Category: CONVERT SPOOL TO EXCEL
CoolSpools Case Study – Global Clothing Business
Posted on March 01, 2018at 10:26 am
Our client provides consumers around the world with its diverse portfolio of iconic lifestyle brands. Founded over 100 years ago, they are one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies with operations spanning numerous geographies, product categories and distribution channels.
CoolSpools is used in several ways at the company:
- As an add on to their custom software, specifically for Inventory tracking and website feeds.
- All Inventory reporting is emailed to many users (using CoolSpools’ email address lists) as spreadsheets, created from both DB files and SQLs using CoolSpools’ Conversion to Excel Spreadsheet software.
- Several CSV files are sent to third party application suppliers, using CoolSpools’ Conversion to CSV software.
- For daily website processing, an XML file, created using the database-to-XML mapping tool in CoolSpools, is sent to a third party.
The client’s Senior Systems Analyst comments “I wanted to thank you and your support staff for the invaluable help you have provided to me and my organization this year. At the organizations at which I previously worked, I had not worked with CoolSpools. It would have saved innumerable hours (maybe months) in the initial creation and simple modification of files and reports!
You have a great product and you and the entire staff should be very proud of all the hard work that has been put into the (continuing) design and development of it.”
CoolSpools Case Study – DiVal Safety Equipment
Posted on June 13, 2016at 8:45 am
Spool to PDF conversions help DiVal Safety Equipment, a large, US based distributor of safety and industrial products. They own and operate several offices and warehouses throughout the Eastern, Central & Southern United States.
How does DiVal use CoolSpools?
DiVal have hundreds of automated spool to PDF conversions for such things as emailing invoices, statements, purchase orders, acknowledgements, etc. and they are also starting to use CoolSpools to archive day-end reports which have historically been bound and stored.
CoolSpools is used by DiVal to convert (to PDF) and email artwork held on the IFS for their silk screening, needlework and tool repair processes and their team have written a CL with a prompt for a query name/library and email address, so that any member of staff who uses Query/400 can send & receive worksheets via email.
To achieve a workflow solution DiVal use RPG XML to create HTML which is put into the SNDCMN or CVT command so their customer gets an email with a “response” link, an attachment of the PDF document to be approved, buttons to Approve, Approve with Change or Decline, and a text box for comments. They are also able to embed a logo header and footer into the email using HTML pointing to a web server.
Paul McMahon of Dival Safety Equipment says “Having previously used IBM’s SNDDST with stand-alone PDF and Excel converters CoolSpools is day and night as to flexibility and ease of use, plus it’s more reliable. If you ask me to describe the CoolSpools product and support team it’s easy because I’ve said it to lots of people. They are absolutely hands down the best I’ve worked with. From guiding me through maps and template creation, to figuring out (and fixing) why certain Query/400 results error out, to help with attaching and embedding files and gifs for enhancing the display of emails. Every time I think I’m pushing the envelope, the CoolSpools folks have a suggestion or solution!”
Posted on November 03, 2015at 11:45 am
Communication in the modern world – converting iSeries files to xml
Communication has always been key to development, strategy, progress and indeed survival, but in the modern world individuals and organisations alike often suffer from communication overload. That is why it is increasingly important that information is filtered and delivered to the recipient in a meaningful and relevant way. Converting important data from your iSeries system to be shared across intranets, the world wide web and elsewhere requires a flexible file format. CoolSpools (http://www.coolspools.com/) has been developed to facilitate the conversion of iSeries spool files and database files to XML and a variety of formats including Excel, CSV, HTML, TXT, RTF and fully searchable PDFs.
Why xml?
XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language. XML is a flexible, open and powerful way to help you exchange information among diverse platforms and applications, geographic boundaries and businesses. XML is widely touted as a key component in the solution to the problem of information exchange between applications and within BtoB environments. XML is simple, extensible and, best of all, nonproprietary.
In order for your applications to work with XML content, you need an XML parser. An XML parser is a set of APIs that assist in the creation, navigation (retrieval) or modification of XML document content. CoolSpools removes the need of a parser to create XML from your data from spool files and database files.
CoolSpools Spool Converter and Database
The CoolSpools Spool Converter and Database products have been installed across the globe, providing our customers with a simple and reliable system to convert data from their iSeries spool files and database files. CoolSpools runs only on IBM iSeries servers, without the need of a PC.
