A class that organizes a class hierarchy or defines methods and variables that apply to descendant classes. An abstract base class does not support the creation of instances.

Related terms

class, class hierarchy, descendant class, object, method, variable

A web server technology that Microsoft Corporation developed. ASPs support the creation of dynamic, interactive sessions. The technology contains both HTML and embedded programming code that is written in VBScript or JavaScript.

Related terms

hypertext markup language (HTML), JavaScript, VBScript (Visual Basic Script Edition), web server

Contrast with

JavaServer Page (JSP)

An expression that uses an aggregate function to produce an aggregate value. For example, the expression, Total.max(row[“SPEED”]), produces an aggregate value that is the maximum value of the field, SPEED, in the data rows.

Related terms

aggregate function, aggregate value, data row, expression, field, value

Contrast with

regular expression

A function that performs a calculation over a set of data rows. For example, Total.ave( ) calculates the average value of a specified numeric field over a set of data rows. An aggregate expression can contain one or more of the following aggregate functions: Total.ave( ), Total.count( ), Total.countDistinct( ), Total.first( ), Total.last( ), Total.max( ), Total.median( ), Total.min( ), Total.mode( ), Total.movingAve( ), Total.runningSum( ), Total.stdDev( ), Total.sum( ), Total.variance( ), and Total.weightedAve( ).

Related terms

aggregate expression, data row, function

Contrast with

aggregate value

The result of applying an aggregate function to a set of data rows. For example, consider a set of data rows with a field, SPEED, which has values: 20, 10, 30, 15, 40. The aggregate expression, Total.max(row[“SPEED”]), produces the aggregate value, 40, which is the maximum value for the field.

Related terms

aggregate expression, aggregate function, data row, field, value

Related terms

column, expression, method, SQL SELECT statement, table, variable

Contrast with

display name

A class in the inheritance hierarchy from which a particular class directly or indirectly derives.

Related terms

class, inheritance

Contrast with

class hierarchy, descendant class, subclass, superclass

A small desktop application that usually performs a simple task, for example, a Java program that runs directly from the web browser.

Related terms

application, Java

A complete, self-contained program that performs a specific set of related tasks.

Contrast with

applet

A set of routines, including functions, methods, and procedures, that exposes application functionality to support integration and extend applications.

Related terms

application, function, method, procedure

A constant, expression, or variable that supplies data to a function or method.

Related terms

constant, data, expression, function, method, variable

A data variable that consists of sequentially indexed elements that have the same data type. Each element has a common name, a common data type, and a unique index number identifier. Changes to an element of an array do not affect other elements.

Related terms

data, data type, variable

A statement that assigns a value to a variable. For example:

StringToDisplay = "My Name"

Related terms

statement, value, variable

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT).

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension.

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer.

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology.

An expression that identifies a report element. A bookmark is used in a hyperlink expression.

Related terms

expression, hyperlink, report element

An expression that evaluates to True or False. For example, Total > 3000 is a Boolean expression. If the condition is met, the condition evaluates to True. If the condition is not met, the condition evaluates to False.

Related term

expression

Contrast with

numeric expression

In BIRT Report Designer, a place marker in a program that is being debugged. At a breakpoint, execution pauses so that the report developer can examine and edit data values as necessary.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, data, debug, value

A class that maps the functionality of one class to the similar behavior of another class. For example, the JDBC-ODBC bridge class enables applications that use standard JDBC protocol to access a database that uses the ODBC protocol. BIRT Report Designer and BIRT RCP Report Designer use this type of class.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Rich Client Platform (RCP) Report Designer, class, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC), open database connectivity (ODBC), protocol

A reporting platform that is built on the Eclipse platform, the industry standard for open source software development. BIRT provides a complete solution for extracting data, processing data to answer business questions, and presenting the results in a formatted document that is meaningful to end users.

Related terms

data, Eclipse, report

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension

A tool that supports designing and deploying charts outside a report design. With this engine, Java developers embed charting capabilities into an application. BIRT Chart Engine is a set of Eclipse plug-ins and Java archive (.jar) files. The chart engine is also known as the charting library.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), chart, design, Eclipse platform, Java, Java archive (.jar) file, plug-in, report

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine

A sample database that is used in tutorials in online help for BIRT Report Designer and BIRT RCP Report Designer. This package provides this demo database in Derby, Microsoft Access, and MySQL formats.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Rich Client Platform (RCP) Report Designer

A related set of extension points that adds custom functionality to the BIRT platform. BIRT extensions are:

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), charting extension, extension, extension point, rendering extension, report, report item extension

