Most relational databases, such as Oracle, SQL Server, or MySQL, use JDBC drivers. A report can access data from any database or other data source that uses a JDBC driver. If you are using BIRT Designer, make sure you have the appropriate JDBC driver for the database that you want to access. BIRT supports JDBC 3.0 drivers. Download the necessary drivers from a data source vendor or third-party web site. If you are using BIRT Designer Professional, JDBC drivers for commonly used databases are already installed.

To retrieve data from a JDBC database, you can write a SQL query textually or construct it graphically, or you can use a stored procedure. To write a SQL query textually or use a stored procedure, create a JDBC data source. To construct a SQL query graphically, create a JDBC Database Connection for Query Builder data source.