To see what they think of our CoolSpools software solutions take a look at our testimonial section on our website, where you will find a selection of genuine comments from a range of our customers /Testimonials.htm. You can download CoolSpools for a no-obligation 30-day free trial from /cooldown.php
For further information on how you could implement the CoolSpools software to convert your iSeries files to into xml format then email sales@ariadnesoftware.co.uk or phone and speak to one of our experts directly on + 44 (0)1625 547962.
CoolSpools – help save the environment, time and costs.
Posted on November 24, 2014at 3:31 pm
Surely these are common objectives for most global companies these days. At Ariadne, the well-established software expert, we have developed a piece of software that achieves all three of these aims in one. CoolSpools is a specialist product which converts IBM iSeries data into spreadsheets, emails and other more manageable and usable files.
How does it help to save the environment?
Historically data taken from iSeries databases has been printed out and circulated as a hard copy. Using the CoolSpools software appropriate information can be sorted, filtered and distributed all electronically by email or by allowing key personnel to access files directly from the server, so saving printing and paper. This obviously helps organisations reduce their paper usage whilst also saving time, both of which means cost savings too.
CoolSpools Converts iSeries Data to Excel Spreadsheets
Once you have the BASE element of the CoolSpools software, you can select from a variety of options to suit your business requirements. The Spool Converter option allows the user to convert spool files to Excel and other formats. Also the Email option enables multiple attachments to be emailed including Excel files. Converting your iSeries data from your database into one or several Excel spreadsheets then allows you or your analyst or perhaps your sales managers or operations director to interpret the data and use this crucial information to direct the business going forward. The Spool Converter has the functionality to produce internal reports which can be split reports in the form of multiple Excel spreadsheets.
Professional Looking Spreadsheets
No more green screen outputs as CoolSpools allows you to manipulate the converted Excel spreadsheets even including selecting fonts, colours and shading to ensure the style of the document is in keeping with the company format.
Simple to Set Up
With so much great functionality you might be concerned that all this takes a lot of setting up. Let us put your mind at rest, as it really is very simple, there is no complex set up – in fact it just requires one single command.
So if you would like to save time and money by distributing, archiving and publishing your data and reports electronically using information from your IBM iSeries database, then contact us for a chat about how CoolSpools can work for you on + 44 (0)1625 547962 or simply email sales@ariadnesoftware.co.uk.
AS/400 Data Management with CoolSpools Software
Posted on August 29, 2014at 1:26 pm
Your business relies on the accurate communication of data and information. If you’re using an IBM System i (AS/400 or iSeries) environment, your spool files can provide all the accurate data you need – but manipulating the data into the right format can be a painstaking, time-consuming task.
But help is at hand. Developed by the experts at Ariadne Software, CoolSpools is a powerful, simple and reliable System i file conversion tool. CoolSpools software can convert AS/400 spool files to Excel, PDF and XML.
Here are just a few of the many AS/400 CoolSpools document creation features:
- Inserting images into System i PDFs is easy with CoolSpools. Simply tell CoolSpools where to insert the JPEG or GIF format images as it converts your spool to PDF.
- When converting spool to Excel or PDF, tell CoolSpools the points at which the files need to be split – such as region name or invoice number. CoolSpools will split System i Excel output into separate files for you, saved in separate folders. Or it’ll split your converted System i PDFs into several documents, and can even email them to multiple email addresses.
- CoolSpools’ powerful spool file converter can automatically generate XML from your spool files for your web applications to access. This saves time on reprogramming the data, and as it’s coming from your spool files, the accuracy and integrity of your data is assured.
If you would like to read more about our CoolSpools solutions then visit our website http://www.coolspools.com/ or read some example reviews below to find out what our customers think.
“We use CoolSpools and are really pleased. It performs above and beyond. It has saved us 20% of our total paper bill”
Kenneth Mohn, Programmer, Large US Dairy
“Your support is the best. If you ever need a reference on your product (Coolspools) or your support, I would be happy to give it. If all support was as fast and good as yours, life would be so much easier.”
Jim Horn, CATCO, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
System i Excel – A need not a want
Posted on May 23, 2014at 12:36 pm
IBM system i Excel, is a cost-effective management tool kit offered by Coolspools. It gives you knowledge just when it is needed. It quickly distributes information from System i Excel into a variety of different formats including Excel, XML and PDF’s. Coolspools runs solely on the System i and it does not need a PC in order to produce Excel files.
This scenario can also be reversed as CoolSpools is able to convert Excel spreadsheets into database files so that the contents of the Excel spreadsheet can be extracted and written to a file in a standard “outfile” format therefore information can be easily processed by your applications.
