Actuate BIRT Studio

The people behind BIRT ™

Information applications facilitate better corporate and
operational performance. Organizations look toward Actuate’s
Rich Information Applications (RIA)-ready platform to reach
into data sources and empower 100% of their users with timely
and accurate information, allowing users to view rich content
produced on demand in the formats they prefer.

BIRT Studio is aweb-based tool deployed through the Actuate
platform. It is accessed from a web browser and does not require
installation of client software. It is built on the Java-based Actuate BIRT
engine from the Eclipse open source development project, and is fully
interoperable with all Eclipse BIRT applications.

This self-service, ad-hoc query and report design tool for business
Product Summary: users enables them to access data and create reports without direct
IT intervention, but within IT control. Developers create BIRT-based
BIRT Studio templates in BIRT Designer Pro for BIRT Studio users.

Applications built with ActuateOne provide users with one user
experience regardless of task, tool or skill level; are supported by one
server with a set of services to support any deployment and are built

Product
with one design using BIRT. ActuateOne provides organizations with
a quick time to market and the ability to grow with success.

Summary ActuateOne is a complete BI solution built on BIRT that introduces
new products and features to its suite of Rich Information
Application-ready products.

Home Next Contents Back

Product Summary: BIRT Studio

Overview and are built with one design using BIRT.
ActuateOne provides organizations
Information applications facilitate with a quick time to market and the
better corporate and operational ability to grow with success.
performance. Organizations look
ActuateOne is a complete BI solution
toward Actuate’s Rich Information
built on BIRT that introduces new
Applications (RIA)-ready platform to
products and features to its suite of
reach into data sources and empower
Rich Information Application-ready
100% of their users with timely and
products.
accurate information, allowing users
to view rich content produced on Self-Service Query and Reporting
demand in the formats they prefer. BIRT Studio is for organizations
BIRT Studio is a web-based tool seeking to improve corporate
deployed through the Actuate performance. By introducing easy-to-
platform. It is accessed from a web use, self-service web report creation
browser and does not require tools to meet the needs of business
installation of client software. This and power users, organizations
product is built on the Java-based enable decision makers to access
Actuate BIRT engine from the Eclipse the vital information they need.
open source development project, Past efforts to equip business users BIRT Studio reports are based on templates created by IT
and is compatible with all Eclipse BIRT with self-service tools have failed
applications. due to application complexity and
or developers, enabling business users to quickly create
This self-service, ad-hoc query and training requirements. Consequently, the reports they need without having to write queries,
report design tool for business users IT departments continued to be connect data sources, etc.
enables them to access data and create inundated with requests for new
reports without direct IT intervention, reports, resulting in huge backlogs
but within IT control. Developers and less time for work on strategic
create BIRT-based templates in BIRT initiatives. BIRT Studio lets end
Designer Pro for BIRT Studio users. users create and edit their own
reports in an intuitive, graphical web
Applications built with ActuateOne interface that fuses the best features
provide users with one user experience of previous versions of Actuate
regardless of task, tool or skill level; are with new Web 2.0 technologies,
supported by one server with a set of facilitating information access by Home Next Contents Back
services to support any deployment authorized users outside the firewall. 2


