So database
back ends such as Oracle, MySQL, and Postgres are all environments that you can
connect to and start reporting of. Even some of the lesser-known platforms that
provide JDBC drivers, such as HyperSQL, which is the engine that Sun's Open Office
uses, can be used.
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Introduction
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For environments that don't provide JDBC, BIRT can leverage the Eclipse
Foundation's ODA for building custom data connections. For example, Hibernate
objects can be reported on via ODA, which is an example that Jason Weathersby
from the BIRT Project Management team has demonstrated. If necessary, Plain Old
Java Objects (POJOs) can be used as Data Sources via ODA and through BIRT's
scripted Data Source.
BIRT also allows for joined Data Sets. This feature allows a user to join two separate
Data Sources, regardless of physical data location, into one logical Data Set. So, say
for instance, you have an HR database with employee information, and a training
database with corporate training data; these two can be combined into a single
logical dataset for use in BIRT reports.
BIRT reports can be distributed via the Web through Apache Tomcat, or any J2EE
platform such as IBM WebSphere, using the BIRT Report View applet. While the
BIRT Web Viewer is an example application, it already provides a full set of report
viewing features, such as page navigation, exporting to CSV, and PDF format
exporting.
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