TrustRadius
Entrinsik Informer is a web-based reporting and business intelligence application popular in the higher education vertical market. It helps organizations transform real-time data into actionable information by delivering ad-hoc reporting, data analysis, and interactive dashboards.https://media.trustradius.com/product-logos/nX/v6/JHQFTF3O54OS.jpegEntrinsikInformer, people are using and loving it without realizing they are using it.2017-08-31T21:54:18.797ZEntrinsik Informer is available for use by the entire organization while only a few power users from the main departments actually create their own queries. The product allows a single point for querying multiple systems and databases. The UI allows users not familiar with SQL query commands to easily create complex queries and compile results from multiple files to one output.,Allows the creation of custom fields using JavaScript to provide end users with data directly without the need to do post calculations or cleanup. Many times the results required need a calculation based on the data or a field that is not available for query so being able to code the data into the results helps end users run their reports on their schedule without having to work with a technician.
The scheduling functionality allows different departments and users to plan ahead for their needs and either export or email the results. Scheduled reports comes in very handy when you need to export the data to third party companies or to a network location for batch processing. This allows us to provide current data with much more frequency.
LiveExcel functionality gives you the ability to connect your query to Microsoft Excel so users do not need to log into the product to run the results. This also allows the creation of VBA Macros to process the data and provide users with the final product on demand.,The product has had its growing pains as newer versions have come out. The transfer of old queries to the newer systems has caused some duplication of mapped files or fields and they have not come up with a tool yet to help merge these duplication.
Wish they had better internal reporting so I could easily find the different reports that are using links and the fields they are linking with.
I have noticed, being an admin, that the more connections and reports that are available the slower the system becomes when opening it. It would be nice to have nothing come up first and then show more once I drill into the area I want.,8,Datatel Query Builder,8,8Michael HarlowDrowning in Ad-Hoc Reports? Get Entrinsik Informer!2016-05-06T21:45:00.067ZWe use Entrinsik Informer as our reporting tool for our student information system. Any employee may request to be a user for Informer, but we really only have a select group of employees that use it regularly (including myself). We migrated to Informer due to Datatel (now Ellucian) eliminating Query Builder for reporting. Now that we have Informer, it is easier for end-users to create their own reports, which reduces the need to involve IT and thus the end-users get the data they need in a more timely manner.,Informer is pretty user-friendly. When teaching other employees how to use Informer, I typically don't have to repeat any steps or further explain how to do certain tasks because of how user-friendly it is.
Reports in Informer are kept in a list that can be filtered by user, specific tags, or even by how recent the report was made or run. This makes it very quick and easy to find and run a specific report.
Informer has many options for downloading the report output, including text (txt), comma separated values (csv), and even PDF.,There are a lot of reports that we have in Informer that say they have never been run, even though I know they have been run. So that makes it really difficult to determine which reports can be deleted to keep a tidy report list.
The only other complaint I have about Informer is that there doesn't seem to be a properly detailed error code/message when the student information system can't be accessed. For example, I am currently trying to move Informer to its own standalone server and I get an error message saying that our license isn't valid. Informer Support sent a new license, which prompted the same message, and the only explanation they have given me is that Informer can't reach the student information system. I would think that if that were the case, the error message would say that instead of an invalid license.,9,,Dean Evans and Associates Event Management Software, Synoptix,7,9Brian PollittGreat Product and Awesome Support!2014-04-15T20:40:44.764ZSimply and as succinctly as I can possibly make it - Informer is a great product that produces superior results right out of the box. It is a product we depend on every single day in our entire organization and it always produces great results and truly worth every last cent of investment. The enhancements over the years have taken an already great product and truly made it better and the company is always listening to their customers to better the product and add features that truly enhance the customer experience. We originally purchased Informer to report from a single U2 Data source, but it is now reporting from multiple data sources and solving more analytical problems than the simple reporting we originally purchased it to solve.,The ability to schedule using various methods of delivery or on-demand reporting to users in a secure way - Giving users access to the data source and selection and parameters that return what they need to see, but nothing more.
The ability to report and link on multiple data sources and types. This makes it far easier for use to link SQL Data with U2 Data and provide functional reporting and analytics without having to create a warehouse in between.
Support and Enhancements. They are always providing great things and the releases are far more stable than most other software that is released.,That is pretty difficult as we built the ROI on Informer solving a specific set of roles in the company. It has far exceeded the initial and current specifications, so we couldn't be happier.
