With the soon to be launched ActiveReports 6, this seems an appropriate time to take a step back and look at what the GrapeCity acquisition has meant for Data Dynamics and what it implies for the future.
The ActiveReports 6 launch marks a major milestone in two respects. Firstly, it is a reflection of the commitment to not only continue the product development and support but in fact, take ActiveReports, Data Dynamics Reports and Data Dynamics Analysis to the next level in terms of their strategic direction and overall product features, quality and support.
Taking a look back
Early in January this year, an exhaustive customer survey provided direct inputs to help us improve in all respects - the product themselves, the web site and the affiliate services. One of the direct results of that survey was the “Join the Buzz” Web site that features a number of customer testimonials and real life case study examples.
Following that, in late April, Data Dynamics Reports and Data Dynamics Analysis were launched with new pricing along with new product bundles along with better content to help customers differentiate and make it easier to choose which product best met their needs. These changes have been well received.
Included with the ActiveReports 6 Launch
Looking to the immediate future, with the ActiveReports 6 launch, customers can expect a significantly improved web site with the goal of improving on three fundamental levels:
- Clearer differentiation and product comparisons that make it real easy to understand where to use each product
- Better and more detailed product information with more screenshots and demos with easy links into the product documentation for even more details
- An easier buying process with number of online Upgrade options so that existing customers can more easily upgrade to the latest versions or to the new suites.
What to expect in future
In the coming months and years, customers can look forward to continued innovation, both on existing products as well as the launch of new products and extensions, better integration between them and with Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft Silverlight and better integration with Microsoft’s own Business Intelligence technologies.
Today, the ActiveReports Suite is the only complete set of Reporting and BI tools for Microsoft Visual Studio and .NET and thanks to the joint research and development within GrapeCity and Data Dynamics (now part of GrapeCity), the depth and breadth of these technologies are poised for a dramatic increase in the coming months and years.