A tool that builds BIRT report designs and previews reports that are generated from the designs. BIRT Report Designer is a set of plug-ins to the Eclipse platform and includes BIRT Chart Engine, BIRT Demo Database, and BIRT Report Engine. A report developer who uses this tool can access the full capabilities of the Eclipse platform.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Demo Database, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine, design, Eclipse platform, plug-in, report

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Rich Client Platform (RCP) Report Designer

A component that supports deploying BIRT charting, reporting and viewing capabilities on an application server. BIRT Report Engine consists of a set of Java archive (.jar) files, web archive (.war) files, and web applications.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Java archive (.jar) file, report, web archive (.war) file

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine

A stand-alone tool that builds BIRT report designs and previews reports that are generated from the designs. BIRT RCP Report Designer uses the Eclipse Rich Client Platform. This tool includes BIRT Report Engine, BIRT Chart Engine, and BIRT Demo Database. BIRT RCP Report Designer supports report design and preview functionality without the additional overhead of the full Eclipse platform. BIRT RCP Report Designer does not support the Java-based scripting and the report debugger functionality it provides. BIRT RCP Report Designer can use, but not create, BIRT extensions.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Demo Database, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine, debug, design, Eclipse platform, Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP), extension, JavaScript, library (.rptlibrary) file, plug-in, report

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer

A sample of a BIRT report item extension and examples of BIRT charting applications. The report item extension sample is an Eclipse platform plug-in. The charting applications use BIRT Chart Engine. Java developers use these examples as models of how to design custom report items and embed charting capabilities in an application.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine, chart, design, Eclipse, Eclipse platform, Java, plug-in, report, report item, report item extension

A set of Java applications and APIs that support the design and deployment of a business report. BIRT applications include BIRT Report Designer, BIRT RCP Report Designer, and a report viewer web application servlet. The BIRT Java APIs provide programmatic access to BIRT functionality.

Related terms

application, application programming interface (API), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Rich Client Platform (RCP) Report Designer, Java, report viewer servlet

A set of test packages for BIRT. BIRT developers use these test packages to perform regression testing when they modify BIRT source code. Report developers and application developers do not need to install this BIRT Test Suite.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), report

Report parameters that have a hierarchical relationship. For example, the following parameters have a hierarchical relationship:

Country
   State
      City

In a group of cascading parameters, each report parameter displays a set of values. When a report user selects a value from the top-level parameter, the selected value determines the values that the next parameter displays, and so on. Cascading parameters display only relevant values to the user.Figure G-1 shows cascading parameters as they appear to a report user.

Figure G-1. Cascading parameters

Related terms

hierarchy, parameter, report, value

Contrast with

cascading style sheet (CSS)

A file that contains a set of rules that attach formats and styles to specified HTML elements. For example, a cascading style sheet can specify the color, font, and size for an HTML heading.

Related terms

element, font, hypertext markup language (HTML), style

Contrast with

template

A condition in which the letter case is significant for the purposes of comparison. For example, “McManus” does not match “MCMANUS” or “mcmanus” in a case-sensitive environment.

In an area, bar, line, step, or stock chart, one of the discrete values that organizes data on an axis that does not use a numerical scale. Typically, the x-axis of a chart displays category values. In a pie chart, category values are called orthogonal axis values and define which sectors appear in a pie.

Related terms

chart, data, value

Contrast with

series

An intersection of a row and a column in a grid element, or table element. Figure G-2 shows a cell.

Figure G-2. Cell

Related terms

column, grid element, row, table element

An elementary mark that represents data, usually in the form of a graphic spatial arrangement of connected or adjacent strokes, such as a letter or a digit. A character is independent of font size and other display properties. For example, an uppercase C is a character.

Related term

data

Contrast with

character set, glyph

A mapping of specific characters to code points. For example, in most character sets, the letter A maps to the hexadecimal value 0x21.

Related terms

character, code point

Contrast with

locale

A graphic representation of data or the relationships among sets of data.

Related term

data

A report item that displays values from data rows in the form of a chart. The chart element can use data rows from the report design's data set or a different data set. A report item extension defines the chart element.

Related terms

chart, data, data row, data set, design, element, report, report item, report item extension, value

Contrast with

charting extension

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine.

ABIRT extension that adds a new type of chart, a new component to an existing chart type, or a new user interface component to the BIRT chart engine.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine, chart, extension

See Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Chart Engine.

A set of methods and variables that defines the attributes and behavior of an object. All objects of a given class are identical in form and behavior but can contain different data in their variables.

Related terms

data, method, object, variable

Contrast with

subclass, superclass

A tree structure that represents the inheritance relationships among a set of classes.

Related terms

class, inheritance

A unique name for a class that permits unambiguous references to its public methods and variables.