If I had to pick one thing, it would be to have employees geared to a specific industry for deployment and integration, but they have done a far better job than the others playing in the same ballpark.,10,,10,Initial ROI was met by having a reporting system that didn't take a huge chunk of resources from the system or Information Technology. The ability to schedule parameterized reports that go out to much of our staff on a weekly and monthly basis.
Over time, we found more creative ways to utilize some of the live excel aspects of reporting to build analytical and graphical based reporting and forecasting.
The ability to utilize native U2 commands, lists made it easier to port existing reporting and knowledge.,8,10Todd DosterBusiness Intelligence and ROI come naturally with Entrinsik Informer.2014-03-25T22:46:44.459ZThe Informer product is used in a variety of ways across our whole university. The reports and dashboards provide up to date information in an easy to digest format. While a majority of the report and dashboard construction is housed in the Office of Systems Analysis, our users actively use and create reports to help with their operational and/or strategic decisions. From the ad hoc reports, to the scheduled reports to the automated processes, Informer is synonymous with efficiency and productivity on our campus.,Initially, Informer was chosen primarily because of how it handled our multi-valued database structure for our student information system. Since then it has expanded to a support a slew of database platforms.
Our institution uses informer for internal and Federal reporting as well as a host of other data requests that come to our institution.
Informer quietly and seamlessly drives several Business Intelligence initiative on our campus. The solutions provided range from supplying our online employee directory with accurate information to aiding the Financial Aid office in monitoring and projecting financial budgets.,Informer has room to grow in the dashboard delivered. While helpful and visually pleasing, they are not as robust as some of the other solutions that are more focused on the dashboards. The API leaves the opening for well-resourced organizations to enhance this area on their own.
We make it a point to show Informer as a list generator and not a fully fleshed out report writer. There is room to grow here as well. It just so happens our users are much more used to extracting the data than generating a publishable report directly out of the Informer product.
Over the years, Informer has expanded its capability to meet all of the needs initially. Some of the things I initially saw as weaknesses was because it didn't fit into the vision Entrinsik had set for its product.,10,,10,3,8,Creating selection criteria for each report is very logical and easy to follow. The UI makes the process very easy to handle the potentially complex nature of the data requests.
Adding fields of data to the reports are a breeze. The drag and drop UI make the composition very quick and easy. The flexible nature of the calculated columns vastly extends the power of the report.,Informer won't let you tell it to do something it can't. It won't let you query against a field it can't see, etc. This can be confusing for some users, but I'm not sure how Entrinsik could improve it.
Informer can support complex custom functions, and unless you are very adept at writing these functions, they can come across as difficult.,No,10,7Jeffrey JonesInformer Entrinsik from a front-end user's perspective2016-05-10T15:36:32.914ZAs 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.,Possible display of dictionary elements in 'plain' English
Multiple display formats for results
Intuitive navigation,Online availability of training,10,Anita FarrisPut information into the right hands with Informer2016-05-09T21:42:21.309ZWe 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!,Put information into the hands of those that need it for quick & easy access.
Allows security controls so the right people see the right information.,I wish it was easier to write reports on the fly.
I would love if I could save the report modifications I make for me to see each time (if I drag column somewhere, it does not stay that way when I open it again).,9,,Blackboard, Google Drive, GoToMeeting,10,10,Exporting to a .csv file
Changing input in the Runtime Parameter,Sorting on screen takes a while if you have a lot of data output
Writing complex reports,8Karen BrennemanEntrinsik's Informer is a solid, versatile, and powerful reporting tool.2014-04-16T20:45:50.832ZOhlone needed a flexible reporting tool that supported multiple database platforms and we chose Entrinsik's Informer in late 2011 and were up and running in January 2012. What was initially a limited roll-out to specific departments quickly turned into an enthusiastic campus-wide implementation: everyone wanted to use this new, easy-to-use reporting tool.
We have over 1000 reports, with some scheduled and others setup as quick links for individual users. Most of the reports are written by the Applications Team in Information Technology, but we engaged with tech-savvy and power-user employees around the campus, training and encouraging standards in writing their own reports for themselves and their departments. The Informer product has helped departments "own" their reports through the ability to quickly review, audit, and verify data specific to their area.,Files and fields can be mapped and linked in Informer without the need to create computed columns within the Colleague environment, alleviating ad hoc requests to the I.T. department.
Scheduled reports can be created that will run if a range of criteria are met: users are not receiving scheduled reports that contain null/empty/blank values.
Quick links and Live Excel reports give users instant access to their most used and favorite reports.
