Pivot Tables Now Supported in SEQUEL Web Interface

May 20, 2014 Alex Woodie

Business intelligence software developer SEQUEL Software recently issued a new release of its Web interface that supports Client Tables, which function just like pivot tables in Excel. SEQUEL previously supported the Client Tables function only in ViewPoint, its Windows-based client. On May 5 the HelpSystems subsidiary announced that Client Tables has been added to its SEQUEL Web Interface (SWI), which can be accessed by any device with a Web browser.

The addition of Client Tables to SWI makes it easier for SEQUEL users to access this powerful interactive feature. Like pivot tables in Excel, Client Tables in SEQUEL allow users to explore and drill down into their data, filtering and sorting it in a variety of ways with the click of a mouse button.

Client Tables give SWI users the ability to quickly move beyond summaries of large files and to view the data by different dimensions. (In this manner, pivot tables have been compared to the functionality that true multi-dimensional database, or OLAP, systems provide.) For example, a user could initially view a million-record sales file by year, and then quickly “pivot” the view to display the results by departments, products, or region.

SEQUEL users can now access pivot table functionality from a Web browser.

Just like in Excel, SEQUEL users can also manipulate their rows and columns by dragging and dropping them on the screen. This feature, in the hands of the right users, can unlock secrets hidden in the data.

“End users are going to benefit greatly from this update,” Tom Huntington, vice president of technical services for HelpSystems, says in a press release. “This new functionality gives data analysts the power they need to make decisions without installing additional software on their PC.”

The update also brings general enhancements to both ViewPoint and SWI. The company says it has bolstered navigation and made the UIs for modern looking, with “user-friendly toolbars.” The new look and feel won the praise of SEQUEL customer Max Valdman, the IT manager at The HammockSource.

“I’m very excited about the new update,” Valdman says in a press release. “It looks better. It looks cleaner. People will be able to get up to speed more quickly when they first interact with SEQUEL.”

SEQUEL works with data residing on DB2 for i and other sources. For more info and trial downloads, see the company’s website at www.sequel-software.com.