This union local representing over 20,000 construction workers chose the BIRT reporting tool over Crystal to provide interactive access to data on member hours worked, wages, and pensions. The union aims to improve efficiency, lower support costs, and enhance service by empowering employees, executives, and members to access personalized information through dashboards and detailed self-service reports. BIRT's simple report design capabilities and interactive viewer are expected to reduce information requests and calls for support by 80-100 reports while improving decision making across the organization.

1. At a Glance
Case Study
Union Gets Interactive with BIRT
Easy access to rich information applications drives reduced support costs and improvements in efficiency, service, and
decision making
Application Overview Solution Details
This union local represents over 20,000 construction workers, making • SQL Server 2005 database, Windows, Microsoft .NET shop, Tomcat
it among the largest in North America. The union collects data such as application servers
• Will be able to create 80-100 reports with people utilizing
hours worked, wages, and pensions on behalf of its members.
Interactive Viewer.
• The union plans to use Actuate to support internal application
Business Challenges users, executives as well as union members, employing BIRT to
• The union wanted to provide employees with a mechanism
create detailed reports on any cash shortfalls, overpayment,
to easily review and analyze data it collects on behalf of its
returned checks, etc.
members, such as hours worked, wages, and pensions.
• Dashboards will aid executives in assessing the various aspects
• Executives needed a simple information interface to monitor their
of their business, membership information and to view KPIs,
departmental activities and performance.
with the option of drilling down into further details of the union
• The union needed to lower the cost incurred due to call volume
membership for procedural planning.
by providing a self-service information portal to its members.
• The 20,000+ members of the union will use Actuate to view
This will also improve the speed and efficiency of response, and
information about their work history, wages and pensions.
satisfaction of its members.
Benefits Summary
The Actuate Solution • The union envisions improved efficiency for executives, employees
• The union chose BIRT over Crystal due to its product simplicity,
and union members.
ease of report design and development, and its interactive
• Employees, executives and members will have faster, easier access
viewing functionality
to information, which is expected to greatly reduce the number of
o Interactive Viewer has excellent flexibility in terms of reducing
calls for information requests.
the number of report designs needed. Members can greatly
• Executives will have a birds-eye view of member details to help
benefit from this, since they can view their personal information
them make operational decisions.
with ease.
• Can greatly cut support costs and lower facilities, operating and
o BIRT Studio is simple to use, and enables end users to create
maintenance costs.
their own detailed reports.
• Actuate’s BIRT iServer platform can deliver personalized
information to a larger number of users (20,000 members)
• BIRT Exchange is an excellent resource for guidance on product
features.
Actuate Corporation Tel: (888) 422-8828
2207 Bridgepointe Parkway Web: http://www.actuate.com
Suite 500
San Mateo, CA 94404