Take a Closer Look at NextForm

 

Next Steps
NextForm Overview Features Technical Details GUI Platforms & Pricing Why It's Better Resources

IRI NextForm is powerful, user-friendly Windows and Unix software for data, file, and database:

NextForm inherits many of the SortCL program functions available in IRI CoSort and uses the IRI Workbench GUI, built on Eclipse.™ The same high-performance data movement engine that maps between multiple sources and targets also make NextForm a compelling, and affordable, place to begin managing big data without the need for Hadoop.

Implementation Options


Choose the edition of NextForm you need:

Deliverables & Uses
Capabilities & Compatibilities
Lite

Featuring: The NextForm executable and entire IRI Workbench (Eclipse GUI).

Discover, migrate, replicate, manipulate, master, federate, and report on data in flat and unstructured document file formats
  • Translate LDIF, CSV, MFVL, Text, XML (flattened), Line/Record/Variable Sequential, and Variable Blocked (mainframe) files
  • Convert > 100 data types, including EBCDIC and packed decimal, dates and numerics, UTF-16 and native CJK/Thai multi-byte characters
  • Filter records and re-map their layouts. Define (master data) templates. Manipulate, derive and calculate field values. Perform basic data cleansing. Build custom 2D reports
  • Profile DBs and flat files. Use cross-DB E-R diagram and data classification wizards. Search, extract, and structure strings in MS documents, emails, pdf's, etc.
Upgrade to higher versions of IRI NextForm (below), or to IRI CoSort (transformation), IRI FieldShield (masking), and IRI RowGen (test data) jobs -- all of which use the same metadata and GUI.

Use BIRT, GIT, and other free Eclipse plug-ins for business intelligence, job control, etc.

COBOL

Featuring: Lite + Micro Focus libraries

Move easily from index to flat-file formats, convert data types, report, and re-use that data in new applications

  • Includes all Lite functionality plus support for Micro Focus COBOL index files:
  • Convert MF-ISAM and Vision (Acucobol) to CSV, Text, XML, and other formats
  • Manipulate, replicate, federate, and report

Contact IRI Professional Services to migrate VSAM, KSAM, QSAM, and mainframe DB2 data.

DBMS

Featuring: Lite + ODBC libraries

Replicate, federate, and report against data in any ODBC or flat-file data source. Upgrade or switch databases like Oracle, DB2, Sybase, MySQL, SQL*Server, and Teradata.

  • Includes all Lite functionality, plus DB support to:
  • See, define, and edit table structures and contents
  • Remap columns and populate tables
  • Fetch, replicate, federate, and report against data in any ODBC data source, including Excel
  • Combine and use DB and flat-file data together
  • Apply common manipulation rules across tables
  • Track job versions and metadata lineage

Use IRI Professional Services for help with DB triggers, stored procedures, complex constraints, and apps.

Use IRI Fast Extract (FACT) for bulk DB unloads, and IRI CoSort to pre-sort and create bulk load targets. Use both for ETL and reorgs.

Use IRI RowGen to generate safe, intelligent DB test data.

Legacy

Featuring: Lite + Proprietary drivers

Access and view data in legacy formats featured here.

  • Includes all Lite functionality plus access to legacy data sources locked in older repositories or hardware and appliances
  • Eliminate the need to assign more resources to unlocking esoteric data
  • Create flat-file (and DDF metadata) from the extracts for NextForm re-mapping, scrubbing, federation, and/or reporting operations

Easily upgrade to, and use the same metadata and GUI with:

  • IRI FieldShield to mask (de-identify, encrypt, etc.)
  • IRI CoSort for everything, including masking and transformation

Modern

Featuring: Lite + Proprietary Drivers

Access and migrate/use data in big data and cloud/SaaS repositories

  • Includes all Lite functionality, plus access to big data and cloud/SaaS sources like AWS, Hive, MongoDB, Cassandra, Spark SQL, Salesforce, Marketo, and MS Dynamics
  • Eliminate the need to assign more resources to unlocking esoteric data
  • Create flat-file (and DDF metadata) from the extracts for NextForm re-mapping, scrubbing, federation, and/or reporting operations

Easily upgrade to, and use the same metadata and GUI with:

  • IRI FieldShield to mask (de-identify, encrypt, etc.)
  • IRI RowGen to generate synthetic test data for those targets
  • IRI CoSort for data integration, reporting and fast transformation

Premium

Featuring: Lite + Multiple libraries

Identify, integrate, use, and report on structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data

  • Includes all Lite functionality, plus COBOL, DBMS, and UIMA libraries for:
  • Multi-source data migration, replication, and reporting
  • Federating data from multiple sources for virtualized (real-time) views and decisions
  • Runtime deployment on all Windows, Linux, and Unix platforms

Upgrade and plug into CoSort jobs for data integration and business intelligence, big data preparation without Hadoop, data masking, and test data.

Invocation Options


Use the free IRI Workbench GUI for NextForm to create, edit and manage NextForm control language (.NCL) jobs. NextForm job scripts are simple, self-documenting text files that define the layout of your data sources and targets.

Save jobs within projects, and run them from the GUI. Or, run them from the command line, batch program, job scheduler, or your application.

Rule Application


The NextForm GUI supports the specification and re-use of data manipulation rules that you can apply to multiple file or table sources based on pattern-recognized column names.

Use this feature to standardize the performance of a calculation on a date or age field, unify the data type of certain columns en-masse, or perform a find/replace look-up (e.g. master data) value insertion as a rule.

Third-Party Metadata Integration


The erwin (formerly AnalytiX DS) Mapping Manager, and the Meta Integration Model Bridge (MIMB) from Meta Integration Technology, Inc. (MITI) convert job metadata and file layouts already created for third-party modeling, ETL, EAI, and BI tools into IRI flow, .*CL, and/or .DDF files. The DataSwitch no-code data, AI-powered data modernization platform also produces NextForm data layouts and executes NextForm remapping jobs.

Use NextForm and other IRI software with these partner technologies to manipulate your data in other applications without re-defining the layouts.

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