• The Quadro system, which provides pre-formatted and classifiable queries associated with Quanto. It can be used to prepare tailored reports of "Budget scenarios" and "Appropriations and allocations", allowing for their classification and subsequent generation with parameter passing. In this case, Quadro accesses the Quanto "online" database (connected to the mainframe) in real time (at the actual moment)
Quadro does not allow users to freely format the reports they create, although this does not mean that they are not formatted. Depending on the type of report generated (number of variables in the financial statement header and number of columns), the module automatically selects a preset format.
One group of reports, called "general", is defined by the system administrators and can be used by all users. A second group of reports, called "individual", is defined by all users and their use is restricted to the working group of the particular user (sector group of the Directorate General of Budgets or budget office).
There are three types of output: PDF files, HTML files with the same header layout and detail as the PDF files, and table format (the output is also in HTML) for transferring the data to a spreadsheet for further processing.)
• 'SIGMA online queries', used to configure and make free queries to the online information, and in real time to the data in the Appropriations and allocations subsystem of the administrative sub-sector of the General State Budgets (Quanto). The result of the data queries is presented to users in table format to allow it to be exported and processed with office tools.
• SIGMA, a system allowing the same free queries as the 'SIGMA online queries' system with the difference that these queries are made without a connection to a data server, thus giving the user a "portable budget".
Operating with SIGMA usually involves two steps:
- Downloading the application. To do this, users connect to the server and obtain the client software. This operation is typically only performed once.
- Data downloading. Users access the server and obtain a "snapshot" of the budget for the desired financial year (which may be the one in course or a closed one), which they download to their client computer. This operation can be performed as often as necessary.
Once the application is configured on the client workstation and the latter has a copy of the data, SIGMA longer requires a connection for its functionality.