Category: AS400
CoolSpools Case Study – Bogod and Co (Bernina)
Posted on May 16, 2016at 9:00 am
Established in 1895, Bogod and Co Ltd are importers and distributors of sewing machines and the UK representative of the high-end Bernina sewing machines of Switzerland and the iconic Singer sewing machines.
Bogod & Co originally used CoolSpools to create PDF files from AS400 Spool files using the splitting function. Over the years their use of the product suite has increased and now they use CoolSpools to:
– Include graphics on outputs to create invoices and stationery that are used for customer communications and internal archiving.
– Email PDF’s.
– Generate Excel spreadsheets and html for business reporting
– Create and email Excel for sending information to suppliers e.g. purchase orders.
– Create order status xml AS400 reports for customers, for example John Lewis Director Stephen Bogod says “CoolSpools is very function rich and meets essential business requirements. It’s very well designed for integration with AS400 applications. Working with the CoolSpools team has been an excellent experience. The support team are just as helpful as the product developer in offering advice on how to use the product. They provide regular and responsive software updates and developments to address particular glitches or requirements – these updates are exceptionally valuable. In one example the CoolSpools team helped fix an issue we were having importing excel data into our AS400 for delivery reports from suppliers. The support we receive from the CoolSpools team is very impressive – they really do go above and beyond!”
Do you wish you could convert your spooled files to PDF files?
Posted on February 16, 2015at 2:01 pm
Well, the good news is that you can! CoolSpools was developed primarily to convert all system i series and AS400 series spooled files into a variety of more manageable and usable file formats, including PDF.
Wave goodbye to the mountain of paper…
There are still many organisations worldwide where vast amounts of reports are produced and printed out on printers and then manually analysed and distributed to the appropriate staff. However, with the CoolSpools Spool Converter solution, you can automatically generate reports to PDF files and distribute them electronically or publish them in the cloud.
Bespoke PDF files that save time and money
You might currently extract separate sections of the data created on your system to send to different departments or individuals. This can be handled within CoolSpools as we have devised a system which allows you to select which lines or pages to include or exclude and which people you wish to receive each section of information. The CoolSpools Spool Converter will do it all for you on a weekly or monthly or annual basis depending on your business requirements. All you have to do it set it up and instruct it what to send and to whom and it will run all by itself (making you look even more efficient!).
Spool Conversion, Security and more besides…
However, the CoolSpools Spool Converter does more than just spool conversion. It provides easy to use flexible functionality to enhance the converted output. Apart from producing bespoke reports, the Spool Converter also enables the originator to password protect and encrypt the outputted PDF files, as well as adding restrictions to the PDF and including digital signatures to authenticate the report and show it has not been tampered with.
Nothing to lose and everything to gain…
So, in summary, the CoolSpools Spool Converter will definitely save your business time and costs whilst reducing its impact on the environment by saving paper. It will facilitate efficiency and transparency across your organisation and help your business to meet targets and analyse your operation in a more efficient manner. So what have you got to lose? Give us a call today and find out how CoolSpools can facilitate your information dissemination on + 44 (0)1625 547962 or email sales@ariadne.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
Posted on January 27, 2014at 10:31 am
System i File Conversion: Making it Easy With CoolSpools Software
IBM’s System i, AS/400 and iSeries servers are powerful, flexible and reliable. This you already know. But did you know you can make your System i environment work even harder for you? This can be done with the help of System i file conversion.
System i experts Ariadne Software have developed the CoolSpools range of products, designed to make it easier, quicker and more convenient to manage, access, convert and distribute information using System i. In addition to their spool file management and email applications, CoolSpools also offers two comprehensive System i file conversion packages: CoolSpools Spool File Converter and CoolSpools Database.
So what’s CoolSpools Spool File Converter?
The clue’s in the name! In a nutshell, CoolSpools Spool File Converter makes System i PDF file conversion so much faster. It takes your System i spool files and converts them to a wide range of useful file formats.
You could convert spool to PDF. Convert spool to Excel. Convert spool to XML. Text files, CSV, RTF, TIFF… a whole host of popular file formats can be converted.
But CoolSpools Spool File Converter does so much more than mere System i file conversion.
You can also split files. Merge files. Format files. Insert images into your PDFs. Even email the converted files to multiple recipients. And CoolSpools software makes it all so easy to do!
What about CoolSpools Database?
CoolSpools Database performs a different type of System i file conversion. Instead of converting your spool files, CoolSpools database converts System i database files to a variety of file formats, such as Excel, XML and plain text.
Why should I want to carry out System i file conversion?
Lots of reasons and lots of savings!
Taking data from your System i spool files or database files guarantees its accuracy and integrity.