Dashboard views give instant aggregate information essential during peak times: registration headcount, outstanding receivables, payroll tax deposits, enrollment and financial aid verification, etc.,If the reporting dashboard included a column on reporting sharing, if the report is public or restricted, would be very helpful. One must detail into each report to see if there are restrictions, which is not efficient.
It would be helpful to be able to modify the columns that are displayed on the reporting dashboard: add a column for last modified, add a column for sharing (report is public, shared, private), etc, at the global level, and ideally, at the user level.
Help information could be expanded, particularly on mapping and auto suggest type.
Helpful option to be able to selecting/view specific multi-values without normalizing the report view.
Include a list of common script samples within the application versus posting them to Entrinsik's forums.,10,10,Informer has helped us pull more timely and more accurate data, with the flexibility of multiple formats (Excel, PDF, .CSV, etc).
Informer audit reports created for the HR/Payroll office has decreased monthly payroll processing time by at least a full business day. Informer reports have assisted institutional research and student service reporting needs, decreasing the number of days needed to generate for cyclical mandated reports by several business days. We have increased employee efficiencies in departments across campus because of Entrinsik's Informer.
Informer has had a very positive impact and return on investment, helping the campus fulfill our business objectives and college goals.,Implemented in-houseDon PenroseExcellent product--Excellent company2014-04-15T22:04:10.085ZEntrinsik Informer is being used throughout the university as the primary reporting tool. It allows not only for ad-hoc reporting but also to assist in decision-making at management level. We are able to export data to outside entities to provide data for FMLA benefits, insurance benefits, and Alumni database population as well as others. The ease of the tool itself makes it relatively easy for end-users to create their own reports as well. It also allows mapping to a UniData database which is not common in the BI world.,Ease of use for end-users--drag and drop interface allows for users without database knowledge to create reports.
The ability to map Informer to multi-valued databases like Unidata/U2.
The ability to link multiple databases allows for endless opportunities for data integration.
Reliable, dependable, and extremely stable product that works seamlessly with upgrades.
Allows export of data in multiple formats to allow for external download of data.
The dashboard product (which we don't have but we have had a trial version in the past) allows for Google map plotting to view trends in applicant/student demographics.,While I don't think there is anything that is hard to use with Informer, additional functionality might be the ability to run multiple reports off of one query.,10,,10,25,1,Ad-hoc report building/running throughout the entire university.
Quick and easy report writing capabilities. Ease of use for report writers.
Export of data required by either internal or external entities in various formats.
Live Excels allow for users to run reports when needed with no intervention from IT,One report runs a process that calculates hours worked for the past 365 days for FMLA elibitility and then runs a report that exports the FMLA data directly to our 3rd party FMLA administrator.
Our Institutional Research department runs their 10th day statistical data from an Informer report and then archives this data.
Created extremely complex report for export of our Alumni data to our Blackbaud Alumni database in the format that this database needed for successful import.,Implemented in-house,10,10Noelle HurleyEntrinsik Informer Makes Reporting Fast and Easy2014-04-16T15:29:48.402ZEntrinsik Informer is currently being used as a reporting tool across our entire college campus. I work in a admissions office where data needs are always changing for reports and Informer allows me to create advanced reports in a matter of minutes to fit those needs in a very user friendly way. I have used to create a work flow process with a series of reports that are scheduled and send based on specific conditions to other employees. The scheduling module allows me to create and schedule a report based on a select statement which means I can have one report that sends 60 emails to different people instead of having 60 individual reports where each one is "hard coded" with that select and emailed out. Entrinsik Informer really makes it easy for the end user, who might not be as technical, log in and run reports based on their needs or the reports they have access to on their security class.,Reporting: Entrinsik Informer makes report writing easy. I have had to train a few employees on how to write reports and it is much easier to teach them the logic of how to write reports rather than teach them the syntax of a reporting language like SQL. Because they can drag and drop statements as well as columns in a report to meet their needs I can focus more on the logic then anything else.
Security: Entrinsik Informer is a very powerful reporting tool that can allow someone to pull massive amounts of information at one time. Having security for reports and what tables you can report from is very important. You can give a user access to just run one report that is given to them, or give a user access to make their own reports, or any combination of times. Having groups of who can see this report is also very helpful when your company has many departments with in it and each one has their own data.
Multiple Data Sources: Being able to link between more then one data source and report information from both sources is huge when it comes to writing reports. You don't have to worry about anything but setting up the initial link between the data sources and writing some reports. You can pull columns in from both data sources with ease then.
