Skip to Main Content
IBM Power Ideas Portal


This portal is to open public enhancement requests against IBM Power Systems products, including IBM i. To view all of your ideas submitted to IBM, create and manage groups of Ideas, or create an idea explicitly set to be either visible by all (public) or visible only to you and IBM (private), use the IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com).


Shape the future of IBM!

We invite you to shape the future of IBM, including product roadmaps, by submitting ideas that matter to you the most. Here's how it works:

Search existing ideas

Start by searching and reviewing ideas and requests to enhance a product or service. Take a look at ideas others have posted, and add a comment, vote, or subscribe to updates on them if they matter to you. If you can't find what you are looking for,

Post your ideas
  1. Post an idea.

  2. Get feedback from the IBM team and other customers to refine your idea.

  3. Follow the idea through the IBM Ideas process.


Specific links you will want to bookmark for future use

Welcome to the IBM Ideas Portal (https://www.ibm.com/ideas) - Use this site to find out additional information and details about the IBM Ideas process and statuses.

IBM Unified Ideas Portal (https://ideas.ibm.com) - Use this site to view all of your ideas, create new ideas for any IBM product, or search for ideas across all of IBM.

ideasibm@us.ibm.com - Use this email to suggest enhancements to the Ideas process or request help from IBM for submitting your Ideas.

Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Categories IBM i Access Family
Created by Guest
Created on Apr 11, 2024

ACS - Add save to a new tab in Excel when using RSS.

I use Run SQL Scripts (RSS) daily. Many times, I have to save the results displayed on the screen into a spreadsheet. 

Problem:

Each save from the screen has to go to a new file or an existing file. If specifying an existing file, it overwrites that file. I regularly need to create multiple spreadsheets. Example: 1 file for an order header and another file for the order lines.

Solution:

As in Transfer data to a PC in ACS, it has the option to load the data into a open spreadsheet on the screen.

This would allow me to load multiple tabs and send 1 file to users.

 

Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 15, 2024

    This is not a viable solution because :

    1. This is too many manual steps involved....prone to errors/issues.

    2. ACS SQL scripts is where we join files, aggregate data and convert codes to meaningful data, etc for end users. Simply doing a data transfer from DB2 into an Excel tab is not the same at all.

    3. We are trying to simplify processes, not make them more complex.

    1 reply
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 15, 2024

    it would be helpful to have, on the save screen, an option to save to a new tab, or specify the name of the tab in the XLSX to save the data into.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 15, 2024
    In the steps you provided, it is the initial save of a previously unsaved spreadsheet that is causing the issue. If you open a previously saved spreadsheet (or do not do a save of a spreadsheet that does not already exist on disk), then attach to the Active Excel Spreadsheet using Data Transfer, you will be able to create and interact with new tabs (including doing saves) without issue. We will Decline the original request related to RSS.

    IBM Power Systems Development
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 15, 2024

    Found how to attach the document. Please review.


  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 15, 2024

    ACS - Add save to a new tab in Excel when using RSS

    Here is a document on the process I have to follow. We have users that load multiple files into tabs on a spreadsheet. They then use macros to read the data across multiple sheets to provide the required results and graphs.

    How do I add pictures?

    • Select Data transfer from IBMi to PC.

    • Complete the form.

    • On selecting Active Excel Spreadsheet, Excel is automatically opened by ACS.

    The name of the spreadsheet file cannot be changed.

    • Do the Start Transfer.

    • Save the spreadsheet.

    • Leave spreadsheet open.

    • Select or create a new tab/sheet.

    • Enter new Data Transfer parameters.

    • Click Start Transfer.

    • Transfer errors out.

    • This problem requires you to shut down and restart the data transfer.

    • You cannot select the existing spreadsheet to add a new tab. You have to create a new spreadsheet each time and then copy and paste the data from 1 file into the first spreadsheet. This get messy if the sheets are large.

    Basically, a lot of manual steps to create a new spreadsheet.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    May 14, 2024
    Setting back to "Need More Information" as we would like to hear back from the Submitter of the Idea.
  • Admin
    Carmelita Ruvalcaba Cevallos
    Reply
    |
    May 14, 2024

    The CAAC has reviewed this IBM Idea and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority Idea that should be addressed.

    This would be helpful for pulling data for executives.

    Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual IBM Ideas on the broader IBM i community and has therefore reviewed your Idea.

    For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac

    Carmelita Ruvalcaba - CAAC Program Manager

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Apr 18, 2024
    Thank you for submitting your Idea to enhance IBM i Access Client Solutions (ACS). We do not have plans to enable Run SQL Scripts (RSS) to interact with an active spreadsheet. However, we are considering allowing an existing spreadsheet to be updated without overwriting what is already there. If we did that, we could also consider enabling that support from RSS. Would that be a viable solution for you?

    IBM Power Systems Development