It allows you to output System i files in a format that suits you, whether it’s PDFs for business reports, Excel to communicate sales figures, or XML to program System i applications.
This saves a huge amount of time and all of the printing & postage costs. Typically customers can save between £25,000 and £40,000 per year!
CoolSpools software is all about taking control of your System i data and presenting it how you need it, when you need it – all with minimal fuss.
Where can I find more about CoolSpools software and System i file conversion?
Easy! To learn more about CoolSpools’ powerful System i file conversion capabilities, plus their full suite of easy-to-use software for IBM AS/400, iSeries and System i, visit http://www.coolspools.com/spool-converter/.
Take Control of AS/400 XML: CoolSpools Spool File Converter & Database
Posted on January 27, 2014at 10:22 am
Do you work with XML in an AS/400, iSeries or System i environment? If so, wouldn’t you like a better, easier, simpler way of creating XML? If so, you’ll love CoolSpools software.
Created by AS/400 experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools products are designed to make AS/400 data distribution a smoother and more efficient experience. Two CoolSpools products have been designed to make creating XML easy: CoolSpools File Converter and CoolSpools Database. Here’s how they could help you…
What does CoolSpools Converter do?
It takes your AS/400 spool files and converts them to a wide range of file formats – including XML.
What is CoolSpools Database ?
CoolSpools Database is a powerful database management system, rather than taking data from your AS/400 spool files, the data is taken from your database files.
What file formats be converted to XML?
CoolSpools can convert all database file types the following AS/400 spool file formats: *SCS, *AFPDS, *IPDS, *LINE, *AFPDSLINE and *USERASCII. Many similar products can only handle simple *SCS spool files as they lack the power and flexibility of CoolSpools.
Other than XML, what other file formats can CoolSpools convert to?
CoolSpools can convert database and spool files to PDF, Excel, CSV, plain text, HTML, RTF and TIFF. It can also output as compressed spool files or create a new spool file by duplicating, splitting or creating a subset.
Does CoolSpools offer any other AS/400 applications?
Yes! CoolSpools Admin makes it easy to manage your AS/400 spool files, while CoolSpools Email makes it easy to email direct from your AS/400, System i or iSeries environment. When combined, all four packages in the CoolSpools software suite make a truly unbeatable AS/400 document and data management system.
Take the pain out of producing XML – convert your spool files and database files using the power of CoolSpools software. To find out more, and to order CoolSpools software, visit http://www.coolspools.com/spool-converter/.
Beginner’s Guide to AS/400 XML & How CoolSpools Can Convert it For You
Posted on December 10, 2013at 11:20 am
If you work in an IBM AS/400, System i or iSeries environment, did you know it’s possible to convert data from your spool files into a variety of file formats? The easy way to do this is by using a spool file converter, such as CoolSpools (http://www.coolspools.com/). This clever piece of software takes data direct from your System i spool files and converts into to file formats such as XML.
But why would you want to produce XML? The experts behind CoolSpools, Ariadne Software, explain:
First up – what is XML?
An abbreviation of “Extensible Markup Language”, XML is a format that presents information in a way that can be understood both by human readers and by machines.
What can I use XML for?
There are many uses for XML documents. They can be used to exchange data over the internet, to populate content management systems, for web development, database development… the uses are almost endless.
How do I produce XML documents?
If you’re running an IBM AS/400 server, the easiest way to populate XML documents with the data you need is by using a spool file converter and database tool such as CoolSpools software.
Sounds difficult!
Not with CoolSpools software. It’s designed to do all the hard work – the data extraction, the spool file conversion, the formatting… what you’ll get is AS/400 data that is ready to be imported into your CMS, web application or whatever else you need.
Why is using CoolSpools spool file converter better than manually creating interface files?
Many reasons! The data is coming direct and automatically from your AS/400 – so there’s no need to worry about human error leading to incorrect data. And converting AS/400 data automatically to XML is much, much faster than manually processing it, so you’ll save time too.
So what else can CoolSpools software do?
Too many things to mention here! As well as converting AS/400 data to XML, you can also convert spool files to PDF (and even insert images), convert spool files to Excel (and apply conditional formatting), convert spool files to HTML (ideal for web developers) plus a whole host of other popular file formats. CoolSpools can even email your outputted files to the recipients you specify – everything’s taken care of for you.
Find out more about how CoolSpools software can help you produce accurate, fast XML at http://www.coolspools.com/.
A Smarter Way To Create PDFs In An AS400 Environment
Posted on November 01, 2013at 11:58 am
Creating PDFs in IBM AS400 doesn’t need to be a pain – not with a spool file converter.