Scheduling: Being able to make a schedule that can export in almost any format from CSV to PDF to TXT file is a great plus. If a person who has a scheduled report has a MAC that does not Microsoft Office you can send them a PDF of the same data for viewing. Being able to generate fixed width text files allows for the porting of that data for some type of other processing such as adding users into active directory.,Allowing to put code behind a column instead of creating a calculated column and calling upon that one.
I would like to see a way to be able to copy and paste selection statements from report to report do you do not have to re-drag each item onto the screen.
Being able to save the fixed with outputs for text files such that it does not have to be a scheduled report, it could be one that you can launch and chose the export to be fixed with text file with the widths populated.,10,10,Implemented in-houseJames KastrantasHands down, Informer is the icing on the cake!2014-04-15T23:32:22.484ZEntrinsik Informer Web Reporting is being used by most departments at Juniata College. We currently have a few more departments to train and move to using Informer. It is unbelievably easy for end users to grasp, which makes our job of training end users very easy. One of our Vice Presidents is very excited about the dashboard feature. We have been able to create dashboards for him to know exactly where the college stands on budget vs. actual spending at a moments notice. In addition to other dashboards that show total deposited applicants along with their demographic and financial information which is one of the most important factors in determining the College's future budget.,Ease of Use - This product is almost self explanatory. Very little training is needed. The training videos developed by Entrinsik are wonderful.
Using javascript for calculated columns is a big plus as it's a language that many employees know, or can learn.
Dashboards - this product is the icing on the cake. No need to purchase and learn a different software package. It's all there with Entrinsik Informer.,I think the most difficult task in Informer was setting up the security. It's very flexible, which is both good and bad. I would like to see more detailed instructions or examples of different security settings.
Would love to have a feature on the dashboards that would allow a load "live" without having to "refresh". I would like to see this as a choice for refresh on opening or manually by user.,10,,10,3,Basic reports are very easy. As easy as drag and drop.
Linking of files is a great feature to allow users to pull data from more than one file at a time. It saves the programmers a lot of time in that they don't have to write a lot of calculated fields.
Dashboards are a dream. If you have a report that you would like to show graphically, the dashboard feature is pretty much just a fill in the blank process. Very easy to create a graph or chart.,The biggest obstacle that our employees had to overcome was normalizing the data. Normalization is not a term that they are familiar with coming from a multi-valued field database.
Before Informer, we created calculated fields for our end users if data resided in a different file from the one they were working from. With Informer, we no longer need to create as many fields and the end users are not particularly happy about looking for the fields in their original files.,9,9Lisa O'DellickEntrinsik Informer Easy Reporting/Visualizations of Data2014-03-29T21:29:41.461ZEntrinsik Informer is used across our whole organization for reporting and data analysis. We have created numerous reports that are scheduled and emailed to different offices on campus with information that is important for them as the evaluate the next steps in the processes that they manage. We have also created dashboards to provide a quick look at where we are today compared to previous years and to provide additional information regarding our current enrollment status. Informer has provided us a very clean and usable way to give our end-users access to the data that they find important in a quick and efficient manner. Offices on campus enjoy the ease of use, the ability to create reports without the need to be technical and the ability to create visualizations of their data. I highly recommend Entrinsik Informer for your data reporting needs.,Reporting is key. Easy access to the data that is important to each office through user developed reports is very important. Reporting was an issue in the past, IT would have to create reports for end users and build computed fields to get data from multiple files with Entrinsik Informer this goes away almost entirely.
Scheduling - Having the ability to schedule a report and have it available to a person when they come into work each morning has been extremely beneficial. there is no more waiting for a report to run unless you need information from a non-scheduled report. Even then, reports run quickly and efficiently.
Dashboarding/Visualizations - the ability to provide end users a visual representation of the data that is important to them is fantastic. We use these visualizations to compare multiple years of data and make good business decisions.
Price - A low cost big bang for the buck reporting solution.,Additional visualizations would be beneficial, I would like to see a Funnel visualization, bubble charts etc.
The ability to do multiple normalizations on records would be a nice add-on but there would be issues as the number of rows created would expand exponentially based on the amount of data needing normalization.,9,,10,8,8Ron DarschewskiEntrinsik Informer makes reporting life easier2014-04-15T23:45:54.424ZWe use Informer for almost all of our reporting and BI needs across the entire campus. We were struggling with reporting for many years and had not been able to find a good reporting solution until we found Entrinsik's Informer. It was easy to setup and easy to train our users how to run reports and write their own reports.,Informer was the best solution for reporting directly off of a multi-valued database. We researched other multi-valued reporting solutions and Informer was absolutely the best.
Entrinsik has been very responsive to product suggestions. In the early days of our adoption of Informer we had many suggestions and most of our suggestions have made it into the product.
