Category: IBM

Coolspools for IBM System i. We offer complete information management solutions such as Spool Converter, Database, Email and Admin.

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.”

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/.

The Power of iSeries PDFs (And The Easy Way to Create Them)

Posted on March 05, 2014at 12:18 pm

One of the most commonly-used document formats in business is the PDF. It’s flexible, easy to distribute and easy to create.

And if you work in an IBM iSeries, System i or AS/400 environment, creating PDFs has got even easier! All thanks to CoolSpools spool file converter.

Developed by well-established global iSeries experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools takes data straight from your spool files and converts to a wide range of file formats – including iSeries PDF.

Here’s what makes PDF such a useful file format – and how CoolSpools provides a simple, reliable way of creating them from your iSeries spool files…

PDFs can be styled and formatted easily

You have total control over the appearance of a PDF. Fonts, colors, styles, images – all can be tailored to suit your specific needs.

And CoolSpools makes it all so easy. When converting your spool files to iSeries PDFs, you can specify fonts, text colors, and insert images in JPEG or GIF format. Simple!

PDFs can be password protected

Your PDFs could contain delicate, confidential, sensitive information that you wouldn’t want to be seen by the wrong eyes. If so, password protection is essential.

And if you use CoolSpools spool file converter to produce your iSeries PDFs, they can be encrypted and password protected for your peace of mind.

PDFs can be locked and watermarked

To ensure the security and integrity of the information conveyed in your documents, you can make them read-only, and add a digital signature to ensure their authenticity.

And yep – you guessed it – CoolSpools software makes this simple! Your converted iSeries PDF can be locked to prevent recipients from editing, and a digital signature can be used to ensure your recipient knows it hasn’t been tampered with.

PDFs can be bookmarked or split into multiple files

If the information from your iSeries spool files results in PDFs that are many, many pages long, there are two simple ways to make your PDFs easier to navigate: bookmarking and indexing, or splitting the main document into several smaller ones.

CoolSpools software gives you both of these options for your iSeries PDFs. It can generate bookmarks and indexes, making large documents easy to digest. Or if you just want to give each recipient the section of your iSeries PDF that’s relevant to them, you can split your document into multiple iSeries PDFs based on criteria you specify.

Distributing PDFs is easy

PDFs are easy to distribute via email. But making sure the right recipients get the right PDFs is something that takes time if done manually.

CoolSpools software can even automate this process! Your iSeries PDFs can be emailed to multiple recipients, ensuring everyone gets the information they need, right at their fingertips.

Find out more about CoolSpools spool file converter, and its powerful iSeries PDF creation and management functionality, at 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/.

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/.

The Many Benefits of PDFs (And The Easy Way To Create Them)

Posted on December 20, 2013at 3:29 pm

Whatever line of business you work in, you’ll probably deal with PDF files on a regular basis. It’s a flexible document format used for a wide range of purposes. And if you work in an IBM iSeries, System i or AS/400 environment, now there’s an easy way to create them…

Enter CoolSpools software. Developed by iSeries experts Ariadne Software, CoolSpools is a powerful, fully-featured spool file converter, offering an easy, customizable way to convert spool to PDF and a whole host of other useful file formats.

Back up a minute. What’s a PDF?

I’m sure you already know the answer to this one! Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format developed by Adobe. It was created over 20 years ago, and is one of the most commonly-used file formats today. Think of PDFs as the middle ground between an image file and a word-processed document. They can be read on screen, printed, or used by printers to produce publications.

How can CoolSpools help me create PDFs on my iSeries?

As a spool file converter, CoolSpools takes data from your iSeries spool files and converts it into the PDF format, making it readable by any operating system. This negates the need to enter the data manually – it’s all converted for you.

What if I need images in my PDF? Can CoolSpools handle that?

Absolutely. CoolSpools can insert JPEGs or GIFs into your iSeries PDFs, whether they’re company logos, watermarks, photographs or illustrations. Whatever images you need in your iSeries PDFs, CoolSpools can make it happen.

But I don’t just want a dump of my spool files in my PDFs! How do I control what goes in?

CoolSpools makes this easy, too. You can split your converted spool file into multiple PDF documents. Just tell CoolSpools the criteria of where you want to split (such as customer name or number, for example), and it’ll do it for you.

What if I want to add new pages to an existing PDF?

CoolSpools has it covered – even if the original PDF was not created using CoolSpools software.

The PDFs I produce contain sensitive information. Can CoolSpools handle this?

Of course. CoolSpools can password-protect and encrypt your PDF. You can restrict how your PDF is edited to ensure it’s not tampered with. And you can add a digital signature to prove that your PDF has not been amended since you created it.

Is creating PDFs all CoolSpools software does?

Not at all. CoolSpools also converts spools to XML, Excel, CSV, HTML, TIFF and RTF. It can also help manage emailing your files to multiple recipients.

Where can I learn more about creating iSeries PDFs with CoolSpools software?
Simple – head over to http://www.coolspools.com/ right away!

Create iSeries XML the Easy Way with CoolSpools

Posted on December 20, 2013at 3:27 pm

Work in an IBM AS/400, System i or iSeries environment? Need to create XML files to import into web applications? Forget entering all the data manually – now it’s easier than ever…

IBM iSeries experts Ariadne Software have developed CoolSpools, a powerful, flexible spool file converter. Anyone running an iSeries is sure to find CoolSpools software incredibly useful – especially if you require XML files.

You see, CoolSpools can generate a wide range of file formats by converting your iSeries spool files. You can convert spool to PDF, Excel and – crucially – XML.

Here are just five reasons to consider using CoolSpools to produce XML from your iSeries…

Less risk of human error

Using CoolSpools to create XML minimises the risk of data being entered incorrectly. The data is taken directly from your spool files, which CoolSpools converts and outputs as XML. There’s no chance of human error – it’s all done for you using CoolSpools software.

Save time programming applications

As well as ensuring the integrity of your data, importing data using XML generated using CoolSpools software saves time. Why have interface files or new applications, when you can export from your spool files using XML and import the data into your applications?

CoolSpools software is easy to use

CoolSpools is so easy to use, you’ll soon become a master of converting spool files to XML, Excel, PDF and a whole host of other useful file formats.

CoolSpools software is flexible

It may be easy to learn, but CoolSpools is not just a mere simple spool file converter. You have control over what data you convert into XML from your spool files, ensuring you get all the data you need.

Ariadne Software offers comprehensive support for CoolSpools

Need help, assistance or updates for your CoolSpools software? Ariadne Software’s support page is always available at http://www.coolspools.com/Support.htm, with more in-depth tech support just an email or phone call away.

So why not start creating XML the simple, accurate and fast way using the CoolSpools spool file converter?

And remember, CoolSpools does so much more than convert spool to XML. You can also create iSeries PDFs, Excel, TIFFs, text files, HTML and other file formats. CoolSpools gives you total control over what you include, what you leave out, and to whom you email your converted iSeries documents.

Find out more about CoolSpools software – including their spool file converter, email management, database software and administration solutions – at http://www.coolspools.com/.

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/.