Entrinsik Informer

As an independent consultant, I use Entrinsik Informer (EI) at any client site that has it implemented. At this point, I've used it only with clients who were still on Unidata; I have no experience with those operating through SQL.

I'm a huge fan for a number of reasons. Navigationally, it's intuitive for any user. It's flexible for in terms of file linkages and in terms of dictionary names (in plain English) for less-experienced users. It enables more experienced users to build complex reports quickly and produce them in multiple display formats. The copy feature is very helpful in enabling the construction of a new report without having to start at step one. Overall, it's simply an excellent product. For me, the only impediment is that I've never had any training in its use, so I'm confident that there are functionalities that I'm not leveraging. Finally, EI has a very attractive price point making it feasible for even the smallest institution.

We use Informer across campus. It changed the way we access information. In the past, power users ran reports for the rest of campus. Now, the entire campus has access to the information they need when they want it.

Our IT department writes most of the reports and controls access. For example, all budget managers have access to real-time information. What the budget manager sees is limited to the general ledger numbers they manage. One department can't see another department's numbers. We also have access to course information, demographics, etc. All the information seen depends on your access level. End users love it since all they have to do is fill in a few blanks!