When Entrinsik added the ability to report off of SQL based databases it opened up a whole new world for us. We have many different systems on campus and now most of them are connected to Informer. It is really nice to provide a single reporting solution for our end users.
The ability to schedule reports has been fantastic. Before we had Informer all reports were run manually. This has saved us a lot of time.
One of the more recent changes that we have really liked is the ability to write javascript in the report to further manipulate data. Sometimes it is easier to use javascript in the report than creating fields at the database level. This has been a great added feature.
Being able to report off of multiple data sources in one report is extremely helpful. As mentioned before, we have quite a few different systems and there are times we need data from multiple systems and Informer handles this well. As long as the systems have a common key it is very easy to get data from multiple systems onto the same report.,Informers dashboard module is really nice but I would like to see additional functionality and visualizations added. For instance, our admissions office uses funnel reports and it would be nice to be able to use a funnel visualization to represent their funnel data.,10,,10,1,8Kyle RimaInformer, not just for Unidata2014-04-15T22:12:39.851ZInformer is a great reporting tool that we use across the entire College. We initially purchased it when our Student system, which is on Unidata, moved to a new user interface and created reporting challenges. Reporting tools for Unidata are a rare commodity. Informer addressed those issues and more. It allows us to report on Unidata as well as sql. Using Informer also allowed us to centralize report writing, where before, each workstation had to have separate reports. Furthermore, Informer allowed us to schedule and email reports using several formatting options, thus allowing us to not set up cron jobs to run them. What I really like about it is that I can create a report, notify the user that it exists and then if they wanted to make changes to it, I can troubleshoot it over the phone and have them look at the report and the results as I am working on it. I've set it up so that users can view the metadata so that they can see what files and fields are available.,Security is much more robust than what we had with the standard reporting tools we had. We can secure files, restrict users from certain actions.
Scheduling reports has been a god-send. Our users have set up more than 100 scheduled reports to reduce the amount of repetitive tasks they have to perform annually.
Having a centralized report storage area allows our users to share reports and work collaboratively.,Informer, like any other reporting tool, can be a resource hog. We are working to optimize performance. Some of it is us but I think we can do a better job with it.
In the newest release, they have sent better security functionality but I still have difficulty with reports not being tied to a specific session that I can kill manually.
If you are already an Informer user, I would like to be able to save the Analytics and schedule them. (See, every time they come out with something neat, we want more).,10,,10,Informer has saved countless of user hours just by the report scheduler alone.
Informer can query and retrieve data from multiple files and has saved writing and combination of multiple reports.
Through Informer, we can write calculated columns, which saved a lot of time where we didn't have to create custom fields in our database.,3Nakamura DeanInformer: Data at Your Fingertips in Minutes2014-04-15T20:45:03.549ZEntrinsik Informer provides our University (across all departments) with an easy way to access real-time data from Colleague. Informer allows us to give power to our users who extract the data they need to make informed decisions. One approach we've taken is to deploy LiveExcel links to secured department folders for routine reports, so that end-users don't have to wait on the I.T. staff. We've also created complex reports using the Javascript to evaluate the data and output appropriate answers to business questions such as "What grade did the student get in Statistics?" or "Did this student take and pass their Basic Skills test?". Having the ability to put this type of specific information in a report makes life much easier for our end-users and creates efficiencies in our business processes.,Entrinsik has an plethora of supportive resources. They are always willing to listen and help develop a solution, if we cannot find one on our own. We've also taken advantage of their regional training classes and have attended the valuable ICON conferences.
Entrinsik Informer is the "best bang for your buck". It's cost effective for institutions, particularly those who have financial strains, and yet provides a thorough solution to meet most reporting needs.
Entrinsik is constantly adding functionality to the product, which is exciting. They are a truly innovative, professional company that I admire and think everyone should use.
The flexibility to connect Informer to multiple types of databases is another invaluable feature of this product. It helps to seamlessly integrate our systems.,Include more delivered functions with the product (which I believe Entrinsik is already planning for in future releases).
Improve the "Last Executed Date" to be accurate or display the "Date Created" instead. Most of the reports say "Never Executed" and that's not true. Nearly all of our reports have been executed at least once, because we test the reports once they are written.,10,Query Builder,10,End-users are empowered to run reports without needing I.T. intervention.
It's created efficiencies, by providing the data needed with a few clicks (after the report is written). This give us more time for other tasks, including serving the students.