Related terms

class, method, variable

A variable that all instances of a class share. The run-time system creates only one copy of a class variable. The value of the class variable is the same for all instances of the class, for example, the taxRate variable in an Order class.

Related terms

class, object, value, variable

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

A hexadecimal value. Every character in a character set is represented by a code point. The computer uses the code point to process the character.

Related terms

character, character set

Related terms

cell, cross tab, field, grid element, query, data row, table, table element, value

A named column that defines an expression that specifies what data to return. For each piece of data to display in a report, there must be column binding. Column bindings form an intermediate layer between data-set data and report elements.

Related terms

column, data, data set, expression, report, report element

An internet standard that describes how a web server accesses external programs to return data to the user as a generated web page. When a web user fills out a form, a CGI program handles the data and calls other programs as necessary.

Related terms

data, web page, web server

See computed field.

A field that displays the result of an expression rather than stored data.

Related terms

field, data, expression

Contrast with

computed value

The result of a calculation that is defined by an expression. To display a computed value in a report, use a data element.

Related terms

data element, expression, report, value

Contrast with

computed field

See Boolean expression.

In open data access (ODA), a file that specifies the ODA interface version of the driver and defines the structure, contents, and semantics of requests and responses between the open data source and the design tool.

Related terms

data source, interface, open data access (ODA), open data access (ODA) driver, request, response

A Java object that provides access to a data source.

Related terms

data source, Java, object

An unchanging, predefined value. A constant does not change while a program is running, but the value of a field or variable can change.

Contrast with

field, value, variable

Code that initializes an instance of a class.

Related terms

class, object

Related terms

application, data, Enterprise JavaBean (EJB), grid element, label element, report item

A relationship among instantiated objects in a report. One object, the container, incorporates other objects, the contents.

Related terms

container, instantiation, object, report

A hierarchy of objects in a report.

Related terms

hierarchy, object, report

A tool that converts data from one format to another format.

Related terms

data, format

A report that summarizes data from database table columns into a concise format for analysis. Data appears in a matrix with rows and columns. Every cell in a cross tab contains an aggregate value. A cross tab shows how one item relates to another, such as order totals by credit rating and order status. Figure G-5 shows a cross tab.

Figure G-5. Cross tab

Related terms

aggregate value, cell, column, data, grid, report, row, table, value

Contrast with

aggregate function

See cascading style sheet (CSS).

See open data access (ODA).

Information that is stored in databases, flat files, or other data sources that can appear in a report.

Related terms

data source, flat file, report

Contrast with

metadata

A report item that displays a computed value or a value from a data set field.

Related terms

computed value, data set, element, field, report item, value

Contrast with

label element, Report Object Model (ROM) element, text element

An Eclipse view that shows the data sources, data sets, and report parameters that were created for use in a report. Use Data Explorer to create, edit, or delete these items. Figure G-6 shows Data Explorer.

Figure G-6. Data Explorer

Related terms

data set, data source, Eclipse view, parameter, report

A point on a chart that corresponds to a particular pair of x- and y-axis values.

Related terms

chart, value

Contrast with

data row, data set

One row of data that a data set returns. A data set, which specifies the data to retrieve from a data source, typically returns many data rows.

Related terms

data, data set, data source, row

Contrast with

data point, filter

A description of the data to retrieve or compute from a data source.

Related terms

data, data source

Contrast with

data point, data row

See column.

A parameter that is associated with a data set column and passes an expression to extend dynamically the query's WHERE clause. A data set parameter restricts the number of data rows that the data set supplies to the report.

Related terms

column, data row, data set, expression, parameter, query, report

Contrast with

report parameter

Related terms

data, flat file, SQL (Structured Query Language)

Contrast with

data row, data set

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), date-and-time data type, locale, numeric data type, report, String data type, value, variable

See data source.

Software that organizes simultaneous access to shared data. Database management systems store relationships among various data elements.

Related term

data

See schema.

A data type for date-and-time calculations. Report items can contain expressions or fields with a date-and-time data type. The appearance of date-and-time values in the report document is based on locale and format settings specified by your computer and the report design.

Related terms

data type, design, expression, field, format, locale, report, report item

To detect, locate, and fix errors. Typically, debugging involves executing specific portions of a computer program and analyzing the operation of those portions.

The definition of a class, constant, method, or variable that specifies the name and, if appropriate, the data type.

Related terms

class, constant, data type, method, variable

See descendant class.

A class that is based on another class.

Related term

class

Contrast with

subclass, superclass

Related terms

data, layout, report, report design (.rptdesign) file

See dynamic hypertext markup language (DHTML).