Key Features • Summary Tables – BIRT Studio
provides a new summary table.
BIRT Studio provides report authors • Support for BIRT Data Objects – BIRT
and consumers with easy access to Studio users can use new BIRT Data
the tools they need to create the Objects as data sources for their
reports they want. New features and BIRT designs.
enhancements in the latest Actuate • Support for Top/Bottom-N filter
BIRT release include: within groups – Improves the filter
support in BIRT Studio by enabling
• Dynamic ad-hoc parameter support
BIRT designers to insert Top N/
– Invokes a parser that automatically
Bottom N filters both at the overall
updates underlying queries based on
table level as well as individual
the value supplied for a parameter.
group levels.
• Crosstabs – Allows users to design
• Ability to aggregate computed
and review data along different
columns – Aggregation support has
dimensions; business users start with
been added to calculated columns.
a crosstab template and use pre-
BIRT designers can now summarize
defined BIRT Data Objects to create
computed columns using any of the
crosstab reports.
supported aggregate functions.
• HTML5 Charting, Chart Library and
Chart Themes – All commonly used Re-usable Templates and Themes
BIRT charts in BIRT Studio, including BIRT Studio includes pre-built
Templates include report layout and structures such as
bar, column, area, pie, line, scatter templates with report layout and rows, columns, tables, labels, and data fields from which
and doughnut, have been enhanced structures such as rows, columns, business users create ad hoc and interactive reports.
to support HTML5 output format tables, labels, and data fields from
while continuing to support the which business users create ad hoc
existing chart output formats such and interactive reports. Custom
as SVG, JPG, PNG and BMP. templates can be built by developers
• Flash Charts – Adobe® Flash® using BIRT Designer Pro. BIRT Studio
provides interactivity to BIRT Studio uses report themes to determine the
charts and adds an additional overall appearance of a report, such
chart type to BIRT Studio. Actuate as colors or branding. Themes are
BIRT architecture ensures that the provided out-of-the-box or can be
resulting Flash visualizations output built to company specifications.
is interactive. Home Next Contents Back
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Report Templates Self-service report creation
• Single table – creates a listing BIRT Studio’s easy drag and drop
report with an optional chart; data construction allows users to work from
within the tables can be grouped or an existing template and select or modify
displayed in sequential sections. report elements, format reports, create
• Parallel table – creates a report with charts, add data and preview the report
two tables arranged in a parallel layout; populated with data as it is created.
data within the tables can be grouped
Report elements
or displayed in sequential sections and
charts can be inserted in the tables Business users interact with a variety
• Sequential table – creates a of report elements that are available
report with two tables arranged for the template from which they are
sequentially; other features are as working. Typically, some of these
described above. elements are modifiable and some
• Custom templates – uses custom are fixed.
templates built using BIRT Designer • Fixed report elements – elements
or BIRT Designer Pro pre-populated with text or data; for
example, an order invoice template
Themes
may have the name, address, and
• BIRT Chart Themes – used with company logo.
BIRT libraries, chart themes allow • Modifiable report elements – BIRT Studio’s intuitive interface makes it easy
organizations to achieve consistent
look and feel across BIRT content by
elements such as labels, headers and to create detailed reports using data
tables, these can be pre-populated
providing a way to globally control during template design or can serve from any information source.
formatting properties such as as place holders for business users
fonts, colors, borders, date/number to populate.
formats and others.
• Pre-built themes – let users select the Report formatting
overall appearance of their reports, With BIRT Studio, business users
including colors, fonts, images, can reformat the elements and
headers, footers and branding components of BIRT reports to meet
elements including logos their analysis needs and preferences.
• Custom themes – let users specify their
own colors, fonts, images, headers, • Conditional formatting – modifies
the format properties such as fonts, Home Next Contents Back
footers and branding elements
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background column and accents doughnut, have been enhanced to
based on a data condition. For support HTML5 output format while
example, change the font for all continuing to support the existing
products sold below target to “red” chart output formats such as SVG,
• Merge columns – merges two JPG, PNG and BMP.
columns, stacking values on top
In addition to enabling a consistent
of each other to create a report
user experience across conventional
with multiple detail lines
and mobile platforms, the new
• Merge column header cells – merges
HTML5 chart output format increases
column header cells to create
the richness of this experience by
additional column classifications
providing:
• Format elements – modifies fonts
and alignment • Animation effects: Slick out-of-the-
• Format data – controls the display of box animations are used when
the value based on the data type; for a chart is initially rendered and
example, display numeric value as when users interact with it. Custom
currency with dollar symbol and two animation effects can be defined
decimal points through scripting.
• Add column header row – adds • New levels of interactivity: Out-of-
header rows the-box, users can click on a bar in
• Re-order columns – changes order bar chart or a slice in a pie chart to
drill down or see related info via a
BIRT Studio’s easy drag and drop construction allows users
Charts tooltip. Users can also zoom in on to work from an existing template and select or modify
A BIRT Studio user can add a chart the X and/or Y chart axes to focus on report elements, format reports, create charts, add data
from any report element. just the categories or values they are
interested in. Custom interactivity
and preview the report as it is created.
• Bar chart and line charts
can be defined through scripting.
• Area and pie charts
• Scripting: Leveraging JavaScript,
• Scatter and stock charts
BIRT authors can optionally define
HTML5 Charting, Chart Library an infinite number of custom
and Chart Themes presentations and interactivity
All commonly used BIRT charts options such as adding annotations,
in BIRT Studio, including bar, custom drawings, animations or
column, area, pie, line, scatter and other visual effects. With JavaScript
customization, developers are Home Next Contents Back
5