It helps us stay organized and on task.,2Theresa M. FrachallaHow did we function without it?2014-04-16T15:14:33.021ZWe have rolled Informer out across our campus. We went live with Informer in February 2011, coming from a dos-based reporting tool where we had 8 people writing reports. We now have 101 different staff members who have written their own reports. We have 211 users on our campus who have run reports on their own. Most of them received one 2-hour training class to run and manipulate their reports. This has certainly de-centralized the functions away from our IT office running all of the reports. Additionally, this is allowing the end-users to manage their own data on their own timeline. I have been a data analyst for the University for over 20 years, and this tool is by far the easiest to manage.
We recently rolled out dynamic dashboards and 43 report-writers attended the training session.,The terms are easily understood. Our report writers and users have an easy time plotting the data to make sure they are receiving the information they need.
The ability to schedule on-going reports has been a tremendous time saver. We currently have 260 reports running in a "hands off" mode so they can be delivered to upper management for their needs. Included in this list is a pool of "audit" reports where supervisors can receive a report if there are issues with common data entry standards.
Security is easy to manage. We are able to allow all of the appropriate granular security with each user group.
The ability to use LiveExcel interaction with our database allows some of our administrative assistants to use their Windows Office skills rather than having to login to the tool itself.,While we do like the new Dashboards, the scale-ability of the graphical representation would be helpful.
We had developed a list of "wishes" and submitted them to the Entrinsik forum... and lo and behold, when release 4.4.1 came out, the issues were addressed! We particularly needed the ability to copy parts of the set up from one instance to another. We continue to be users of the Wiki and Forums available to clients.,10,,10,We are close to 95% of the administrative staff using Informer, either as a writer or recipient of scheduled reports. In most cases, Informer training has become a 'day one' activity for new administrative staff.,9,10,8,,1,With a new Capital Campaign underway, we hope to accelerate the distribution of the Key Indicators to the full committee in a real-time method.,Data Mining for research on the KPIs ~ Admission, Retention, Financial Reporting
Data Delivery for Financial Reports on a scheduled basis to the appropriate staff and budget officers
Data Analysis for a recent conversion completed by the Advancement Office where we managed the entire conversion specifications by side-by-side data analysis of two different datasources.,Using the Dashboards, for Faculty Departments to identify course needs to facilitate scheduling appropriate classes and capacity for upcoming terms.
Using Informer to identify changes to Faculty Advisement records for ease of scheduling,Yes,Product Features
Product Usability
Product Reputation
Vendor Reputation
Third-party Reviews,We surveyed our administrative database co-workers (Ellucian); and reviewed a few of their suggestions, and Informer by Entrinsik always rose to the top.,Implemented in-house,No,Change management was a big part of the implementation and was well-handled,The understanding that "group" training is generally not a reality on a College Campus. Due to the confidentiality of the data components, the training must be done in very small groups so they will be training on their own data.
The willingness of some departments to take on the responsibility of retrieving and reviewing their own data. This had previously fallen to IT and an Institutional Research department. With all of the new federal regulations in just about every department on our campus, they are understanding that they need to control this review.,10,10,No,We were setting up a training class for Dashboard Users, and we were having an issue on security settings. In less than an hour, all of the appropriate flags were set and we were ready to go.,From an IT perspective: The Initial setup, Datasource mapping and file-joins are quite easy.
From an end-user, If they know their data, the reporting is quite simple. The user still has to know what they are trying to identify in the report.
The dashboard setup takes about 15 minutes to learn,The report writers have to understand the underlying database file structure. The Informer tool is quite simple to manage if you know it. We have tried to provide tools to the reporting units on their file structure as an aid.,10,10,10John BowkerIt's a great product, we couldn't get along with out it.2014-04-16T22:19:15.925ZWe're using Entrinsik Informer here a Loras College pretty much across the whole organization. Before Informer we used Unidata paragraphs for reporting. These were nearly impossible for the end user to write so any time someone needed a report, they contacted us in Information Services. Now most of the reports can be written by end users. This saves a huge amount of time since most reports can be written by the end user now.,Informer is really easy to use. Simple drag and drop functionality helps the end user build their reports.
Entrinsik's support is exceptional. Any time I've ever called with a problem it was solved in a short amount of time.
