intro/intro04.html - www.eclipse.org/birt - Git at Google

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 <p class="head">BIRT Overview</p>

 <p class="subhead">Developing with BIRT</p>

 <h1>Data Customization</h1>
 <p>
 As mentioned above, reports often require additional business logic to prepare
 data for presentation. BIRT provides a number of tools to help:

 <dl class="arrow-list">
 <dt>Computed Columns
 <dd>Databases organize data for storage, but often data must be combined to prepare
 it for presentation. Computed columns let you define additional data set columns
 based on business logic. The logic can be a simple expression, a script, or a
 call to existing Java logic.

 <dt>Input and Output Parameters
 <dd>Many data sources support parameters: the ability to pass data into or
 out of a query. For example, SQL Select statements can include input parameters.
 Stored procedures can have
 both input and output parameters.

 <dt>Column Meta-data
 <dd>You can provide column aliases when the names provided by the data source are
 unintuitive.

 <dt>Filtering
 <dd>Some data sources, especially SQL, provide excellent built-in filtering
 features. However, some data sources (flat files, application objects) may not
 provide filtering. In other cases, the filter conditions are defined in scripts
 or Java code. You can define such filters as part of the report, and the BIRT
 engine will apply them automatically.

 <dt>Scripted Data Sets
 <dd>Some reports require access to specialized or unusual data. You can create
 such access in Java or scripts and use the scripted data set to integrate that
 logic into your report.
 </dl>

 <h1>Conditional Formatting</h1>
 <p>
 While some reports have a fixed format, others require conditional formatting.
 For example, a report that lists transactions may want to present a sale differently
 than a return. Or, a customer service report may want to show colors that indicate
 which metrics are above, at or below plan. BIRT provides several conditional
 formatting features:

 <dl class="arrow-list">
 <dt>Conditional Visibility
 <dd>You can hide report elements based on data. In the transaction report above, you
 can create sections for both sales and return transactions, then hide the one that
 is not required for a given record.

 <dt>Value Mapping
 <dd>Database data often uses code values: M/F for male or female, 1/2 for sales and
 returns, etc. Value mapping lets you define a mapping from database value to
 display value. For example, we can map the value "1" to "Sale" and the value
 "2" to "Return."

 <dt>Highlighting
 <dd>Simple expressions let you select the style to apply to a given report item.
 For example, in the customer service report, we can use green to show metrics
 above plan, and red to show those below plan.

 </dl>

 <h1>Scripting</h1>
 <p>
 BIRT provides scripting based on JavaScript (formally known as ECMAScript).
 JavaScript is often thought of as a client-side scripting language, but it works
 just as well on a server for expressing report logic. In particular, JavaScript
 provides excellent integration with your existing Java logic, making it very
 simple to call your logic from BIRT reports.
 <p>
 BIRT provides a complete set of JavaScript objects to access the Report Object
 Model: a representation of both the design and runtime aspects of your report,
 allowing complete control of the report to handle even the most complex report
 formatting tasks.

 <h1>Java Event Coding</h1>
 <p>
 In addition to JavaScript, events can be coded in Java.  BIRT supplies a
 set of interfaces for report item creation and data collection.
 Once the event is written in Java and associated with a report element, the report
 can be debugged through the Eclipse Java Development Tools.
 </p>


 <h1>Project Management</h1>
 <p>
 BIRT integrates with the Eclipse project management features to organize related
 reports. BIRT also works with Eclipse CVS support for source management. BIRT's
 XML report design format makes it easy to compare two reports, or two versions of
 the same report, to track changes.

 <h1>Styles</h1>
 <p>
 Anyone who has designed a web page knows that the same visual styles get used
 over and over. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allow web designers to extract style
 information from content, and to reuse style over and over.
 <p>
 BIRT provides a similar style feature. Indeed, BIRT styles are based on CSS
 styles, making BIRT's visual properies familiar to web application developers.
 BIRT styles cascade, allowing you to set a style in one place and have it affect
 the entire report, a section of the report, or a single report item.  In addition BIRT
 allows importing of Cascading Style Sheets.

 <h1>Libraries</h1>
 <p>
 Typical applications include many related reports. A simple customer application
 may include an alphabetical customer listing, customers sorted by geography,
 customers assigned to specific sales reps, customers filtered by status and more.
 In general, users frequently want another variation to solve specific business
 needs.
 <p>
 The result is that reporting applications consist of suites of closely related
 reports. The same data sources, styles, business logic, report items and more
 are used across many reports.
 <p>
 BIRT supports libraries that organize these
 shared resources. Libraries can contain any report element including styles,
 data sources, report items, scripts and so on.

 <h1>Internationalization</h1>
 <p>
 The web allows worldwide access to your application. BIRT provides excellent
 support for internationalization and localization.

 <dl class="arrow-list">
 <dt>Text Localization
 <dd>You can create a single report that automatically displays strings in the
 user's language. All labels and report text can be externalized and translated using the
 standard Java localization rules. At runtime, BIRT uses resource keys to locate
 the correct translations of your text.

 <dt>Localization
 <dd>BIRT provides locale-aware data formatting, meaning that a date can appear
 in mm/dd/yy format for US users, and dd-mm-yy format for Europeans.