An alternative name for a table column, report parameter, chart series, or user-defined ROM property. BIRT Report Designer displays this alternative name in the user interface, for example, as a column heading in a report. This name can contain any character, including spaces and punctuation.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, character, chart, column, Data Explorer, report, report parameter, Report Object Model (ROM), table, value

Contrast with

alias

A model that defines the structure of a document such as an HTML or XML document. The document object model defines interfaces that dynamically create, access, and manipulate the internal structure of the document. The URL to the W3C document object model is:

www.w3.org/DOM/

Related terms

extensible markup language (XML), hypertext markup language (HTML), interface, Uniform Resource Locator (URL), World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Contrast with

document type definition (DTD), structured content

A set of markup tags and the interpretation of those tags that together define the structure of an XML document.

Related terms

extensible markup language (XML), tag

Contrast with

document object model (DOM), schema, structured content

A name that defines a node on the internet. For example, the Eclipse Foundation's domain name is eclipse. The URL is:

www.eclipse.org

Related terms

node, Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

An interface that supports communication between an application and another application or a peripheral device such as a printer.

Related term

interface

An HTML extension that provides enhanced viewing capabilities and interactivity in a web page without the necessity for communication with a web server. The Document Object Model Group of the W3C develops DHTML standards.

Related terms

document object model (DOM), hypertext markup language (HTML), web page, web server, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

A data element that displays text data that contains multiple style formats and a variable amount of text. A dynamic text element adjusts its size to accommodate varying amounts of data. Use a dynamic text element to display a data source field that contains formatted text. A dynamic text element supports plain or HTML text.

Related terms

data, data source, field, format, hypertext markup language (HTML)

Contrast with

text element

A variable that changes during program execution. The program requests the memory allocation for a dynamic variable at run time.

Related term

variable

Contrast with

class variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

An open platform for tool integration that is built by an open community of tool providers. The Eclipse platform is written in Java and includes extensive plug-in construction toolkits and examples.

Related terms

Eclipse platform, Java, plug-in

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension

A Java framework and code generation facility for building tools and other applications that are based on a structured model. EMF uses XML schemas to generate the EMF model of a plug-in. For example, a BIRT chart type uses EMF to represent the chart structure and properties.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology, chart, Eclipse, extensible markup language (XML), framework, Java, plug-in, property, schema

A predefined layout of the Eclipse Workbench, including which Eclipse views are visible and where they appear. A perspective also controls what appears in certain menus and toolbars. A user can switch the perspective to work on a different task and can rearrange and customize a perspective to better suit a particular task. Figure G-7 shows the Eclipse perspective.

Figure G-7. Eclipse perspective

Related terms

Eclipse, Eclipse view, Eclipse Workbench

The core framework and services in which Eclipse plug-in extensions exist. The Eclipse platform provides the run time in which plug-ins load and run. The Eclipse platform consists of a core component and a user interface component. The user interface component is known as the Eclipse Workbench. The core portion of the Eclipse platform is called the platform core or the core.

Related terms

Eclipse, Eclipse Workbench, extension, framework, plug-in

An integrated design tool for creating, developing, testing, and deploying a plug-in. The Eclipse PDE provides wizards, editors, views, and launchers that support plug-in development. The Eclipse PDE supports host and run-time instances of a workbench project. The host instance provides the development environment. The run-time instance enables the launching of a plug-in for testing purposes.

Related terms

design, Eclipse, Eclipse project, Eclipse Workbench, object, plug-in

A user-specified directory within an Eclipse workspace. An Eclipse project contains folders and files that are used for builds, version management, sharing, and resource organization.

Related terms

Eclipse, Eclipse workspace

The Eclipse framework for building a client application that uses a minimal set of plug-ins. Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP) uses a subset of the components that are available in the Eclipse platform. An Eclipse rich client application is typically a specialized user interface that supports a specific function, such as the report development tools in the BIRT Rich Client Platform.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Eclipse, Eclipse platform, framework, plug-in, report

A panel on the Eclipse Workbench, similar to a pane in Windows. An Eclipse view can be an editor, the Navigator, a palette of report items, a graphical report designer, or any other functional component that Eclipse or an Eclipse project provides. A view can have its own menus and toolbars. Multiple views can be visible at one time.

Related terms

design, Eclipse, Eclipse perspective, Eclipse project, Eclipse Workbench, Navigator, Palette, report, report item

The Eclipse desktop development environment, which consists of one or more Eclipse perspectives.

Related terms

Eclipse, Eclipse perspective

Contrast with

Eclipse Plug-in Development Environment (PDE), Eclipse workspace

A user-specified directory that contains one or more Eclipse projects. An Eclipse workspace is a general umbrella for managing resources in the Eclipse platform. The Eclipse platform can contain one or more workspaces. A user can switch between workspaces.