Connecting to multiple databases is a breeze.,They need to bring back the functionality when searching for a report you just type in part of the name. That works great, but if you detail out of a report and then back out to the search results, the results are cleared and you have to re-type your search to get the results you had. This used to work before but with the newest update it does not.,10,,10,3,9Bryan HorstmanEntrinsk Informer for Public Safety2014-04-16T16:26:28.101ZI work in the Public Safety Software field. Reports and statistics play a key role in managing resources. However the problem in the past was to extract the data into a report was very difficult. The most amazing aspect of Entrinsik for me is the power of the application and easy of use.,Easy of Use
Intuitive user interface
Rapid deployment capabilities and ability to disseminate information on a wide scale
Entrinsik puts powerful tools in front of many users just not a selected few,The only item I saw in the past was the library used for gauges which I do believe has been fixed.,10,10,Informer saves time and resources by it's rapid deployment capability to it's ease of use. Informer is a product that immediately contributes to an organization after the 1st report is complete.,10Joseph RiquelmeInformer, a tool that every institution needs in their toolbox2014-04-16T15:25:54.977ZEntrinsik Informer was initially used by just some power users at our institution. But now with training we have increased the usage to campus wide. We have three major groups of users (those that just run created reports, then a group of staff that will take created reports and modify them to match what they need, and then the group that is made up of power users and those are the ones that will created reports from scratch. Our staff have found Informer to be a tool that can be used by all staff.,The layout of the interface is very intuitive, it makes it more simple to actually create great reports
Ease of use for all different types of users. Those that are new to reporting find Informer a great tool
Entinsik as a company will listen to the users and take comments to heart and try and find ways to make it better.
Entrinsik customer service has always been a great help and have gotten back to me in a very timely manner,With the newest update to the program we have found that it runs quite a bit slower
They need a way to quit "run away reports" we sometimes have users that will create huge reports and when the set them off they take the system down.,8,,9,Informer has created continuity between departments so that they are looking at the same data
Informer allows our users to get cleaner data by analyzing data to see if its good data or bad data that needs to be corrected
Informer allows those staff members that dont have the expertise to create reports to run reports created by power users.Jerry FowlerInformer provides great value to our customer base.2014-04-02T16:45:48.092ZWe resell Informer to our customer base and it's a great tool for them. It allows them to built their own reports and dashboards and gives them access to the data that they need. This gives our customers a lot more flexibility in the types of reports they are able to use to manage their business.,Informer allows our customer base to access their data and create their own reports.
Informer's interface is very simple to use. Our customers learn how to build reports in a very short amount of time.
Everyone wants to get the data out and Informer allows them to schedule reports via email or extract the data to a variety of different formats very easily.,We have had a few scalability issues as we have grown the number of customers using the tool quite rapidly, but Entrinsik has been a great partner with us working to overcome the challenges we have encountered along the way.,9,,10Christopher KennedyEntrinsik Informer ROCKS!2014-04-15T21:06:34.972ZOur institution uses Entrinsik Informer across the whole institution. It is used primarily to allow end-users of data the ability to create and manipulate data when & how they need. Prior to Informer, our end-users were not able to get data when they wanted it. Also, the ability for them to run a live excel spreadsheet, rather than operate inside Informer has alleviated any user trepidation about their ability to run reports. Training has been lessened - once a user is trained on live excel specifics, they will run any other Informer report without hesitation.,Ease of use
Ability to export analytics
Ability to join files with a common key, making reporting applicable to specific data questions,I'd like to see Entrinsik expand its menu of scripts that are provided for use.
I'd also appreciate an expanded how-to manual as a pdf on calculated columns and dashboarding.,10,,10,Better end user data utilization
Faster turnaround on data requests,No,10,No,Our IT person assigned to maintain Informer on our local server has received the wrong version for our system before. This may have been our fault in selecting the wrong one, but Entrinsik is quick to email or call to help correct the problem and we have never "lost" any of our materials.Stephanie HollimanGet Consistent real-time Unidata Reporting with Informer.2014-09-15T16:21:06.835ZEntrinsik Informer is a powerful web-based ERP db operational reporting tool and business intelligence solution. Informer is used here at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff across all administrative offices to report on data contained in Ellucian Colleague. Informer is our primary real time data extraction and administrative reporting solution. Here at UAPB we utilize Informer hourly – almost around the clock. Using Informer's easy to follow UI and Informer's Live Excel features, the power of launching/executing created reports is moved to the person that needs the information.,Informer easily can link tables from a variety of data sources. Reports can easily be created using both fields and JavaScript formulas using feature rich drag and drop column placement
Immediately Informer’s LIVE Excel feature is a time saver. Users no longer have to wait for someone else to provide them with real-time data.