not restricted to pre-determined Query and Analysis
visualizations and can customize BIRT Studio provides users with the
charts to meet their specific features they need to create useful
application needs. For example, to reports, including multiple data
highlight the highest three bars in insert methods, bound data fields,
a bar chart or highest five points hidden data fields, synchronized
in a line chart. Another example is data sets, groups, sections, detail
toggling the visibility of the lines in and duplicate suppression, and both
a multi-series line chart by selecting simple and advanced sorting.
and deselecting the legend entries by
clicking or touching them. • Multiple data insert methods – drag
and drop, single column select and
BIRT Chart Themes are used with multiple column select
BIRT libraries and allow organizations • Bound data fields – data columns
to achieve consistent look and feel that are dropped and displayed
across BIRT content by providing a directly on the report
way to globally control formatting • Hidden data fields – additional data
properties such as fonts, colors, fields whose values are hidden unless
borders, date/number formats and they are explicitly added to the table
others. For example, BIRT content which can be used for calculations,
authors using BIRT Designer Pro can filtering or to add additional Charting is no longer limited to simple graphs,
modify all BIRT designs to match columns in the report
the new corporate look and feel
bar and pie charts; BIRT products now ship with HTML5
• Synchronized data sets – refreshes
guidelines by simply selecting a BIRT the designer with the latest output capabilities, along with multiple BIRT Flash Objects,
theme that defines the desired new definition of the data source which make dashboard applications come alive.
formatting specifications. Similarly, • Groups – allows column grouping
business users can select pre-defined based on data values; for example,
themes to change the look and feel of grouping order details by order ID
the BIRT designs they create in BIRT • Sections – allows individual groups
Studio, the crosstabs they analyze to be displayed as independent
in the BIRT Data Analyzer or the tables.
dashboards they create in BIRT 360. • Hide details – details columns are
hidden and are not available to the
report user.
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• Hide duplicates – suppresses the display • Compound filters – applies
of duplicate values within a column. conditions to multiple columns; for
• Simple and advanced sort – sorts example, list customers who are
data using a single column or use based in ‘Chicago’, ‘NY’ or ‘Seattle’
the advanced sort feature to sort and have an account balance that is
based on multiple columns. For > $1 million
example, sort by country, then state • Top N/bottom N – This is a hybrid
and then city. function that first sorts and then
• Delayed query execution – allows filters values to display the top N or
users to control when data set is bottom N values.
refreshed during report construction
Parameter Prompts
Calculations and Summaries BIRT Studio displays pre-defined
BIRT Studio includes standard prompts to users to help them build
aggregation and calculation functions. their own reports.
• Aggregates (summaries) – • Prompts (parameters) – instead of
summarizes the individual values defining fixed values for filters, they
in a column; for example, business can be exposed as user prompts.
users can choose from a number of Thus, any time a report is run the end
aggregate functions such as SUM user is prompted to specify a value
and AVERAGE. for the parameter. This value is then
• Calculated columns – defines substituted in the filter expression to
calculated columns based on a return results based on the user-
comprehensive set of pre-defined specified condition
BIRT Studio includes standard
functions. • Template and BIRT Information aggregation and calculation functions.
Object parameters – in addition to
Filters
converting filters to parameters,
BIRT Studio provides several options parameters can also be pre-defined
for filtering data. in a BIRT Information Object or a
• Simple filters – applies a data report template. Users are prompted
condition to a single column; for for these parameter values when
example, list customers who are they run the report.
based in ‘Chicago’, ‘NY’ or ‘Seattle’
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Data Access Data Preview
BIRT Studio provides several options BIRT Studio lets users preview a BIRT Information Objects
for easy data access: populated report as they drag and drop
BIRT Reports BIRT Spreadsheet Actuate Query Applications
modular, predefined data objects onto
• BIRT Information Objects – optional
the template during report creation.
metadata layer allows IT to expose
data in business friendly terms to • Drag and drop queries – executes
users. Information Objects access a query that loads and presents a
data from both relational data manageable data subset into the
sources from vendors such as Oracle, report as users drag and drop the
IBM, Microsoft, Sybase etc. and non- predefined data object onto the report. Information Access Web Services
relational sources such as SAP BW, • Configurable data set size – provides
XML, flat files and custom sources. control over the dataset size when
Regional Sales Customer Billing
• Multiple BIRT Information Objects creating the report to achieve
– select multiple BIRT Information optimal performance.
Objects and JOIN them to get Sales Orders Customer Profile Shipments
additional data for reports.
Recommended for advanced users
only, and requires advanced BIRT Data Transformation Transform Calculate Security
Information Console privileges
• Pre-defined BIRT data queries –
Data Access Data Adapters
predefine data queries in the BIRT
report template used by BIRT Studio. <XML>

