September 2007


Issue Date:
September 2007


MITS Launches MITS Discover 7.0 Beta

The MITS development team has been hard at work creating new features to add to MITS Discover and we are pleased to announce the 7.0 Beta release is ready and awaiting qualified sites interested in testing and providing feedback about their experience..

Last month’s newsletter included a teaser about the inclusion of drag-and-drop columns with the upcoming MITS Discover release, but that is just one of the many new and exciting additions to be included in the 7.0 release.

Test sites will get a sneak peak at features such as:

  • Change Display Columns: Add/remove multiple columns on a flash screen
  • The ability to add/remove drill-down paths without needing to rebuild all of the history in the hypercube
  • The "Expand by Specific Values" Drill-Down feature redesign
  • UniObjects for Java Support in the Java MitsWeb Gateway
  • MitsMaker Data Pool – Customize Sample Button Command

MitsWeb Dashboard users will also enjoy the opportunity to test out the much anticipated MitsWeb Dashboard Object Creator and the Dashboard Object Library Management interface.

For information about participating in MITS Discover 7.0 Beta testing, please contact your MITS Account Executive or send us an email at info@mits.com



Tech Tip – MITS Report and Excel Web Query Support

MITS has taken note of those of you who spend a lot of time in Excel and added a handy new feature in the forthcoming 1.2 release of MITS Report that will allow users to query MITS Report data from within an Excel spreadsheet. The following tech tip provides steps to get you started using the powerful Excel Web Query Support feature.

Microsoft Excel includes a utility built in which allows the spreadsheet to update its data from the web (or in this case MITS Report). To use an Excel Web Query do the following:
  1. Create or launch a Report in MITS Report
  2. Click the Export menu option, then click the Advanced Options submenu item
  3. In the Export window check the box labeled Enable Web Updates for Data
  4. Click Export

Once you’ve downloaded the exported file, (with extension .iqy instead of .xls) run it in Excel. You might be prompted to log into MITS Report again. After that, your data will appear.

Here is where this feature really shines; after the next Report Source update, open up the Web Query Spreadsheet or simply right click the top row and choose "Refresh Data" if the spreadsheet is already open. The spreadsheet will now have up-to-date data in it without exporting it again!

From here you can build pivot tables and charts from your customer reports without having to re-export and rebuild them each time the Report Source is updated.



Employee Spotlight – Charles Alston

Hot on the heels of the MITS Discover 7.0 release, we decided to give MITS Technical Writer, Charles Alston a break from producing our documentation and introduce him to the rest of the MITS community. Since joining the team in January, Charles has collaborated with many departments throughout the company to help both existing and potential customers improve their understanding of MITS products through the creation of tutorials, white papers, online demos, and documentation.
After last year’s addition of MITS Report to the MITS product line and with many exciting development efforts in play, MITS realized a need to add a devoted technical writer to the staff. Lucky for us, a member of our development staff had a candidate in mind looking for an opportunity to build on his writing skills. When asked how he heard about the position at MITS, Charles states "Serendipity and fortuitous happenstance brought me to MITS. I was looking for a change in career. My brother Sam, a developer here at MITS, mentioned to me that MITS was in need of a technical writer. I liked writing and considered myself to be somewhat tech-savvy, so I applied. The rest of the pieces just fell into place." Charles’ drive, creativity and ability to learn new technologies have contributed to the improvement of how MITS communicates company and product information. In addition to the creation of product documentation, he has taken the reins on projects such as a new, easy-to-follow MitsWeb tutorial, updating the website, and the development of online product overviews.

As someone who enjoys hard work and a challenge, Charles had a hard time choosing his "favorite" types of projects saying, "With so much to choose from, I guess I would have to say my favorite project is whichever project I happen to be working on. I enjoy the challenge involved in creating good documentation as well as tutorials that are not only helpful, but that are easy to use and understand." We know that the MITS community will appreciate the enthusiasm Charles has for creating and conveying meaningful information as much as we appreciate the contribution he has made to the MITS team.

Is there a MITS employee you’d like to see featured in the Employee Spotlight? Let us know at info@mits.com



   
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