DismissWhat is BIRT?
BIRT Engine Features
BIRT Engine is a collection of Java classes and API's used to execute BIRT reports and generate them in a variety of formats. BIRT Engine and its Java APIS are a part of the Eclipse BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) project, an Eclipse Foundation open source project initiated and co-led by Actuate, the sponsor for BIRT Exchange. It is licensed under the Eclipse Public License (EPL).
Execution & Output Generation Services
The BIRT Engine and its APIs allow Java application developers to quickly integrate powerful report generation capabilities into their applications without having to build the infrastructure from lower level Java components. It includes Java classes that execute a report and generate the output within the context of an application. It includes a sample BIRT Viewer that encapsulates the APIs for viewing an HTML report.
Multiple Use Paradigms
Eclipse BIRT Engine and its APIs can be downloaded in open source form from eclipse.org and BIRT Exchange for embedding in custom applications. They are also available on BIRT Exchange encapsulated in report designer, component, viewer, deployment and report server products that provide additional value-added features.
Actuate BIRT iServer
BIRT iServer provides enterprise-class services that deploy, manage, schedule, secure, run and distribute BIRT documents and web pages.
BIRT Viewer Features
A strength of the Eclipse BIRT Engine and Java API are their ability to generate rich data visualizations and highly graphical reports for use in web applications or for publishing on the web. While any HTML BIRT report can be viewed on any web browser, a large BIRT web page or report can sometimes benefit from additional features to optimize the end user experience.
Eclipse Sample BIRT Viewer
The Sample Viewer that comes with the Eclipse BIRT Engine and Java API’s is a sample implementation of the BIRT Engine in a web application. It can retrieve HTML report content and data, display that content page-by-page in a web-based viewer and generate a table-of-contents for a more manageable user experience. It will also generate a PDF version, print, and export to CSV.
Actuate BIRT User Experience
Actuate offers several products to enhance the user experience such as interactive content and report manipulation (including embedded Flash), self-service dashboards and analytics, and user generated ad hoc reports.
BIRT Designer Features
There are four BIRT Designers that all share a common set of features.
The features apply to both the three Eclipse BIRT Designers and BIRT Designer Pro from Actuate. BIRT documents developed with any one of the designers can be modified with the other designers. Their common features include:
Web 2.0 style reports and data visualizations
BIRT Designers produce rich, highly interactive and navigable Java reports with formatting, graphic, and conditional display options to meet complex requirements.
Web-based design metaphor
BIRT Designers use the drag and drop, WYSIWYG design paradigm of familiar development tools such as Web-page designers, and web-band desktop publishing products for easy report development in Java.
Wizards, editors and builders
BIRT Designers offer task-specific editors, builders and helpers such as wizards and cheat sheets that make reporting easy for developers of all skill levels to create reusable templates and reports.
Component-based model for reuse
BIRT Designers support component and design template reuse for reporting libraries.
Extensible and flexible data access and handling
BIRT Designers efficiently integrate data from multiple data sources, transform the data and manipulate the data based on business logic.
Standards-based programmability
BIRT Designers offer programmatic control using standard languages and interfaces for nearly every aspect of report layout, data access, data transformation and report rendering.
Localization and i18n
BIRT Designers can create reports in a variety of languages and are available in different languages.
Actuate BIRT Designer Pro
BIRT Designer Pro expands on the Eclipse BIRT Designer to add ease of use features and new capabilities to the design experience, including a collection of pre-defined Flash objects and database drivers, plus a metadata layer used for managing secure content deployment and user interactivity.
