MARS Small Biz

MARS is a Windows application that can help save time and money by simplifying the process of defining single or packages of Access Reports, Queries, Macros and Tasks. It can schedule and run them automatically and send them to print, fax, disk, FTP or email in several standard formats. Users need to set up a schedule where they define how often reports or queries should run, the output format, and the recipient.

There are several frequency options to choose from, such as daily, weekly, or monthly. Users can also create custom frequencies, such as 4-4-3, every other day, or third Monday of the month. The same report or query can be scheduled to run multiple times with different parameters, formats, frequencies, and destinations.

MARS' Event-Based Schedules offer more flexibility as users can set schedules based on events rather than a specific date. Reports can be fired off when events occur, such as when a database value is present or when a file is modified.

MARS' Dynamic Schedule process can trawl through users' databases to find the parameter values and then generate and deliver a unique report for each value. MARS also offers Custom Actions, which allows users to run another program, enter values in a database, modify a file and more, once the schedule is executed.

The Explorer-like interface and context (right-click) menus make it easy to define and schedule report packages, and the full copy-and-paste support simplifies creating complex distribution schedules. The scheduling service runs as a desktop application or as an NT service. It will integrate with Exchange Server 5 (SP4) and above (2000 and 2003) or SMTP.

Overall, MARS is ideal for users who spend too much time running and distributing Access reports or query output to line managers, or those who need to provide corporate management with tailored reports on a regular schedule. MARS' tools make scheduling reports and queries easier and less time-consuming.