Plex Systems Inc. has enhanced its SaaS-based ERP offering with a new data connectivity tool that lets manufacturers use Plex and other data sources to generate reports using popular analytics tools.
The new database connectivity feature uses the open database connectivity (ODBC) standard to provide secure external access to Plex’s multi-tenant database. Users can then combine data extracted from the Plex online system with data generated by other systems and generate custom reports using reporting tools, such as Crystal Reports, Business Objects, Cognos, Hyperion, and MS Access.
“Rather than us trying to create our own reporting tool or choose one of the BI vendors [to partner with], we decided to just open up our environment,” said Plex CEO Mark Symonds in an interview with Managing Automation.
Manufacturers, for example, could use the data connectivity feature to combine machine downtime or inventory data from the Plex system with external benchmarking data to generate reports, Symonds said.