NGS Waives License Fees for DB2 Web Query Alternative

December 2, 2008 Alex Woodie

New Generation Software today announced that it is giving away two-user licenses for QPort Office, its business intelligence product that allows users to access Query/400 assets from Microsoft Office. The move is aimed at alleviating the temptation for System i shops to move to another graphical BI environment, DB2 Web Query, when upgrading from i5/OS V5R3, support for which ends early next year.

NGS unveiled Qport Office about a year and a half ago to give System i shops an alternative to the newly announced DB2 Web Query, which NGS maintains is too expensive and difficult to benefit most System i shops. By acting as a Windows front-end for DB2/400 data, Qport Office allows users to combine their knowledge and investment of Query/400 and Excel to bring i5/OS business intelligence into the graphical age, according to NGS.

NGS is betting that System i shops running i5/OS V5R3 would prefer to not spend the time and effort to install and configure DB2 Web Query prior to the end of support on April 30, 2009. Just the same, the temptation may be there to upgrade from Query/400, considering the compelling BI functionality that IBM delivered with DB2 Web Query.

To combat the lure of DB2 Web Query, NGS revived the free offer for two-user licenses of Qport Office that it originally rolled out with the launch of product in April 2007. It could be just what the doctor ordered, according to NGS president and CEO Bernard Gough.

“For a customer wanting to give Query/400 users new capabilities, but not take the time to install, test, and learn a new query, reporting, or business intelligence solution, Qport Office can be the answer,” Gough says. The software “satisfies some common end-user reporting needs and gives management an opportunity to survey the market and evaluate several BI alternatives before making an investment. In the current business climate, that’s very appealing.”

For more information on the free Qport Office deal, go to www.ngsi.com.