Related terms

Eclipse platform, Eclipse project

Contrast with

Eclipse Workbench

See Enterprise JavaBean (EJB).

Related terms

data, extensible markup language (XML), hypertext markup language (HTML), property, report, Report Object Model (ROM), Report Object Model (ROM) element, tag, well-formed XML

Contrast with

report item

A button that opens tools that you use to perform tasks, such as navigating to a file, building an expression, or specifying localized text.

A technique of packaging related functions and subroutines together. Encapsulation compartmentalizes the structure and behavior of a class, hiding the implementation details, so that parts of an object-oriented system need not depend upon or affect each other's internal details.

Related terms

class, function, object

Contrast with

object-oriented programming

A large collection of networked computers that run on multiple platforms. Enterprise systems can include both mainframes and workstations that are integrated in a single, managed environment. Typical software products that are used in an enterprise environment include web browsers, applications, applets, web tools, and multiple databases that support a warehouse of information.

Related terms

applet, application

Contrast with

Enterprise JavaBean (EJB), enterprise reporting

A standards-based server-side component that encapsulates the business logic of an application. An EJB can provide access to data or model the data itself. Application servers provide the deployment environment for EJBs.

Related terms

application, data, JavaBean

Contrast with

Java

The production of a high volume of simple and complex structured documents that collect data from a variety of data sources. A large number of geographically distributed users who are working in both client/server and internet environments receive, work with, and modify these reports.

Related terms

data, data source, report

Contrast with

enterprise, structured content

An action or occurrence recognized by an object. Each object responds to a predefined set of events that can be extended by the developer.

Related term

object

Contrast with

event handler, event listener

A Java or JavaScript method that is executed upon the firing of a BIRT event. BIRT fires events at various times in the report generation process. By writing custom code for the associated event handlers, the BIRT report developer can provide special handling at the time the events are fired. Report items, data sets, and data sources all have event handlers for which the report developer can provide custom code.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), data set, data source, event, Java, JavaScript, method, report, report item

Contrast with

event listener

An interface that detects when a particular event occurs and runs a registered method in response to that event.

Related terms

event, method

Contrast with

event handler

An abnormal situation that a program encounters. In some cases, the program handles the exception and returns a message to the user or application that is running the program. In other cases, the program cannot handle the exception, and the program terminates.

Related term

application

A combination of constants, functions, literal values, names of fields, and operators that evaluates to a single value.

Related terms

constant, field, function, operator, value

Contrast with

aggregate expression, regular expression

A tool for selecting data fields, functions, and operators to write JavaScript expressions. Figure G-8 shows the expression builder.

Figure G-8. Expression builder

Related terms

data, expression, field, function, JavaScript, operator

A markup language that supports the interchange of data among data sources and applications. Using XML, a wide variety of applications, legacy systems, and databases can exchange information. XML is content-oriented rather than format-oriented. XML uses tags to structure data into nested elements. An XML schema that is structured according to the rules that were defined by the W3C describes the structure of the data.

XML documents must be well formed.

Related terms

application, data, data source, element, schema, tag, well-formed XML, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Contrast with

hypertext markup language (HTML)

A module that adds functionality to an application. BIRT consists of a set of extensions, called plug-ins, which add functionality to the Eclipse development environment.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Eclipse, plug-in

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension, extension point

A defined place in an application where a developer adds custom functionality. The APIs in BIRT support adding custom functionality to the BIRT framework. In the Eclipse Plug-in Development Environment (PDE), a developer views the extension points in the PDE Manifest Editor to guide and control plug-in development tasks.

Related terms

application, application programming interface (API), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Eclipse Plug-in Development Environment (PDE), extension, framework, plug-in

Contrast with

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension

The smallest identifiable part of a database table structure. In a relational database, a field is also called a column.

Related terms

column, table

In Java, a member variable with public visibility.

Related terms

Java, member, variable

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

Table G-1 lists the report designer's file types.

To exclude any data rows from the result set that do not meet a set of conditions. Some external data sources can filter data as specified by conditions that the query includes directly or through the use of report parameters. In addition, BIRT can filter data after retrieval from the external data source. Report developers can specify conditions for filtering in either the data set or a report item.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), data, data row, data set, data source, query, report, report item, report parameter, result set

A file that contains data in the form of text.

Related term

data

Contrast with

data source

A family of characters of a given style. Fonts contain information that specifies typeface, weight, posture, and type size.

Related term

character

A unit of information that appears at the bottom of a page.

Contrast with

header

Related terms

data, hypertext markup language (HTML), layout, property, report, value

Contrast with

style

A web browser that handles hypertext markup language (HTML) forms. HTML tags enable interactive forms, including check boxes, drop-down lists, fill-in text areas, and option buttons.

