A tool that a report developer uses to build a BIRT report design and preview a report. BIRT Report Designer is a set of Eclipse plug-ins that includes BIRT Report Engine, BIRT Chart Engine, and BIRT Demo Database. This tool supports Java and JavaScript customization. BIRT Report Designer requires multiple Eclipse platform components and a Java Development Kit (JDK).

A simplified tool that a novice report developer can use to build a BIRT report design and preview a report. BIRT RCP (Rich Client Platform) Report Designer includes BIRT Report Engine, BIRT Chart Engine, and BIRT Demo Database without the additional overhead of the full Eclipse platform. This tool supports JavaScript customization, but does not support Java customization or debugging. It is provided primarily as a reference implementation of a Rich Client Platform application and is not the focus of this information.