Monarch is such a tremendous tool because it makes it possible for us do some pretty amazing thing with data, without needing in-depth technical skills.

You don’t need to be a master of Structured Query Language. You don’t need to know about ActiveX Data Objects. You don’t need to know about how to write software that enables Open Database Connectivity. These are just some of the things from which Monarch shelters us.

Instead, you click some icons or menus, and you can acquire data from just about any data source, and convert it into a slew of useful formats.

There are times however that the process can move from being enjoyable to just being routine and outright boring. It’s when you reach that point that you wish you could click a button and have all your Monarch work done for you.

Guess what. You can do that.

And you can do it - write a little program that will do your Monarch work for you - all by yourself.

Monarch’s publisher, Datawatch, developed the program so that it will accept commands given to it by another program. There’s a document on Datawatch’s site named the Programmer’s Guide that will instruct you on everything you need to know to automate Monarch. There is a little complication with that guide though.

I personally find that, overall, the Programmers Guide reads like it was written for programmers by programmers. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that… if you’re a professional programmer.

But you probably wouldn’t refer to yourself as a programmer, now would you?

So to help you out with this particular challenge I’ve developed a guide that I think you’ll find to be much more readable, without so much technical jargon.

It’ll also assist you as you develop your programs. As you write your custom programs to control Monarch, as is detailed in the Programmer’s Guide, you’ll often need to know when to use a zero value, or a value of one or two to perform different functions, such as overwrite a file, or add data to an existing file. You may find that this requirement can make the process feel very intimidating and technical.

But this won’t be the case for you when you use my programming tool. Instead you’ll be able to use clear terms like OverwriteFile. No more guessing. No more constantly referring back to the guide.

Are you ready to begin? Are you curious to see what this tool will do for you and decide for yourself if this is something you want to try?

“This sounds like he’s selling me now”, I can hear you thinking. Nothing could be further from the truth.

You can have my programming tool and documentation for free.

This is great. The official documentation always left me confused; this is much clearer. Keep up the good work. - Bruce R., Montreal Canada

But I’m afraid that you won’t be able to download it. Instead, I’ll send it to you personally. No robot software, no mass emailing systems.

I will write you myself, and include a single Excel file (smaller than a megabyte) as an attachment.

To receive the file, again, absolutely free of charge, just sign up for the free FeedBurner service that sends you all of the updates that I post on the site by email.

Once you confirm and activate the FeedBurner service, you’ll receive the file by email. It might take a day or two because I will be handling the email personally, so I appreciate your patience.

If you’re already subscribing to the site updates using FeedBurner, you’ll be receiving the file shortly.

To repeat, I will only send the file to those who sign up for the FeedBurner service. You’ll find the FeedBurner subscription button on the top left of this page. Just key in your email address in the box, click the Subscribe button, and follow the directions you immediately receive.

FeedBurner will send you a message that requests that you activate the service by clicking on a link in the message. They do this to avoid situations wherein someone might add your email address to a mailing list without your knowledge.

Once you click the link, you’re done. The service is active, and you’ll now receive every new post on the site by email. Of course you can opt out of the FeedBurner service at any time. It’s up to you. I think you’ll like it, but it’s your choice entirely.

Automating Monarch is useful in and of itself but if you use it as an introduction to other programming, you’ll find that you’ll be able to create entirely automated reporting systems completely by yourself. Automated custom reporting can save you and your organization countless hours and will reduce your costs of producing those reports enormously.

Free up more of your time, save money, and do some positively cool stuff. Sound good? Sign up for the FeedBurner service now, and you’ll be automating your work in no time, as you demonstrate the ease with which you excel with Monarch.