Ad Hoc Report Builder & SAS AF Vs. SQL*Forms

I am in the process of putting together a reporting system for my company. This sytem is to provide reports for several different Oracle applications via a dynamic menuing system I am developing with Sql*Forms 3.0.

My request is 2-part:

First, a re-occuring request is for an easy to use (for non-SQL programmer) ad-hoc report building system. I know about data-browser and a few others in C, but they are all limited to a specific application or as with Data Browser are ignorant of table joins, table size and optimum index usage. Is there something out there that does all this on a Unix or VMS system?

Second, we have a group of developers who have suggested in using SAS AF as the reporting front-end and re-writing all reports from SQL*Plus, SQL*RPT, SQL*Reportwriter and C into SAS. More than anything else I would like comments on this debate from anyone who has used SAS AF and any possible benefits or weaknesses of it Vs. SQL*Forms.

Benefits of SAS AF:
  GUI interface (still waiting for Forms 4.0)   reports and front-end will be under the same roof of SAS   Graphics capabilities on all reports.

Problems with SAS AF:
  Hardware dependant (you need a magnifying flass for X-window emulation on PC)   must re-write all reports
  CPU?    Thanks in advance,

Mark Wilcox                             Storage Technology Corp.
                                        303-673-7678
                                        V042562_at_QUERY.STORTEK.COM