The Eclipse Foundation today released the 1.0 version of the Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) project. BIRT is a Java-based reporting tool that provides a web-like metaphor for creating reports. A comprehensive API helps you integrate BIRT into your Java or J2EE application, connect to custom data sources, create custom report designers, and more. BIRT also includes a charting package that is part of the BIRT reporting engine, and can also be used by itself in your application.

Resources:

• Binary download

I added BIRT to the Javapedia:

http://wiki.java.net/bin/view/Javapedia/Reporting

I've occasionally been trying out BIRT over the last few weeks. It seems to be pretty powerful and is reminicent of Actuate's pay-for product.

What I am trying to figure out is how to use it with POJOs. I sort of have some of it figured out. I can create dummy data from within the scripted data source, but have not found any good directions on how to fully do it.

Between BIRT and JDNC, i feel like UI development is finally emerging from the dark ages.

http://today.java.net/pub/n/2889

Kewl. I had looked at that tool. Good idea (being able to visualize objects). This is opensourced under GPL. So I guess that might limit its usage, depending on how it is used within an application.

... This is opensourced under GPL. So I guess that might limit its usage, depending on how it is used within an application.

Enough already about the GPL being a limiting factor to usage, uptake, and the like. Seems to me there a number of projects that are making great headway, regardless of the GPL (or maybe because of it) [think GNU/Linux].

If you had bothered to do any research, you'd find that the GPL is not in play here, but rather the EPL, Eclipse Public License.

Great technology will prevail, regardless of its license.

... This is opensourced under GPL. So I guess that might limit its usage, depending on how it is used within an application.

Enough already about the GPL being a limiting factor to usage, uptake, and the like. Seems to me there a number of projects that are making great headway, regardless of the GPL (or maybe because of it) [think GNU/Linux].

Knowing how something is licensed is impertive to knowing how one should or could use it. I am not saying the GPL is bad. And yes Linux and etc. are doing quite while. But an product is much different than an API. And we need to know and understand this so as NOT to get ourselves into trouble. THAT was my point.

If you had bothered to do any research, you'd find that the GPL is not in play here, but rather the EPL, Eclipse Public License.

Ummmm -
BIRT is EPL
ObjectVisualizer (the product I was refering to) is GPL.

If you had bothered to look at the thread, you would have realized that. :)

Great technology will prevail, regardless of its license.

Not 100% true for a couple of reasons. The amount of truth depends on how one defines prevail.

Great technology will prevail, regardless of its license.

What good is "great technology" is it is useless in commercial projects ?

I have looked at this project off and on over the last 6 months but have not yet downloaded this release. I know that we all love diversity but can anyone tell me how BIRT differs / is better than say Jasper with iReport and JFreeChart…

The “Business Intelligence” part of BIrt implies to me a desire to cover the OLAP world, will it offer more / better than current JPivot & Mondrian Open Source projects.

I find it had to keep up with the many interesting thing to look at these days.

Thanks

I would say that, as things currently stand -

JasperReports is more mature, has a Swing viewer and has an all Java API.

BIRT, while it is pretty new, has the backing of an industry biggy (Actuate), seems to be more powerful (much like Actuates current product line) in both the reporting engine and charting. On the other hand, it seems to be more complex and it uses scripting internally for enhancing the report.

Between this and the previous BIRT release, both the product and documentation have improved.

Not having done alot with either, I would say for embedding reporting into a Swing app I would go with JasperReports. If I needed to impress management or clients - BIRT. Everything else - not sure yet.

Is it just me or does the acronym "BIRT" conjure up an image of Barney from the Simpsons letting one rip? I can't help seeing vibrating lips every time I see it... ;-)

I read EPL
it looks like EPL is like GPL
if you embed EPL code (Birt) into your product you must release it as EPL.
so bad I won't even waste my time on downloading and trying this great technology! because it will never be usefull for me.
I will use Jasper Report or SpagoBI which are LGPL.
it looks like after DLL hell in C++, I am facing Open Source License hell in Java :(

I read EPLit looks like EPL is like GPLif you embed EPL code (Birt) into your product you must release it as EPL.so bad I won't even waste my time on downloading and trying this great technology! because it will never be usefull for me.I will use Jasper Report or SpagoBI which are LGPL.it looks like after DLL hell in C++, I am facing Open Source License hell in Java :(

Do you have a link for that? I believe Eclipse itself is EPL so that would mean that any RCP app would require the same thing. I doubt that is true.