The Jetstream Concept

"Getting there faster by going higher and using natural forces to your advantage"

The premise of Jetstreaming is very simple.

How to get business users to their meaningful data as quickly as possible:

• With a system That is easy to understand
• That is largely automatic
• Is self maintaining.
• Has the flexibility for expansion.

The challenge is to get useful information out to users as accurately, efficiently and as quickly as possible.

The products we use are; Cognos Impromptu PowerPlay IWR Query Architect Upfront 3DStudio Max (click on link to find out what each product does)

The purpose of Jetstreaming was to find a solution to the problem of data overload. If users are spending 90% of their time collating information
and only 10% of their time acting on it, we can turn that round.

Standard reports are implemented in such a way that they are available within a minute of a business question being asked.

For business questions where there is no standard report available, users are trained to create reports within 5 minutes. Users are profiled so they only have access to the information they need. This is good for security and efficiency.

Revolve have developed a system that is so efficient it brings any user to within a maximum of four select mouse clicks away from any data in their database, with the query time reduced down to within a few seconds for each click. Revolve's director, Dean Hollingsworth, pioneered the Jetstreaming system after six years working with different clients and different levels of users. Dean has worked at all levels within the business environment, from Directors to temporary staff, in marketing, financial and human resources in industries as diverse as banking, travel, legal, theatre and construction. To see some examples of Revolve solutions to client problems click here

The theory for Jetstreaming comes from the fact that aircraft use the jetstream to speed their journey to their destination and use the natural airflow to make their journey more efficient and economic. Using the natural structures that are often invisible to the user, automation and advanced join strategy
we aim to get users to their infomation within seconds rather than minutes.

It is possible to create a reporting suite which will save the company time and money by getting managers to a result much faster than traditional methods.

Jetstreaming uses the Cognos product Impromptu. As independent consultants in this product, we have found that it is the most dynamic and useful tool for extracting data from a database without having to learn the complexities of SQL (Structured Query Language). Not only does it extract data from the database, it adds value to it, by using a multitude of functions and operators. It also provides security in terms of access to the data, allowing administrators to choose the level of access to sensitive data and define those levels by user class. Once the data is retrieved, it is an easy task to export to other formats such as excel, dbase files or Impromptu's own hotfile system which can be integrated into its catalog system. The flexibility of its formatting allows data to be reported in many different formats including list frames, form frames, chart frames, text frames, photo frames or any combination of these, making professional and meaningful reporting easy, both on screen and paper. Using Impromptu's scheduler and macros, data can be extracted and distributed automatically, even outside office hours. Most usefully, the data can also be transmitted electronically via e-mail or published as html for use on an Internet, Extranet or the Internet. It can display information from your database in a graphical format, allowing you to create invoices, letters, card indexes or just about anything you want to from your data.

Efficiency and economy

A recent implementation of Jetstream recouped twice the implementation cost within 2 months of starting, through savings achieved. The first Jetsteaming reports were available to the client on the first day of implementation.

Implementation included three mouse clicks to a personal profile of any of their employees with information about their salary, personal details, training history and future training, qualifications and absence all on one A4 sheet. Automatic data quality checks are performed daily and errors are reported in a central area. Data is automatically extracted from an external source and combined with the main database information making huge savings on integrating the two systems. A datamart system has been implemented to report on amendments made to the data. The Impromptu interface is very simple and a lot of report building is done using simple drag and drop techniques. Revolve specialise in training users at all levels in the technicalities of Impromptu, whilst keeping a firm view on the real business requirements of your company.

Jetreaming combines six years research into the Cognos Impromptu product itself, business intelligence, expert knowledge of the needs of end users and our experience of training people.