Related terms

hypertext markup language (HTML), tag

A set of interrelated classes that provide an architecture for building an application.

Related terms

application, class

A sequence of instructions that are defined as a separate unit within a program. To invoke the function, include its name as one of the instructions anywhere in the program. BIRT provides JavaScript functions to support building expressions.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), expression, JavaScript,

Contrast with

method

A variable that is available at all levels in an application. A global variable stays in memory in the scope of all executing procedures until the application terminates.

Related terms

application, procedure, scope, variable

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

Related terms

character, font

See descendant class.

See ancestor class.

See grid element.

A report item that contains and displays other report elements in a static row and column format. A grid element aligns the cells horizontally and vertically.

Figure G-9 shows a report title section that consists of an image element and two text elements that are arranged in a grid element with one row and two columns.

Figure G-9. Grid element

Related terms

cell, column, element, image element, report, report item, row, text element

Contrast with

list element, table element

A set of data rows that have one or more column values in common. For example, in a sales report, a group consists of all the orders that are placed by a single customer.

Related terms

column, data row, report, value

Contrast with

group key, grouped report

A report that organizes data in logical groups. Figure G-10 shows a grouped report.

Figure G-10. Grouped report

Related terms

data, group, report

A data set column that is used to group and sort data in a report. For example, a report developer can group and sort customers by credit rank.

Related terms

column, data, data set, group, report, sort

Related terms

group, section

Contrast with

footer

A number in base 16. A hexadecimal number uses the digits 0 through 9 and the letters A through F. Each place represents a power of 16. By comparison, base 10 numbers use the digits 0 through 9. Each place represents a power of 10.

Contrast with

character set, octal number

Any tree structure that has a root and branches that do not converge.

See hypertext markup language (HTML).

See element.

See hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

A connection from one part of a report to another part of the same or different report. Typically, hyperlinks support access to related information within the same report, in another report, or in another application. A change from the standard cursor shape to a cursor shaped like a hand indicates a hyperlink.

Related terms

application, report

A specification that determines the layout of a web page. HTML is the markup language that tells a parser that the text is a certain portion of a document on the web, for example, the title, heading, or body text. A web browser parses HTML to display a web page.

Related terms

layout, web page

Contrast with

dynamic hypertext markup language (DHTML), extensible markup language (XML)

See web page.

An internet standard that supports the exchange of information using the web.

Contrast with

protocol

The name that is assigned to an item in a program such as a class, function, or variable.

Related terms

class, function, variable

A graphic that appears in a report. BIRT Report Designer supports .bmp, .gif, .jpg, and .png file types.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, report

Contrast with

image element

A report item that adds an image to a report design.

Related terms

design, element, image, report, report item

A mechanism whereby one class of objects can be defined as a special case of a more general class and includes the method and variable definitions of the general class, known as a base or superclass. The superclass serves as the baseline for the appearance and behavior of the descendant class, which is also known as a subclass. In the subclass, the appearance and behavior can be further customized without affecting the superclass. Typically, a subclass augments or redefines the behavior and structure of its superclass or superclasses. Figure G-11 shows an example of inheritance.

Figure G-11. Inheritance

Related terms

class, descendant class, file types, method, object, subclass, superclass, variable

Contrast with

abstract base class

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology, data set, field, join, result set, row, table, value

Contrast with

outer join

See data source.

See object.

A variable that other instances of a class do not share. The run-time system creates a new copy of an instance variable each time the system instantiates the class. An instance variable can contain a different value in each instance of a class, for example, the customerID variable in a Customer class.

Related terms

class, value, variable

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

The action of creating an object.

Related term

object

Contrast with

class

Related terms

application, class, Connection, Java, method, protocol

The process of designing an application to work correctly in multiple locales.

Related terms

application, locale

Contrast with

localization

The unique 32-bit ID of a node on a TCP/IP network.

Related term

node

See Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE).

See Java 2 Runtime Standard Edition (J2SE).

See Java archive (.jar) file.

A programming language that is designed for writing client/server and networked applications, particularly for delivery on the web. Java can be used to write applets that animate a web page or create an interactive web site.

Related terms

applet, application, web page

Contrast with

JavaScript

A platform-independent environment that includes APIs, services, and transport protocols, and is used to develop and deploy web-based enterprise applications. Typically, this environment is used to develop highly scalable web-based applications. This environment builds on J2SE functionality and requires an accessible J2SE installation.

Related terms

application, application programming interface (API), enterprise, enterprise reporting, Java 2 Runtime Standard Edition (J2SE), protocol

Contrast with

Enterprise JavaBean (EJB), Java Development Kit (JDK)

A smaller-scale, platform-independent environment that provides supporting functionality to the capabilities of J2EE. The J2SE does not support Enterprise JavaBean or enterprise environment.

