Add content to the BIRT project
You can add static files such as a PDF or an image file or dynamic files such as a BIRT data object, dashboard or report design file. These files are stored in your BIRT Designer Professional project folder until you publish them to an iHub server. Once you publish the project as a BIRT application, you can access the application’s HTML landing page or any of the files using URLs.
Using a BIRT data object to access data
After creating a new project to organize your application components you create a BIRT data object to access your data source. The BIRT data object can access data from a wide variety of sources, including databases, text files, XML documents, and web services. Dashboards and BIRT designs display interactive visualizations of this data, such as charts and tables.
Using a dashboard to display data
There are many ways to present data with a dashboard. A dashboard uses gadgets to display information such as a tabular list, a cross tab, a bar chart, a web page. These different gadgets can link together to enable data searches and display of external web services.
Different gadgets support features, such as zooming into chart data, timeline selection in charts, cross tab analysis with Interactive Crosstabs, and interactive table usage. Laying out a dashboard requires you to organize these gadgets in a way that helps the user to understand and analyze the information.
Using a BIRT design for custom presentations
BIRT design files include scripting and layout options that are not available in a dashboard. You can also use additional content such as HTML5 maps, using HTML5 tags and advanced layout options such as a grid in a BIRT design. These designs can contain multiple pages that can use include a table of contents. Users can export the design file to multiple formats such as Adobe PDF, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Word. Advanced parameter choices enable users to request specific information in their report and developers to link multiple design files together.