Informer’s ability to link related Colleague tables together is what allows more data to be collected together on a single report.,Entrinsik should provide at least some usage reports, including a report on reports, report usage statistics including most used and least used.,10,UniQuery,10,Every UAPB administrative office on campus, every UAPB campus budget manager, and every UAPB Ellucian Colleague user on campus does utilize Informer reporting in some way.,10,10,5,9Ed McCluskyInformer - A great product.2014-04-15T23:04:21.193ZInformer is being used for reporting at the college by our student services departments. It is very user-friendly for our endusers.,Very user friendly for our endusers
Many ways to report the data, pdf, excel, savedlists, etc
Reports are easily changed to fit many needs of different departments,On occasion when we get errors, the explanation could be better.,10,10,Easy access to our enduser for doing their own reporting.Martha McInnisMake Life Easier with Entrinsik Informer2014-04-17T22:40:18.459ZOur entire college uses Informer. It solves a multitude of problems for our college. In addition to select reporting functionality for a specific issue that arises, it also gives us the ability to email reports daily to review and correct various issues with registration, addresses, data inaccuracies, etc. Our college uses Colleague and Informer provides a seamless integration between the two systems.,Easy to create reports based on specific selection criteria
Reports can be delivered in a variety of ways- Excel, Live Excel, PDF, CSV, Saved Lists, etc.
Easy to schedule reports to have delivered via email to different people around our College at various times.,As technology advances, there is always room for improvements, but I think Informer does a very good job of staying up-to-date with the latest cutting edge technologies. One improvement I would like to see is an area specifically for report schedules that can be easily edited.
Another improvement would be speed. You can never have enough speed in processing reports.,9,,10,250,4,Reporting
Verifying/checking for accuracy in many scenarios
Quickly make decisions and determine next steps based on information received,Create saved lists based on certain selection criteria and use these saved lists for a variety of things, including Communications Management
Dashboards,The opportunities are endless.,Formatting of reports
Identifying fields for selection criteria,If you aren't familiar with your system, like we use Colleague, you may have a difficult time determining exactly where your data 'lives'.,8Sarah GaitherInformer as a User Friendly Solution2014-04-16T14:37:12.685ZInformer is being used throughout the college community. The Informer reporting tool allows users on-demand access to operational data in order to make effective business decisions.,The Informer reporting tool is easy to use for users of all levels of technical expertise.
The Informer reporting tool does not require IT support to create reports. Users can create, run and modify reports without requiring IT resources.
The flexibility of security administration allows us to grant users access to only the data sources, files, fields, and reports related to their specific jobs.
The Informer dashboards allow immediate access to statistics and key performance indicators. Charts and graphs can be designed in minutes to reflect various report results in graphic form.
Informer allows us the flexibility of reporting out of multiple databases.,Entrinsik is working to remedy issues related to server memory usage. They are very open to user feedback and consider the relationship with their clients to be priority.,10,,10,We curently have over 400 general report users and over 60 report writers. These users represent all skill levels and all departments at CPCC.,9,8,9,435,4,Informer reports are used in our daily enrollment processes at CPCC.
We use Informer reports and dashboards to deliver important statistics related to financial aid awards, veterans awards, and current enrollment statistics.
Informer reports are used in the preparation and verification of data to meet a variety regulatory report requirements.,We are using the Informer reports to meet Affordable Care Act reporting requirements.
The creation of a Human Resources dashboard reflecting workforce statistics has reduced repeated calls for statistics and freed up resources for other projects.,We are hoping to link multiple data sources to create statistics related information housed in different systems.,Yes,Price
Product Usability
Vendor Reputation,If we had to do it again, I do not believe we would change our evaluation process. We evaluated several solutions and reviewed all of them based on the short and long term goals of CPCC. The products were reviewed by technical and non-technical members of our organization. The college seems very satisfied with its choice of Entrinsik's Informer.,Informer uses a "drag and drop" technology, which is familiar to most users, to allow users to create reports easily without any programming knowledge.,Complex JavaScript still requires programmer support for most users.,10Kara BoschClient converting to SQL2014-04-15T23:42:29.826ZWe are currently using Informer in a Unidata environment and are in the process of converting to a SQL environment. We use the product across the entire university. Informer allows our users to generate reports very easily. We have a few users the create and modify their own reports and are in the processing of training other users to begin creating/modify reports.,Mappings are easily created, but need to be careful on who you allow to added metadata to the mappings.
Reports are easily created and maintained.
Installation is relatively easy.,Security can be very cumbersome.
Like the file mapping suites in UNIDATA. Has saved us a lot of time not having to rebuild reports every year. The mapping suites don't work well at all in the SQL environment and feel that this needs to be resolved very quickly .,8,8Lauren Newcome
Windows, Linux, Mac
Entrinsik Informer
84 Ratings
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