Related terms

enterprise, Enterprise JavaBean (EJB), Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE)

Contrast with

Java Development Kit (JDK)

A file format that is used to bundle Java applications.

Related terms

application, Java

Contrast with

web archive (.war) file

A standard protocol that Java uses to access database data sources in a platform-independent manner.

Related terms

data source, Java, protocol

Contrast with

data element, schema

A Sun Microsystems software development kit that defines the Java API and is used to build Java programs. The kit contains software tools and other programs, examples, and documentation that enable software developers to create applications using the Java programming language.

Related terms

application, application programming interface (API), Java

Contrast with

Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), Java 2 Runtime Standard Edition (J2SE), JavaServer Page (JSP)

A naming standard that provides clients with access to EJBs.

Related term

Enterprise JavaBean (EJB)

The Java SDK interpreter that converts Java bytecode into machine language for execution in a specified software and hardware configuration.

Related terms

Java, SDK (Software Development Kit)

A reusable, standards-based component that is written in Java that encapsulates the business logic of an application. A JavaBean can provide access to data or model the data itself.

Related terms

application, data, encapsulation, Java

Contrast with

Enterprise JavaBean (EJB), enterprise reporting

An interpreted, platform-independent language that is used to enhance web pages and provide additional functionality in web servers. For example, JavaScript can interact with the HTML of a web page to change an icon when the cursor moves across it.

Related terms

hypertext markup language (HTML), web page, web server

Contrast with

Java

A standard Java extension that simplifies the creation and management of dynamic web pages. The code combines HTML and Java code in one document. The Java code uses tags that instruct the JSP container to generate a servlet.

Related terms

hypertext markup language (HTML), Java, servlet, tag, web page

See Java Database Connectivity (JDBC).

See Java Development Kit (JDK).

See Java Naming and Directory Interface (JNDI).

A SQL query operation that combines records from two tables and returns them in a result set that is based on the values in the join fields. Without additional qualification, join usually refers to one where field values are equal. For example, customer and order tables are joined on a common field such as customer ID. The result set contains combined customer and order records in which the customer IDs are equal.

Related terms

field, query, result set, SQL (Structured Query Language), table, value

Contrast with

inner join, join condition, outer join, SQL SELECT statement

A condition that specifies a match in the values of related fields in two tables. Typically, the values are equal. For example, if two tables have a field called customer ID, a join condition exists where the customer ID value in one table equals the customer ID value in the second table.

Related terms

field, join, table, value

A data set that combines data from two data sets.

Related terms

data, data set

See JavaServer Page (JSP).

See Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

A reserved word that is recognized as part of a programming language.

A report item that displays a short piece of static text in a report.

Related terms

report, report item

Contrast with

data element, text element

The designed appearance of a report. Designing the layout of a report entails placing report items on a page and arranging them in a way that helps the report user analyze the information easily. A report displays information in a tabular list, a series of paragraphs, a chart, or a series of subreports.

Related terms

chart, listing report, report, report item, subreport

A window in a report designer in which a report developer arranges, formats, and sizes report elements.

Related terms

design, report

Contrast with

previewer, Property Editor, report editor, script editor

The capability in a run-time environment to load a code segment to memory only if it is needed. By lazily loading a code segment, the run-time environment minimizes start-up time and conserves memory resources. For example, BIRT Report Engine builds a registry at startup that contains the list of available plug-ins, then loads a plug-in only if the processing requires it.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine, plug-in

A collection of reusable and shareable report elements. A library can contain embedded images, styles, visual report items, JavaScript code, data sources, and data sets. A report developer uses a report designer to develop a library and to retrieve report elements from a library for use in a report design.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, data set, data source, design, JavaScript, report element, report item, style

Contrast with

file types

In BIRT Report Designer, an XML file that contains reusable and shareable report elements. A report developer uses a report designer to create a library file directly or from a report design (.rptdesign) file.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, design, extensible markup language (XML), report design (.rptdesign) file, report element

Contrast with

file types, report design (.rptdesign) file, report document (.rptdocument) file, report template (.rpttemplate) file

See hyperlink.

See event listener.

A report item that iterates through the data rows in a data set. The list element contains and displays other report items in a variety of layouts.

Related terms

data, data row, data set, element, layout, report item,

Contrast with

grid element, table element

A report that provides a simple view of data. Figure G-12 shows a listing report.

Figure G-12. Listing report

Related terms

data, report

A variable that is available only at the current level in an application. A local variable stays in memory in the scope of an executing procedure until the procedure terminates. When the procedure ends, the run-time system destroys the variable and returns the memory to the system.