CoolSpools (http://www.coolspools.com/) is perhaps the most powerful on the market – here’s how it can speed up your AS400 PDF creation…
With CoolSpools software… you can automatically convert your spool file to PDF, or multiple PDF’s, saving time and ensuring accuracy.
Without a spool file converter… splitting Spool files to create separate PDF’s can be frustrating. You have to find the right place to split the document and save out each split PDF individually. Zzzzzzz.
With CoolSpools software… if you specify where each PDF should be split (such as a change in invoice number or client name) then CoolSpools will automatically split your spool file and convert it into separate PDFs for you. Easy.
Without a spool file converter… inserting images into report layouts is another time-consuming task, and these days you need company logos, images and photographs in your reports, it’s something you simply must do. Unless…
With CoolSpools software… save your images as JPEGs or GIFs, and tell CoolSpools where they need to go, and the software will insert the image for you. That’s a lot less fuss to make your AS400 reports look as great as they read.
Without a spool file converter… merging PDFs is yet another boring manual task (are you getting the idea?)
With CoolSpools software… when converting spool to PDF you can also merge the new AS400 PDF with an existing PDF document – even if it wasn’t created using CoolSpools.
Without a spool file converter… removing unwanted pages is a hassle. Find the page, delete the page, find the page, delete the page, find the page (repeat ad nauseum).
With CoolSpools software… removing unwanted pages is a cinch! Tell CoolSpools which pages to remove, whether by page number or by looking for a particular word or phrase, and BAM! They’re gone.
Without a spool file converter… you have to email each client their PDF individually if you want them to receive different information.
With CoolSpools software… you can email different converted spool files or parts of spool files to different recipients. Your clients, manager or whomever you’re producing documents for will receive PDFs with all of the info they need – and none of the info they don’t.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Not only does CoolSpools offer unparalleled power and flexibility when converting spool to PDF, it can also convert spool to Excel, XML and several other popular file formats. Learn more now at http://www.coolspools.com/ and start creating as400 PDFs the smarter way.
How to Reclaim Wasted Hours
Posted on September 19, 2013at 8:49 am
… with CoolSpools Spool File Converter
How much of your day is spent creating, formatting and distributing reports on the System i, AS/400 or iSeries? CoolSpools spool file converter can get back your valuable time…
Introducing CoolSpools spool file converter (http://www.coolspools.com/CoolSpoolsSpoolConverter.htm). Developed by industry experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools is perhaps the most powerful System i spool file converter on the market.
Here’s how CoolSpools software can speed up your report distribution:
1. Data is taken directly from your System i spool files
Spend a large amount of time transferring data? Then stop – there’s a much better way! CoolSpools software takes your spool files and converts the output to Excel, iSeries PDF, XML and many more popular file formats – automatically, no effort required.
2. Hassle-free formatting
CoolSpools can automatically reformat your data for you – including color-coding and conditional formatting. You can also define which fonts are to be used – and even insert JPEGs or GIFs into your PDFs. There’s no need to slave over your keyboard ensuring your documents are correctly formatted – CoolSpools does it for you.
3. Split, join, and send your Excel files and PDFs
Need to update documents by adding new sheets to Excel workbooks or new pages to existing PDFs e.g. quotes or invoices? Let CoolSpools do it for you! Need to remove unwanted pages? Tell CoolSpools what to remove, and it’s gone. Need to split your PDFs or Excel books into multiple documents, and send each to multiple recipients? Don’t do it manually – automate it all with CoolSpools.
4. Bookmark your System i PDFs
Inserting bookmarks and indexing your PDFs makes reading documents much easier – but it’s always a chore. Not so with CoolSpools – it can generate indexes and outlines for you. Bookmarking your PDFs has never been easier!
5. More than just System i Spool conversion to Excel and PDFs…
In addition to its powerful Iseries PDF and Excel creation, there’s so much more CoolSpools software can do with your spool files. CSV, HTML, text files, RTF, TIFF – CoolSpools can convert your System i spool files into all these formats, and automatically email the output to your users in a fraction of the time it would take for you to print & post or email the data manuall. It can be used in all kinds of things, including system i Excel.
So if you need to convert spool to PDF, Excel, XML or other popular file formats, by using CoolSpools spool file converter you’ll save time, be more productive and ensure everyone’s getting the info they need in a format they’ll understand.
Learn more about CoolSpools spool file converter at http://www.coolspools.com/spool-converter/.
17 Ways Spool File Converter Turbo-Boosts AS400 Systems
Posted on September 02, 2013at 8:24 am
When it comes to spool file conversion, CoolSpools (http://www.coolspools.com/) is one of the most powerful AS400 PDF solutions on the market. The Spool File Converter developed by IBM experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools automatically manages, converts, and distributes documents created from AS400, System i or iSeries spools.