 <dt>Dynamic Formatting
 <dd>Chinese text is very compact, German is often quite lengthy,
 and English of medium size.
 BIRT automatically adjusts the size of report items to fit their
 content to avoid the need to test the report with every possible translation. BIRT
 works like HTML in this regard: the size of content expands as needed to hold its
 data.
 </dl>

 </body>
 </html>
	<head>
	<title>Eclipse BIRT Overview</title>
	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../style/compose.css" type="text/css">
	<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
	</head>

	<body>

	<!-- Google Tag Manager -->
	<noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PW8LFV"
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	<!-- End Google Tag Manager -->

	<p class="head">BIRT Overview</p>

	<p class="subhead">Developing with BIRT</p>

	<h1>Data Customization</h1>
	<p>
	As mentioned above, reports often require additional business logic to prepare
	data for presentation. BIRT provides a number of tools to help:

	<dl class="arrow-list">
	<dt>Computed Columns
	<dd>Databases organize data for storage, but often data must be combined to prepare
	it for presentation. Computed columns let you define additional data set columns
	based on business logic. The logic can be a simple expression, a script, or a
	call to existing Java logic.

	<dt>Input and Output Parameters
	<dd>Many data sources support parameters: the ability to pass data into or
	out of a query. For example, SQL Select statements can include input parameters.
	Stored procedures can have
	both input and output parameters.

	<dt>Column Meta-data
	<dd>You can provide column aliases when the names provided by the data source are
	unintuitive.

	<dt>Filtering
	<dd>Some data sources, especially SQL, provide excellent built-in filtering
	features. However, some data sources (flat files, application objects) may not
	provide filtering. In other cases, the filter conditions are defined in scripts
	or Java code. You can define such filters as part of the report, and the BIRT
	engine will apply them automatically.

	<dt>Scripted Data Sets
	<dd>Some reports require access to specialized or unusual data. You can create
	such access in Java or scripts and use the scripted data set to integrate that
	logic into your report.
	</dl>

	<h1>Conditional Formatting</h1>
	<p>
	While some reports have a fixed format, others require conditional formatting.
	For example, a report that lists transactions may want to present a sale differently
	than a return. Or, a customer service report may want to show colors that indicate
	which metrics are above, at or below plan. BIRT provides several conditional
	formatting features:

	<dl class="arrow-list">
	<dt>Conditional Visibility
	<dd>You can hide report elements based on data. In the transaction report above, you
	can create sections for both sales and return transactions, then hide the one that
	is not required for a given record.

	<dt>Value Mapping
	<dd>Database data often uses code values: M/F for male or female, 1/2 for sales and
	returns, etc. Value mapping lets you define a mapping from database value to
	display value. For example, we can map the value "1" to "Sale" and the value
	"2" to "Return."

	<dt>Highlighting
	<dd>Simple expressions let you select the style to apply to a given report item.
	For example, in the customer service report, we can use green to show metrics
	above plan, and red to show those below plan.

	</dl>

	<h1>Scripting</h1>
	<p>
	BIRT provides scripting based on JavaScript (formally known as ECMAScript).
	JavaScript is often thought of as a client-side scripting language, but it works
	just as well on a server for expressing report logic. In particular, JavaScript
	provides excellent integration with your existing Java logic, making it very
	simple to call your logic from BIRT reports.
	<p>
	BIRT provides a complete set of JavaScript objects to access the Report Object
	Model: a representation of both the design and runtime aspects of your report,
	allowing complete control of the report to handle even the most complex report
	formatting tasks.

	<h1>Java Event Coding</h1>
	<p>
	In addition to JavaScript, events can be coded in Java. BIRT supplies a
	set of interfaces for report item creation and data collection.
	Once the event is written in Java and associated with a report element, the report
	can be debugged through the Eclipse Java Development Tools.
	</p>


	<h1>Project Management</h1>
	<p>
	BIRT integrates with the Eclipse project management features to organize related
	reports. BIRT also works with Eclipse CVS support for source management. BIRT's
	XML report design format makes it easy to compare two reports, or two versions of
	the same report, to track changes.

	<h1>Styles</h1>
	<p>
	Anyone who has designed a web page knows that the same visual styles get used
	over and over. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) allow web designers to extract style
	information from content, and to reuse style over and over.
	<p>
	BIRT provides a similar style feature. Indeed, BIRT styles are based on CSS
	styles, making BIRT's visual properies familiar to web application developers.
	BIRT styles cascade, allowing you to set a style in one place and have it affect
	the entire report, a section of the report, or a single report item. In addition BIRT
	allows importing of Cascading Style Sheets.

	<h1>Libraries</h1>
	<p>
	Typical applications include many related reports. A simple customer application
	may include an alphabetical customer listing, customers sorted by geography,
	customers assigned to specific sales reps, customers filtered by status and more.
	In general, users frequently want another variation to solve specific business
	needs.
	<p>
	The result is that reporting applications consist of suites of closely related
	reports. The same data sources, styles, business logic, report items and more
	are used across many reports.
	<p>
	BIRT supports libraries that organize these
	shared resources. Libraries can contain any report element including styles,
	data sources, report items, scripts and so on.

	<h1>Internationalization</h1>
	<p>
	The web allows worldwide access to your application. BIRT provides excellent
	support for internationalization and localization.

	<dl class="arrow-list">
	<dt>Text Localization
	<dd>You can create a single report that automatically displays strings in the
	user's language. All labels and report text can be externalized and translated using the
	standard Java localization rules. At runtime, BIRT uses resource keys to locate
	the correct translations of your text.

	<dt>Localization
	<dd>BIRT provides locale-aware data formatting, meaning that a date can appear
	in mm/dd/yy format for US users, and dd-mm-yy format for Europeans.

	<dt>Dynamic Formatting
	<dd>Chinese text is very compact, German is often quite lengthy,
	and English of medium size.
	BIRT automatically adjusts the size of report items to fit their
	content to avoid the need to test the report with every possible translation. BIRT
	works like HTML in this regard: the size of content expands as needed to hold its
	data.
	</dl>

	</body>
	</html>