Queries can be based on any data
source supported by Actuate BIRT: Relational Flat Files Legacy ERP XML Warehouse
RDBMS, SAP BW, XML, flat files,
scripted data sources, as well as any Data is accessed through BIRT Information Objects,
drivers that conform to the Open
Actuate’s metadata and data integration layer,
Data Access (ODA) specification
• Custom data provider – plug in a shielding business users from the complexities
custom query builder UI as well as of data-source schema.
a compliant ODA driver to access
data via a custom data access layer

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Key Benefits • Increases ROI – Self-service
reporting makes analysis available
• Empowers business users with the more quickly, which drives faster
ability to create ad-hoc reports decisions. IT saves on support
– Business and power users can and development costs, while
perform their own ad-hoc analysis user satisfaction increases as they
against enterprise data sources by become more efficient through
crafting a wide range of reports to timely access to the data they need.
answer various business questions. • Provides design flexibility – New
• Enables report consumers to dynamic parameter support gives
analyze reports – With BIRT Studio, users more design choices.
users receiving BIRT reports can • Allows for deeper analysis across
personalize their report in order more data sets – Adding dimensions
to answer a number of additional to reports provides users with more
business questions based on the information about their business.
data in an existing report. • Gives users easy access to underlying
• Reduces reporting bottlenecks data – Increased interactivity
in IT and improves requirements improves understanding of data.
understanding between IT and end • Increases efficiency and decreases
users – Improved communication user fatigue – New automated
and satisfaction among report processes give companies a better ROI.
producers and consumers as self- • Provides users with data they can
service and design sharing reduces IT understand and use – BIRT Data
workload. IT is extricated from report Objects use business friendly terms.
development and data extraction • Allows users to more clearly define
activities and can instead focus on data and import only what they
more strategic activities. need into a report – Improved filters
• Reduces costs with zero training optimize system performance and
and support expenditures – The user productivity.
BIRT Studio interface is intuitive • Provides higher-level views of data –
and simple. Business users become Summarized computer columns that
self sufficient almost immediately use supported aggregate functions
without extensive training. This eliminate the need to wade through
zero-footprint, web-based solution unnecessary data and details.
ensures simplified deployment.
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The Progressive to run it or schedule it to run on
a regular basis. Report snapshots
Design Process can also be saved to a user’s local
Actuate’s iterative approach to report machine, if desired.
development and evolution allows 4. If a casual user’s new design
users of all skill levels to participate in the requires features that are beyond
report creation and review processes: his or her skill level, IT can reopen
the report as a design, make the
1. IT developers create BIRT-based changes, and save it back to BIRT
templates in BIRT Designer Pro, iServer, where it can be accessed
and publish them to BIRT iServer as again by any authorized user.
the foundation for BIRT Studio.
The process of trading a common
2. Business and power users utilize
report design among report
BIRT Studio to create personalized
developers, ad-hoc report authors
reports based on the template(s)
and end user consumers as a
and available data, configuring
means of evolving a report in order
the report to meet their needs,
to preserve its relevance is called
and then publish and or schedule
“collaborative reporting.” BIRT Studio
the reports back to BIRT iServer.
drives business user self-service in
Reports can be output in live Excel,
collaborative reporting.
.csv, .pdf or .html file formats,
BIRT Studio is part
or be printed.
of the ActuateOne
3. Authorized casual and end users
products line,
can access and review these which provides every
reports within their browsers user in the enterprise
by activating the optional BIRT with the tools
Interactive Viewer, where they can required to make
edit and customize reports. Once a sound business
user is satisfied with the new view, decisions
it can be saved in BIRT iServer, based on current,
where the user can return to it later available data.

