Birt Report Designer Reference Guide
Birt Report Designer Reference Guide
Prepared By : AnilkumarYadav
Reviewed By : Rahul Nair
Date : 18-05-2015
Credence Analytics (I) Pvt. LTD’s prior written consent is required before any part of this
document is reproduced.
Version History
Table of Contents
Introduction of Birt Designer Tool 4
Getting Started 5
Creating the Birt Designer file (.rptdesign) 6
Database Connection 10
Dataset Creation 16
Add Standard Report parameters, Styles and Header & Footer 22
Existing Report Parameters 24
Existing Style sheet 27
Standard Header and Footer 30
Report Designing 33
Data Source Binding 36
Data set Binding 40
Report Configuration in .WAR Application 44
Database configuration 44
JAVA Script Coding 46
BIRT plugin for JBoss Developer Studio is an Eclipse-based open source reporting system for
web applications based on Java and J2EE. BIRT consists of two main components: a report
designer based on Eclipse, and a runtime component that can be added to your app server.
BIRT also offers a charting engine that lets you add charts to your own Web application.
With the help of BIRT you can generate a great number of reports to be used in your
application:
Lists
Charts
Crosstabs, or cross-tabulation, or matrix
Letters and Documents
Compound Reports
In this guide we provide you with the information on BIRT Designer which allows you to create a
report much faster and with far fewer errors so sparing your time.
You can find detailed information on the BIRT report types and anatomy here:
JBoss BIRT http://www.eclipse.org/birt/phoenix/intro/
Getting Started
Birt designer is a standalone .exe file and doesn't have any wizard for installation. Copy the folder “5.
birt-rcp-report-designer-4_2_1” in your local machine or to any shared server/ folder.
Double click on “BIRT.exe” available in folder “5. birt-rcp-report-designer-4_2_1” to run the Birt
designer tool.
On Double click, you can see the following screen (Illustration 1) on our desk top.
Illustration 1
Illustration 2
Enter the details like File Name and file location to be saved. For e.g. “birt_training.rptdesign” file
location as “C:\Users\credence\Desktop”
Illustration 3
Illustration 4
Tool will open the following screen after click of “Finish” button.
Illustration 5
Database Connection
Follow the illustrations to add database connection. Right Click on “Data Source New Data Source” as
shown below;
Illustration 6
Select “Create from a data source type in following list” radio button and “JDBC Data Source” from the
list as shown in below illustration.
Illustration 7
Illustration 8
Provide the details as “Driver Class”, “Database URL”, “User Name” & “Password” as shown in below
illustration.
Illustration 9
After encoding the details, to check database connectivity, click on “Test Connection” button.
Illustration 10
After successful connectivity, click on “Finish” button to complete add of data source.
Illustration 11
Dataset Creation
To add the dataset for report designing, right click on “Dataset” and select “New Data Set” from list of
values as shown in below illustration.
Illustration 12
Dataset name can be user defined. The name of dataset can be renamed from default name as “Data
Set” to user defined name. Click on “Next” button to proceed further.
Illustration 13
Illustration 14
Note: Data type of sample query should be same as the real query that will be used for report at run
time after dataset binding. In case of any mismatch in data type of query columns of dummy query and
actual runtime query, iDeal web application (.WAR) will not generate report. It will produce error.
Sample “Select * from transact” query has been used for creation of dataset in following illustration.
Illustration 15
After click of “Finish” button, tool will open the following screen with few list of option shown at the left
side of the screen as “Query”, “Output Column”, “Preview Results” etc.
Illustration 16
On click of “Preview Results” option tool will show the output of the query. Using this option the validity
of valid acceptable query can be tested.
Illustration 17
Illustration 18
Illustration 19
Illustration 20
Return to the current .rptdesign tab, select “Report Parameters”, right click for paste option or press
“Ctrl+V” to copy the standard report parameters.
Illustration 21
After copying, all the parameter will be available for the current .rptdesign file.
Illustration 22
Illustration 23
Follow the same steps as mentioned in “Existing Report Parameters” for existing styles. Follow the
following illustration for the same.
Illustration 24
Illustration 25
The process of copying the standard header and footer are similar to process mentioned above for
“Reports Parameters” and “Styles”.
Illustration 26
Illustration 27
Illustration 28
Illustration 29
Illustration 30
Report Designing
Birt reports can be designed using multiple controls like “Label”, “Text”, “Dynamic text”, “Data”,
“Image”, “Grid”, “List”, “Table”, “Charts” and “Cross Tab”.
Arithmetic calculation can also be used in order to design the reports. For all supported controls and
functions refer the link mentioned as “Birt Support”.
For designing, many demonstrations and supporting document available online. You can take reference
for designing from online available sources.
Illustration 31
Illustration 32
Illustration 33
Illustration 34
Illustration 35
Select “Property Binding” option from list of values shown at left side and click on “fx” button.
JDBC Driver Class, JDBC Driver URL and JNDI URL are the only binding required for iDeal web application
(.WAR).
Illustration 36
Illustration 37
Illustration 38
The illustration shown below is the required binding for iDeal web application (.WAR). Click on “Ok”
button to finish the data source binding.
Illustration 39
Illustration 40
Select “Property Binding” option from list of values shown at left side and click on “fx” button. JDBC
“Query Text” is the only binding required for iDeal web application (.WAR).
Illustration 41
Illustration 42
Illustration 43
Illustration 44
After completion of report designing, copy the .rptdesign file at the location configured in
iwz_reports_config table (mentioned in the .WAR folder).
rep_dateparamet
er Not mandatory. Can be left blank.
job_dataset Not mandatory. Can be left blank.
deleted Default value “N”. N
In case report required multiple dataset.
Applicable values are “Y” &”N”. Default
multi_data_set value “N”. N
If “multi_data_set “ is set to “Y”, the detail of multiple dataset need to be defined in table
“iwz_dataset_config”.
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