Excel-erator is an IBM i based software utility that converts IBM i database files into spreadsheets. The resulting stream files are either placed into any directory in IBM i's Integrated File System or sent as an attachment to an email. With Excel-erator you can make IBM i data available to your users in the form best suited to them.

Excel-erator converts database files into spreadsheets. Excel-erator supports the following database files:

• Physical files
• Logical files with a single record format

Excel-erator generates the following spreadsheet types:

*OOXML	Microsoft's OfficeOpen XML. (Example.xlsx)
*XMLSS	Microsoft's Excel specific "XML Spreadsheet format". (Example.xml)
*BIFF	Microsoft's Binary Interchange File Format. (Example.xls)
*CSV	Comma Separated Values (CSV). (Example.csv)

There are two commands that provide the conversion:

• Copy To Excel (CPYTOEXCEL)
• Send File Excel (SNDFEXCEL)

The Copy To Excel (CPYTOEXCEL) command takes a database file and an Integrated File System object (stream file) name as input. The file's contents are converted into a spreadsheet. The converted file is then placed in the requested Integrated File System object (stream file).

Depending on the Integrated File System name specified. you can place the generated file in any file system known to IBM i including writing directly to Windows systems on the network, another system running IBM i, or NFS servers.

The Send File Excel (SNDFEXCEL) command takes a database file and an email address as input. The file's contents are converted into a spreadsheet. The converted file is then emailed to the requested recipient using IBM i's built-in mail support. IBM i delivers the mail in the manner appropriate to the recipient's mail client. The spreadsheet arrives as a MIME attachment to an email message.

When sending the email, you have a wide variety of options to tailor the delivered message to your specific needs. Addressing includes multiple recipients, copy recipients and blind copy recipients. Additionally, you can include multiple Reply-To: addresses as well as specify the email address the message appears to come from. Delivery confirmation by read receipt can also be specified. Optionally, a digital signature can be included with the email.

Both commands support:

• Multiple database files per spreadsheet
• Field selection and ordering
• Addition of title lines
• Selecting column headings from the file's field names, aliases, column headings, or text (or *NONE)
• Control over column heading format including alignment, borders background pattern, bolding, etc.
• Addition of print header and print footer
• Specification of page setup
• Freezing rows and columns
• Selection of font typeface
• Addition of comments to cells
• File sharing settings including password protection and encryption
• Control over the color palette included in the spreadsheet
• Data in any coded character set ID (CCSID)

Commands to help you trouble shoot and, optionally, automatically configure IBM i to send mail are also included with the product.

Gumbo products include a range of standard features that make them easy to use, easy to manage, and easy to live with:

• Extensive manual, both online as menu option 1 and in PDF PDF (See downloads page).
• Context sensitive help for every command and parameter.
• Menu that provides organized access to the product's features.
• The product is packaged as a licensed program and participates in the full range of support provided by IBM i. Licensed program installation, PTF management, etc. are handled with the same commands used to manage IBM^® software.
• Unlike IBM^® Licensed Programs, our products are packaged to allow multiple releases to be installed at the same time. This facilitates new release testing.
• Product PTFs are available on the web or can be retrieved and installed in a single step using our Retrieve Gumbo PTF (RTVGSIPTF) command.
• Our products include a hot site friendly automatic authorization function that allows you to immediately move operations to any backup or failover machine without contacting us for a license key or authorization code.
• We include a Check Product Authorization (CHKPRDAUT) command that allows you to exercise the product's authorization algorithm and insure there are no authorization "surprises".
• An installation verification option is available on the menu. You can easily verify that the product is correctly installed.
• All (applicable) objects in our products are digitally signed allowing you to verify their integrity. Modifications that could jeopardize the security of your system are easily detected with IBM i's Check Object Integrity (CHKOBJITG) command.
• Our products are upward compatible with future IBM i releases. You can install a new IBM i release without installing a new release from us.
• Our products are compatible with all IBM i security levels. We use only published interfaces.

For additional information see: Answers to the most frequently asked general product questions.

A fully functional 30-day trial of the product is available for immediate download. There is no obligation. To receive an invoice, fill out an Invoice Request.

Gumbo offers two choices for licensing our IBM i software products, system wide licensing and partition licensing. These are mutually exclusive. A system wide license applies to a specific system serial number and processor group and is good for any and all partitions in the system. A partition license applies to a specific system serial number, partition number, and maximum processor capacity, and is not valid for a system that has not been partitioned. For the overwhelming majority of our customers, a system wide license (~ 98%) is the best choice. A partition license (~ 2%) is the best choice in very limited circumstances involving small partitions on large machines.

The system wide license prices for all of our products, with the exception of Report Designer, are tiered based on your system's processor group. You can determine your machine's processor group by running the IBM i Work with License Information (WRKLICINF) command.

The partition only license prices for all of our products, with the exception of Report Designer, are based on the maximum processor capacity configured for the partition (rounded up to the nearest tenth). You can determine your partition's maximum processor capacity by running the IBM i Start System Service Tools (STRSST) command and taking option 5 "Work with system partitions" then option 1 "Display partition information" then option 2 "Display partition processing configuration".

The one time charge includes the first  year of maintenance services. You are purchasing a permanent license to use the software subject to the terms of a license agreement and upgrade policy.