When you select data, BIRT stores the query in a property named queryText. Choose the XML Source tab on the report editor to see the XML source that BIRT generates when you create a report.

Figure 2‑6 shows the part of the XML source that defines the value of the queryText property. In the example shown, the report uses data from the sample database, ClassicModels. The queryText property contains the SQL SELECT statement that specifies the data to retrieve.

Figure 2‑7 shows an example of a report’s XML source, where the report uses data from a text file named ProductionData.csv. Although the flat file data set does not use a SQL query to select data, the queryText property contains a statement similar to a SQL query.

Figure 2‑8 shows the queryText property for a report that uses a web service data set. This property contains the SOAP request template.