If you would like a second opinion about whether Coolspools is the tool to use or our software is the right solution for your needs, then take a look at our website (http://www.coolspools.com/) or see below two testimonials that show what our customers think:
“I have used (CoolSpools) for about 3 years and … this package works extremely well. Support is outstanding, and … you get outstanding value for money.”
“We have purchased your software to archive our invoices. It has been working perfectly for over a year now with no maintenance whatsoever. I do not have to keep “fixing” it or taking a look at it, and I like that. Once I installed it, and got it to do what I want it to do, I basically forgot about it. It’s like the Energizer bunny, it keep going and going and going … Simply put, CoolSpools is really cool.”
5 benefits of converting a spooled file to PDF
Posted on May 23, 2014at 12:17 pm
Spool files can be converted into a variety of different formats meaning you can choose the right format for your purpose. Files can be converted to Excel, XML and most importantly PDF’S. There are a number of reasons why converting a spool file to PDF will benefit you and your company – here are a few:
It’s safe and secure
When a PDF file is converted you have the ability to password protect and encrypt it so that any information you wish to stay secure can only be opened by an authorised person. You can also create a digital signature in order for you to guarantee the file has not been tampered with in any way. The final security feature is that you can put restrictions on what can be changed so that no important information gets rewritten or erased.
Freedom in what you can convert
Some may think that when converting a spool file to PDF that you don’t have a choice in what pages are converted, that would be wrong. The Spool converter allows you to select lines or pages by ‘dropping’ certain parts of the document. It also allows you to send different parts of the document to different people so that everybody does not see all information that they have no need to to see.
Not just your ordinary text document
Instead of being an ordinary document with no visual content the spool converter allows you to carry over graphics and images so you have the opportunity to include company logo’s or watermarks in to maintain symmetry throughout your work, therefore additional software is no longer needed to make your document more visually appealing.
Can keep all your work together
Keeping your work together is important for the organisation of your company and that’s why Coolspools has got it covered for you. In order to make it easier for you to keep everything safe and collective you can create a report or document pack which contains a set of related documents from different spool files.
Easy to navigate
Your work needs to be easy to navigate around as many people may not want to search a whole document to find a snippet of information. Coolspools Spool converter has the ability to create a set of bookmarks from the content of your document to use for an index or set of outlines to make it easier and more efficient for people to view larger documents.
If you want to learn more about converting a Spool file to PDF, and how our software can help you, then look at the Coolspools website at http://www.coolspools.com/spool-converter/.
How to Convert Spool to Excel with CoolSpools
Posted on April 30, 2014at 12:53 pm
A great way of creating Excel documents with data from an IBM AS/400, iSeries or System i environment is by using a spool file converter. But if this is something you’ve never done before, where do you start when converting spool files to Excel?
The answer: CoolSpools, from IBM experts Ariadne Software. Their range of AS/400 solutions includes a powerful spool file converter that can output to a wide range of popular file formats, including Excel.
But why convert spool files to Excel?
There are lots of great reasons to convert spool files to Excel. Perhaps the most important is this: because the information is coming directly from your AS/400 you can rest assured that it’s accurate and up to date. There’s no chance of human error and the
Is it difficult to convert spool to Excel?
Not with CoolSpools spool file converter. Extracting the data from your spool file and converting it into Excel is a simple procedure – and you have a great deal of control over it. It’s so easy to learn, and should you have any issues, you can find a wealth of helpful information at http://www.CoolSpools.com/support.
Is converting spool files to Excel a time-consuming task?
Again, not with CoolSpools! You can convert spool files to Excel quickly and automatically, giving you the information you need, in the format you require, whenever you need it. What could be simpler?
After I convert spool files to Excel, will formatting the exported files be a laborious task?
By now, you can probably guess that the answer is “not with CoolSpools”! The powerful CoolSpools spool file converter doesn’t just convert spool to Excel – it can also carry out a whole host of management and formatting procedures.
Such as?
You can split one file into many. Append your new Excel sheet to an existing workbook. Format the output, including conditional formatting such as colour coding. And ensure the right people get the right info by controlling email distribution of your Excel spreadsheets. All this can be managed using CoolSpools software.
What other file formats can I convert to?
CoolSpools doesn’t just convert spool files to Excel. You can also convert spool files to PDF, XML, TIFF, text files, CSV, HTML and RTF. It could well be the most powerful and flexible AS/400 spool file converter on the market today.
Find out more about how to convert spool to Excel with CoolSpools software at http://www.coolspools.com/.
