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BIRT, which stands for Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools, is actually a development framework. Including the word "Tools" in the acronym is appropriate, since BIRT is in fact a collection of development tools and technologies used for report development utilizing the BIRT framework. BIRT is essentially not a product, but a series of core technologies on top of which products and solutions are built, similar in fashion to the Eclipse framework. The focus of this book is on the most visible and familiar product built with the BIRT framework, which is the BIRT Report Designer. The BIRT Report Designer is an Eclipse plug-in that utilizes BIRT technologies to allow users to design reports in the BIRT document format. You can integrate it with your Java/J2EE applications to produce compelling reports. What you will learn from this book :   Installing and setting up a BIRT environment Creating structured reports and adding visual report elements Working with data from JDBC, XML, flat files, and web services Filtering down data to just the information you need Creating cross-tab reports using the new BIRT cube designer Creating a shared development environment using libraries Using style sheets and themes in report designs Using and creating Templates for rapid development of similar reports Everything you need to work with BIRT's chart engine Scripting in BIRT to add business logic, manipulate report elements and handle events Deploying BIRT reports Case Study”Building Reports for Bugzilla Approach This book is a concise and practical guide aimed at getting the results you want as quickly as possible. It steers the reader through each point of reporting from setup, to scripting, designing, formatting, and deploying BIRT reports using a common example that runs through the book. Who this book is written for This book is for Java developers who want to create rich reports and get started with BIRT to do this. Readers will need a basic understanding of SQL to follow along. About the Authors John Ward is a consultant for Innovent Solutions, specializing in BIRT and e-commerce search and navigation solutions. Prior to that, John was an Assistant Vice President for Citibank, North America, managing the training MIS group and overseeing development of new technology-based training initiatives. John actively works with and tests BIRT--an open-source reporting platform built on Eclipse--including development work based on BIRT reports and the BIRT APIs. John also maintains The Digital Voice blog at digiassn.blogspot.com Table Of Contents Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Installing BIRT Chapter 3: The BIRT Environment and Your First Report Chapter 4: Visual Report Components Chapter 5: Working with Data Chapter 6: Report Parameters Chapter 7: Report Projects and Libraries Chapter 8: Styles, Themes, and Templates Chapter 9: Charts, Hyperlinks, and Drill-Downs Chapter 10: Scripting and Event Handling Chapter 11: Deployment Chapter 12: Practical Example— Building Reports for Bugzilla Index