10


The Progressive and scheduled reports without IT
intervention but within IT-control.
Design This highly scalable implementation
Architecture of Actuate services provides multi-
server, multi-project support; high-
The Actuate BIRT progressive availability clustering, failover and
design architecture includes: load balancing; metadata caching;
• BIRT 360 – Operational and analytic and enterprise management and
user-created dashboards for a tuning features
360-degree view of the business in • BIRT onDemand – Actuate’s
a true self-service environment. Software as a Service (SaaS)
• BIRT Data Analyzer – In-memory offering, which enables any user,
analytics application that helps anywhere, to access enterprise
business users uncover trends, information via the Web, without
identify anomalies and model downloading/installing Actuate
scenarios. BIRT desktop products.
• BIRT Reports – web reports based These options provide an array of
on open-source BIRT technology choices from which to create unique
from the Eclipse project, available information applications that
without charge from BIRT appeal to any user.
Exchange.
• BIRT Studio – self-service, ad-hoc Within the progressive design
web report development within structure, BIRT designs can be
IT control shared among highly skilled
• BIRT Interactive Viewer – end user developers, business users and
report viewing and customization consumers. This encourages
• BIRT Mobile Viewers – allow users participation and supports an
to mobilize and carry corporate iterative development environment,
information wherever they go. which speeds development
• BIRT iServer – enables the use of and adoption of information
BIRT Information Objects, and applications.
includes scheduling, versioning,
and archiving functions, allowing
users to run both on-demand Home Next Contents Back
11


System
Requirements
System requirements vary with
options chosen. For a system
analysis based on your specific
needs, please contact an Actuate
expert at 1-800-914-2259 (US &
Canada) or contact us by email. You
can also contact one of our offices
worldwide.

For More
Information
To get more information about
interactive web reporting, please
contact an Actuate expert at
1-800-914-2259 (US & Canada)
or contact us by email. You can
also contact one of our offices
worldwide.

Applications built with ActuateOne provide users with one user experience
regardless of task, tool or skill level; are supported by one server with a set of services
to support any deployment and are built with one design using BIRT Designer Pro.
ActuateOne provides organizations with a quick time to market
and the ability to grow with success.

Actuate Corporation Tel: (888) 422-8828
951 Mariners Island Blvd. Web:http://www.actuate.com
San Mateo, CA 94404 http://birt-exchange.com
12

Actuate BIRT Studio

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