Benefits of Using CoolSpools Software to Produce Excel Spreadsheets
Posted on April 30, 2014at 12:47 pm
One of the fastest and most reliable ways of creating Excel spreadsheets from System i, iSeries or AS/400 spool files is by using a spool file converter. And one of the best, most powerful ways of converting spool files to Excel is with CoolSpools software. Here are seven reasons why…
1. Accurate Excel documents with up-to-date info
Convert spool files to Excel using CoolSpools software and you’re creating new spreadsheets the quickest, most convenient, most reliable way. And as the data comes direct from your spool files, it’s guaranteed to be up-to-date – and there’s no chance of human error.
2. As many – or as few – Excel files as you need
One single Excel file containing an entire spool file dump would be unwieldy and difficult for users follow. Splitting the output into multiple Excel files manually would be a time-consuming, tedious task. So let CoolSpools spool file converter do it all for you! Or maybe you have the opposite problem: you have an existing Excel spreadsheet, and you need to add a new worksheet created by converting spool to Excel. No problem! CoolSpools software can append the output as a new sheet within your existing Excel spreadsheet.
3. Filenames that make sense
CoolSpools spool file converter doesn’t give your converted AS/400 Excel documents meaningless nonsense as filenames. You can define the filenames so they mean something to you. It’ll make it easier to find the file you want, as well as saving the time it’d take to rename your files manually.
4. All the info you need, none of the info you don’t
Pages and lines can be dropped quickly and easily. Just define the parameters of what you need to exclude (for example cells with specific values) and they’ll be removed from your AS/400 Excel documents right away.
5. Create Excel files as attractive as they are accurate
Presentation matters, both in terms of looking professional and producing easy-to-read materials. Colors, fonts, shading and borders can help – and all this can be done to your AS/400 Excel spreadsheets by CoolSpools. It can even handle conditional formatting for color-coding.
6. Excel can be created without a PC!
CoolSpools spool file converter can handle all of the above tasks without you ever having to log into a PC – it does everything within the AS/400, System i or iSeries environment.
7. Get Excel output from your database files
Extract data from your database files and convert it to Excel spreadsheets, CoolSpools software has this covered too, with the CoolSpools Database package. This software also boasts the same powerful formatting tools you’ll find with CoolSpools spool file converter.
Find out more about making Excel file creation easier than ever with CoolSpools software: visit http://www.coolspools.com/.
Simplest, Quickest, Easiest Way to Convert Spool Files to iSeries XML
Posted on March 05, 2014at 12:13 pm
XML is undoubtedly one of the most flexible ways of storing data, allowing it to be used and accessed by a wide variety of programs. And now there’s an easier way to produce XML if you work in an IBM iSeries, AS/400 or System i environment…
So, what’s this easy way to produce XML?
CoolSpools spool file converter and CoolSpools Database.
Why should I trust CoolSpools software to create XML on my iSeries?
CoolSpools was developed by Ariadne Software, IBM experts with years of experience of producing high-quality solutions for iSeries, AS/400 and System i. What they don’t know about these platforms isn’t worth knowing – and they’ve used this expertise to produce a powerful spool file and database converter.
So what, exactly, does the CoolSpools do?
Briefly: it takes data from your iSeries spool files & DB2 Database and converts it to XML, Excel and several other useful file formats. It can even convert spool to PDF.
What are the advantages of using CoolSpools to create XML?
There are so many! First of all, you know the data in your iSeries will be accurate, as it’s coming direct from your spool files and database, without any human interference. What’s more, it’s so quick – you’ll have usable XML files in no time, ready to supply your websites and applications with accurate data. And CoolSpools is so easy to learn to use – you’ll soon wonder how you managed without it!
Does CoolSpools only convert basic iSeries spool files?
Not at all. Of course, CoolSpools works well with basic *SCS files. But it can also convert *SCS, *AFPDS, *IPDS, *LINE, *AFPDSLINE and *USERASCII spool files.
Do I need any extra hardware to run CoolSpools software?
Not at all. You don’t need a separate PC to run CoolSpools software – it runs directly on your iSeries, System i or AS/400 server.
How do I find out more about CoolSpools software?
Head to http://www.coolspools.com/. You’ll find full details on the whole CoolSpools range of software, including CoolSpools Spool Converter, Database, Email and Spool Admin. Used together, the CoolSpools range is the complete information management system for iSeries, AS/400 and System i.
So stop wasting time, and start taking control of your data with CoolSpools. Learn more about the simplest, quickest, easiest way to convert spool or database data to XML at http://www.coolspools.com/.