"We're not sure when the problem started exactly..."

"Well, have you looked at the data?"

Frustrated by having to ask that question for the umpteenth time, even if only to a fraction of the team, the author set out to remove as many sources of friction as possible to accessing "the data" and exploring it in JMP. The solution: a set of JSL-powered GUIs that removed barriers, such as querying databases or looking up parameter names, and that provided a set of canned scripts for quickly spltting and visualizing the data.

The next challenges? Deploying and supporting the tools accross a large organization. Eventually, the project evolved into a fully formed JMP add-in.

The author presents his journey in learning to effectively use JSL to create feature-rich custom windows for retrieving and displaying data, the kinds of tools that succeeded and those that failed, as well as lessons learned on how to minimize the amount of support needed for users to install and immediately start using a JMP add-in (including automatic detection or setup of ODBC database connections and setup of stored user preferences).