Here are 17 useful things CoolSpools software can do…
1. Convert spool to PDF
Creating PDFs just got a whole lot easier! Why manually create PDFs when CoolSpools can automate the process from your spool files?
2. Split converted AS400 PDFs into multiple files
Tell CoolSpools where to split your files –for example, when invoice numbers or customer names change – and it’ll split the output into multiple PDFs.
3. Join converted AS400 PDFs to existing documents
Want to create a report with data from multiple System i spool files? Or add pages to an existing PDF – even one that wasn’t created by CoolSpools? Not a problem.
4. Drop pages you don’t need from AS400 PDFs
Tell CoolSpools the page numbers or phrases to leave out, and it’ll remove them for you.
5. Insert images in converted PDF files
Forms, logos, watermarks, cute photos of kittens… as long as it’s a JPEG or GIF, CoolSpools can insert it into your PDF.
6. Password protect your AS400 PDFs
Keep prying eyes away from your sensitive data!
7. Bookmarks and indexes
Generate a set of bookmarks – great for navigating and indexing larger PDFs.
8. Convert spool to Excel
AS400 isn’t the only file format CoolSpools software can convert to – it can also output Excel.
9. Add converted AS400 Excel to existing documents as a new worksheet
Is CoolSpools the only AS400 spool file converter that can do this? We think so.
10. Split converted AS400 Excel output into multiple documents
Sales reports split by region? Accounts projections split by quarter? Tell CoolSpools where to split, and it splits!
11. Drop unwanted pages or lines from your AS400 Excel spreadsheet
Don’t bore readers with irrelevant information – let CoolSpools chop it out.
12. Format your AS400 Excel files
Color, fonts, shading, borders, conditional formatting – automated with CoolSpools.
13. Convert spool to XML
Spend less time programming XML into applications – let CoolSpools convert your spool output to XML for you.
14. Convert spool to even more file formats
XML, Excel and PDF not enough? You can also convert to CSV, HTML, RFT, TIFF, text and more…
15. Control filenames and output paths
You determine what the converted files are called, and where they’re saved.
16. Control who receives what
CoolSpools has powerful tools to help you email the right files to the right recipients – automatically.
17. Convert spool files without a PC
Everything’s done within your AS400, iSeries or System i environment, with no need for additional hardware.
When it comes to converting spool to XML, Excel or PDF, CoolSpools is the ultimate solution. Head to http://www.coolspools.com/ to learn even more about the power of CoolSpools software.
AS400 Solutions: Spool File Distribution Made Easy With CoolSpools
Posted on August 28, 2013at 8:22 am
If you work within an IBM AS400 Solutions (or System i or iSeries) environment, are you really making the most of your spool files?
By using a spool file converter, it’s possible to convert your AS400 spools to a wide variety of document formats, for a myriad of uses. You can convert spool to System i PDF, Excel, XML and several other useful file formats.
From leading global AS400 experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools (http://www.coolspools.com/) is a flexible, powerful, easy-to-use spool file converter. Compatible with AS400, iSeries and System i, CoolSpools software makes converting your spool files a breeze – saving you time and money, and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of your data.
Here’s how you can use CoolSpools software to output to the right file format you need – and the impressive features you can take advantage of as you do it.
Create and manage AS400 PDFs
CoolSpools software does more than produce simple PDFs from your spool files. It can create multiple PDFs split by criteria you state (such as invoice number). Append your converted AS400 PDF to any existing PDF (even one that wasn’t created using CoolSpools software). Drop unwanted pages from your PDF. Add password protection and lock editing. Include images such as forms, logos or watermarks. Whatever you need from your PDF, CoolSpools provides the ideal AS400 solution to all your PDF creation needs.
AS400 Excel files tailored to suit you
Need to convert spool to Excel? CoolSpools has this covered too. As with PDFs, CoolSpools can split your converted AS400 Excel files into multiple documents, and it can append the converted Excel worksheet to existing documents – a feature no other System i software currently offers. Unwanted information can be excluded from your AS400 Excel document, and there are great formatting tools, too. Styles such as colours, fonts, shading and borders can be added, and conditional formatting can also be incorporated into your converted Excel file.
Convert spool file output to AS400 XML the easy way
CoolSpools spool file converter is also a powerful AS400 solution for XML creation. The software takes your iSeries spool file and converts to XML, which can then be imported into applications as you desire – saving time on reprogramming and re-entering data.
These are just a few of the powerful IBM System i, iSeries solutions and AS400 solutions offered by CoolSpools software. To find out more about CoolSpools spool file converter – and their AS400 solutions for managing spool files, databases and email – visit http://www.coolspools.com/.