Reporting made easy through Entrinsik Informer
Updated March 26, 2015

Reporting made easy through Entrinsik Informer

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

v4.3.2

Overall Satisfaction with Entrinsik Informer

Entrinsik Informer is used primarily by our administrative offices, including the Registrar, Accounting,Dean of Students, Residence Life, Human Resources, and others. It provides a user-friendly method for pulling information from our database. It has simplified the process for folks who are not as technically savvy as others. The reports provided cover budget, student, and staff information in easy-to-use formats.
  • Entrinsik Informer provides a way to pull information from several files within our database into a single report. This is far superior to having to query the database directly where you can only pull information from a single file at a time. It enables the end user to access information easily without having to involve technical staff.
  • It's possible to train power users to create their own reports in Entrinsik Informer, giving the users more flexibility in writing reports that are most appropriate to their work processes and without taking up technical staff time. We have done that here, and it works well. This only requires the occasional assist from technical staff, freeing our time to devote more time and support to users who are only interested in accessing reports written for them.
  • Some direct training on the advanced features of Entrinsik Informer would be helpful, e.g., more specific instructions on how to create computed columns within Informer reports.
  • Some more detailed instruction on how to use Analytics and Charting would be beneficial as well, with examples geared more to a college setting than to the business world. Often in the sessions at the Entrinsik conferences, for instance, the examples given don't translate well for me to our college experience. It's more along the lines of sales and things of that nature, that don't fit into our experience at all. So, sometimes it's hard for me to figure out how to apply the principles.
  • Blacboard
We have implemented Blackboard for use by faculty with their students, for posting classroom materials and for interaction in many ways, but we have not used it for reporting purposes. We have allowed querying directly from Ellucian Colleague in the past, but that was not as user-friendly and efficient as Informer.
This is a great product that is providing us with the reporting tools that we need to provide information to our constituencies.
I have strongly promoted Entrinsik Informer since I began working with it. I found it to be a much more user-friendly product for providing accurate, timely information from the database to folks across campus, particularly the less technically savvy folks. It provides quick access without any serious technical skills required. But it also is great for those who want to learn more about it and create their own reports. The flexibility and ease of use are the biggest elements for me.

Using Entrinsik

I have found it to work well within our environment and provides efficient, accurate, timely reporting. There are features that are more complex and require a greater learning curve and more support, such as computed columns.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Mapping database files, including adding file and fields and linking files together.
  • Creating the reports and providing access to them.
  • Security provisions are a little more complicated but work well.
  • Some of the advanced features are not as easy to learn independently, such as computed columns, analytics and charting.