to do this. Any
> > > books, web site etc . . .
> >
> > No. Nor would I ever support sending database data to a spreadsheet. Unless,
> > of course, the object of the exercise is to let end-users massage data so that
> > reports will reflect untruths.
> >
> > What can they possibly do in Excell that can't be better done in Oracle with a
> > decent report writer? Nothing except as noted above.
> >
> > Daniel Morgan
>
> Oracle Discoverer would be an option, or Oraxcel.
> And there are a few things that can be better be done in Excel than
> with a report writer. Think of the graphics (although there are much
> better programs around) or of the analytical functions in excel.
> Furthermore there are several analytical programs that will more
> easily use spreadsheets as input,

Some users have wild screaming orgasms when I give them a program that can grab the oracle data into Excel, integrated into their other apps that run thin-client (ie, enter data about a customer and a product and have a spreadsheet magically appear that they can manipulate for a quote, email back and forth to production engineers and so forth). Even though I seriously hate Excel and do much to avoid it, there's something about my customers having wild screaming orgasms that tends to be lucrative. I was bummed to find out the vendor of the program language has decremented the activex stuff (which, since I seriously hate MS software, has given me mixed feelings, to say the least). If it were up to me, of course, I would try to put everything into Oracle, but it isn't, and even if it were, it would take a long time and be very expensive to get there. And that isn't in the budget.

To the original poster: I think VB and similar things suck, but it and activeX sounds like what you want. Also, go into excel help and type in Oracle, you may be able to do what you need directly with macros, if the needs are simple enough and you have a suitable db design. The group would probably be interested in your thoughts on oraxcel, too. Discoverer is a good tool, but it has quite a learning curve and you may need DBA support and perhaps an expensive class to get going.

jg

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