The BIRT Report, January 2010

Webinar: Learn how to add BIRT to JSF Applications using RichFaces
When: Feb. 9 at 11 am Pacific, 2pm Eastern, 7pm GMT
Duration: 40 minutes, including Q & A session
Presenters: Virgil Dodson, Developer Evangelist, Actuate. Max Katz, Senior Systems Engineer, Exadel.

This technical webinar will start with an introduction to open source Eclipse BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) technology, followed by an introduction to the popular RichFaces JSF component library. We’ll also cover the new integration available between BIRT and JSF and a demonstration on how to seamlessly add BIRT to JSF applications. Attendees will learn:

• About using the BIRT designer
• How to add rich data visualizations based on BIRT into JSF applications
• How to wrap a BIRT content as a JSF component
• A technique to pass parameters for more dynamic and filtered reports
• How to make page updates fast using RichFaces’ AJAX capabilities

Register for the webinar here.

NOTE: Ten attendees will qualify for a free set of books, Practical RichFaces and BIRT: A Field Guide to Reporting (The Eclipse Series), a $90 value.

Automate the Secure Distribution of BIRT Output
Actuate BIRT iServer Express is a purpose-built server for BIRT that schedules the generation of BIRT output, distributes it via email and securely stores, organizes and archives your BIRT content.

It extends the Eclipse BIRT Engine and Java API’s with the following functionality:

• Scheduling and Distribution – flexible scheduling and email distribution to deliver BIRT content to users in a timely, automated manner
• Security – granular access controls to secure BIRT output in a way that’s tailored to your infrastructure and specific requirements
• Web-based Administration – Browser-based interfaces to efficiently monitor and control batch jobs, users, roles, folders and more
• Integration – Complete Web Services API’s to integrate BIRT generation, viewing and output management with your applications and infrastructure

Pricing starts at $150 per user. Available as a free, 45-day trial download.

Download free trial for Windows
Download free trial for Linux

BIRT User Group France is born!
For the first time a User Group dedicated to BIRT has been created in France.

The objective of this group is to unite the local community of developers, IT professionals and others interested in BIRT to discuss and share feedback, ideas, news and issues with the goal to create a real synergy around BIRT technologies. This user group will present an open environment where members can share their enthusiasm and knowledge about BIRT and create a focal point of information and activities for the local BIRT community.

Meetings will be held in Paris every two months with topics planned by the members. Some ideas are:

• workshops and tutorials
• open discussions about current topics
• presentations by local and remote experts
• group projects, exchanges and conferences

BIRT events will also be announced to keep members informed about the latest news.

You can register directly for the BIRT User Group meetings at http://groups.google.fr/group/birt-user-group-france.

For more information, please contact BIRT User Group France at birt-user-group-france.

If you are interested in starting a BIRT User Group in your city, please contact the BIRT Exchange Community Manager, Ray Gans.

Hottest DevShare Items
Below are some of the hottest items on BIRT Exchange according to their number of views or downloads. You can stay up to date with the latest items by subscribing to the DevShare RSS Feed.

Tips & tricks:

• Setting Parameter Default Value to Today – Simple example using the JSAPI to set the default value of a date parameter to “today.”
• Reports with printable table of contents – Helpful workaround showing how to create a printable TOC for your report.
• Actuate BIRT Review – Quick review of Actuate’s reporting tool set and comparison of Eclipse BIRT and Actuate BIRT.
• Maximo Report Generator Plugin for BIRT Reports – Nice way to speed up report generation with Maximo.
• Working with Extension Points: Aggregations – A tutorial on working with extension points, focusing on the newer aggregation model in 2.3 +.

Downloads:

• Browse a Database with BIRT – Nice tutorial and example reports showing how to browse through a database in a report.
• Remote Spring Bean from BIRT – Remote Spring bean application with example reports on accessing them.
• Add Columns to a Table Dynamically – Example report showing how to use the DEAPI to add a column to a table dynamically.
• BIRT – A Newbie’s Perspective – High-level overview of BIRT designed as an introduction for complete beginners.
• BIRT API Examples – Helpful examples on how to use the DE, RE, and CE APIs.

Have you created a BIRT example or tutorial, or do you have BIRT tips to share? Submit any resource that you found helpful during your BIRT application development and you’ll automatically be entered in a monthly contest on BIRT Exchange. Learn more about the contest at the link below.

DevShare Contributor of the Month Contest Information