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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

JReport

JReport from Jinfonet Software is a reporting suite designed for Java developers which is 100% J2EE and can be used to embed reports into Java applications. The JReport Designer is a drag and drop report designer that you can use to create reports from a number of different data sources, including JDBC, XML, EJB and others using the built-in data source API. To make it easier to work with these data sources, JReport also features a GUI query editor which you can use to write the SQL queries that serve as the basis for your reports. And if you have invested heavily in data processing on the server side, JReport supports the use of stored procedures as well. For the “newbie” JReport developer there are report wizards available to help you build some of the most common report formats (tables, cross-tabs, graphs, etc.) In addition, the designer features an intuitive interface that most developers should be able to pick up on quickly. At the presentation layer, JReport does go beyond other Java-centric reporting offerings in it’s support for TrueType fonts, making the reports more readable and solving some of the cross-platform issues experienced with other tools. JReport also features two and three-dimensional charting with over 50 chart and graph formats available and a robust chart API that can be used to import charts and graphs from other packages. For output, JReport supports most of the formats you would expect including HTML, DHTML, XML, Text, PDF, RTF, CSV, Excel and Postscript. The majority of these formats provide a good quality export of the report, with some formats preferred for different uses (i.e. PDF or Postscript for printer-quality files) and the Excel export provides a spreadsheet that you can work with but like most tools we looked at not designed for Excel output, the results can be mixed depending on the complexity of the report. Calculations in your report can be performed using any of the 160 built-in functions and using the user-designed objects API you can import your own Java functions to extend JReport as required. This is a definitely time-saver for Java developers who have made a significant investment in creating their own logic and functions. From an integration standpoint, working with JReport is a breeze. Clearly documented API’s makes things easier from the start and you will find for a quick view-only integration, you won’t spend more than an hour or so integrating it into your application. And for desktop applications, JReport can be deployed in a stand-alone application using beans for the report engine and report viewer. In addition to the JReport Designer, Jinfonet also has a server-based solution, JReport Enterprise Server that you can use to create multi-tier reporting applications if you need to add some grunt to your reporting apps.

JReport Designer

JReport Designer is a 100% Java, Swing-based report design tool that facilitates rapid report development, precise layout, flexible output, and actionable reporting. JReport Designer provides a highly flexible report development environment and offers a number features and functions that speed the report creation and deployment process, including:

• An intuitive visual design environment
• Re-usable report components
• Hundreds of ready-to-use objects, charts & tables
• Access to any data source
• Multiple data source support in the same report

JReport Designer empowers developers with the ability to quickly build reports that efficiently deliver information to end users via any Web browser.

Rapid Design Environment
With JReport, designing even the most sophisticated reports is intuitive. JReport Designer’s feature-rich interactive design environment allows report designers to simply drag-and-drop report elements into the template. Or, JReport offers wizards to guide designers through selecting data sources, creating queries, and designing report layout. In addition, reusable components expedite the design process by providing a central location for sharing and editing commonly used objects. A WYSIWYG interface and view during design feature enables users to view report outputs exactly as they will appear, including data, from within the design environment.

Flexible & Precise Report Design
JReport Designer can display information from any data source, including user-defined and hierarchical data sources, enabling enterprises to quickly and easily report on data from anywhere in their organization. Pixel-perfect layout, predefined and customizable styles, and over 50 chart types allow for creation of reports with any look and feel.

Easy Report Publishing & Dissemination
Once designed, Reports are deployed to the Enterprise Server for on-demand viewing, scheduling, or versioning. JReport offers users the flexibility to export reports to a variety of formats from a single template, including DHTML, HTML, PDF, Excel, XML, RTF and CSV. And, because security permissions can be assigned down page-, row-, column-, and cell-level, end users can view different results from the same report template.

Crystal Converter
JReport features an integrated Crystal Report Converter that automatically converts any Crystal Report to an editable JReport template, simplifying transition to a Java platform.

JReport Enterprise Server

JReport Enterprise Server empowers applications with customized reporting. Built completely in Java, JReport deploys on any J2EE application server and seamlessly integrates into any application, scales to any workload, and provides complete report management, distribution, and administrative functionality. JReport Enterprise Server enhances applications by providing users with intuitive, consistent interfaces for accessing and interacting with business-critical reports.

Easy, Seamless Integration
JReport’s pure Java architecture and rich set of APIs enable seamless integration and customization of reporting within other applications. With its sophisticated reporting capabilities and ability to integrate with existing security schemes, JReport adds immediate value, as critical data can be securely extended across the enterprise. Using JReport’s collection of reusable tags, developers can easily embed the desired components of JReport’s DHTML interface directly into JSPs in minimal time. In doing so, reports are delivered or accessed through a familiar and consistent interface, alleviating the need for end user training. Because JReport integrates right out of the box, few resources are required for implementation and maintenance and time-to-market is expedited.

Interactive & Ad Hoc Reporting
With JReport’s interactive DHTML output, end users can dynamically modify – filter, search, sort & drill - reports to obtain unique and personal data views. JReport’s DHTML toolbar or interactive Web objects can be embedded into reports or JSPs at design time, enabling users to control, customize and navigate report views. JReport further extends interactive reporting by empowering applications with ad hoc reporting. End users can define report criteria and layout at run-time to generate interactive ad-hoc reports.

High Performance, Scalable Solution
JReport Enterprise Server is built on a high performance engine that can handle any workload demand and easily scales from single-CPU to large, multi-CPU and clustered server environments. To ensure system availability and ready access to JReport functions and report output, JReport Enterprise Server enables fail over mechanisms that are fault tolerant to any single point of failure. JReport offers several features to optimize performance by making the most efficient use of system resources. And, with JReport’s Web-based system performance monitor, administrators can view system status and manage resource and configuration settings from anywhere.

Flexible Report Management
JReport’s built-in folder structure for resource management contains two repositories – “Public Reports” for access by any authorized end user and “My Reports” for personal access only by the folder owner. Reports can be generated and distributed in any format including DHTML, HTML, PDF, Excel, XML, CSV, RTF, and delivered via email and fax. In addition, report triggering, scheduling, and versioning can be managed using the Enterprise Server management console.

Jinfonet Software can be found on the web at www.jinfonet.com

JReport

Vendor: Jinfonet
Price: on application

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