Related terms

application, procedure, scope, variable

Contrast with

field variable, global variable

A location and the language, date format, currency, sorting sequence, time format, and other such characteristics that are associated with that location. The location is not always identical to the country. There can be multiple languages and locales within one country. For example, China has two locales: Beijing and Hong Kong. Canada has two language-based locales: French and English.

Contrast with

localization

The process of translating database content, printed documents, and software programs into another language. Report developers localize static text in a report so that the report displays text in another language that is appropriate to the locale configured on the user's machine.

Related terms

locale, report

Contrast with

internationalization

A text file in a Java archive (.jar) file that describes the contents of the archive.

Related term

Java archive (.jar) file

A predefined layout that specifies a consistent appearance for all pages of a report. A master page typically includes standard headers and footers that display information such as page numbers, a date, or a copyright statement.

The master page can contain report elements in the header and footer areas only, as shown in Figure G-13.

The master page's header and footer content appears on every page of the report in paginated formats, as shown in Figure G-14.

Figure G-13. Master page layout

Figure G-14. Master page content

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, footer, grid element, header, hypertext markup language (HTML), layout, previewer, report, template

A method or variable that is defined in a class and provides or uses information about the state of a single object.

Related terms

class, method, object, variable

Contrast with

global variable, instance variable, static variable

A declared variable within a class. A set of member variables in a class contains the data or state for every object of that class.

Related terms

class, data, declaration, object, variable

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, static variable

Information about the structure of data that enables a program to process information. For example, a relational database stores metadata that describes the name, size, and data type of objects in a database, such as tables and columns.

Related terms

column, data, data type, table

A routine that provides functionality to an object or a class.

Related terms

class, object

Contrast with

data, function

A window that retains focus until explicitly closed by the user. Typically, dialog boxes and message windows are modal. For example, an error message dialog box remains on the screen until the user responds.

Contrast with

modeless window

An operational state of a system. Mode implies that there are at least two possible states. Typically, there are many modes for both hardware and software.

A window that solicits input but permits users to continue using the current application without closing the modeless window, for example, an Eclipse view.

Related terms

application, Eclipse view

Contrast with

modal window

An application that handles multiple simultaneous users and sessions.

Related term

application

In BIRT Report Designer, an Eclipse view that shows all projects and reports within each project. Each project is a directory in the file system. Use Navigator to manage report files, for example, deleting files, renaming files, or moving files from one project to another. Figure G-15 shows Navigator.

Figure G-15. Navigator

Related terms

Eclipse project, Eclipse view, report

A computer that is accessible on the internet.

Contrast with

domain name

A value that indicates that a variable or field contains no data.

Related terms

data, field, value, variable

A data type that is used for calculations that result in a value that is a number. Report items that contain expressions or fields with a numeric data type display numbers, based on the formats and locale settings that are specified by your computer and the report design.

Related terms

data type, design, expression, field, format, locale, report, report item, value

A numeric constant, a simple numeric variable, a scalar reference to a numeric array, a numeric-valued function reference, or a sequence of these items, that are separated by numeric operators. For example:

row["price"] * row["quantity"]

Related terms

array, constant, function, operator, variable

Contrast with

Boolean expression

An instance of a particular class, including its characteristics, such as instance variables and methods.

Related terms

class, instance variable, method, variable

A technique for writing applications using classes, not algorithms, as the fundamental building blocks. The design methodology uses three main concepts: encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.

Related terms

application, class, encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism

Contrast with

object

A number in base 8. An octal number uses only the digits 0 through 7. Each place represents a power of 8. By comparison, base 10 numbers use the digits 0 through 9. Each place represents a power of 10.

Contrast with

hexadecimal number

See open data access (ODA).

Information that appears on the computer screen to help the user understand an application.

Related term

application

A technology that enables accessing data from standard and custom data sources. ODA uses XML data structures and Java interfaces to handle communication between the data source and the application that needs the data. Using ODA to access data from a data source requires an ODA driver and typically also includes an associated tool for designing queries on the data source. ODA provides interfaces for creating data drivers to establish connections, access metadata, and execute queries to retrieve data. ODA also provides interfaces to integrate query builder tools within an application designer tool. In BIRT, ODA is implemented using plug-ins to the Eclipse Data Tools Project.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Connection, data, data source, driver, extensible markup language (XML), interface, Java, metadata, open data access (ODA) driver, plug-in, query

An ODA driver communicates between an arbitrary data source and an application during report execution. An ODA driver establishes a connection with a data source, accesses metadata about the data, and executes queries on the data source. Each ODA driver consists of a configuration file and classes that implement the ODA run-time Java interfaces that conform to ODA. In BIRT, ODA drivers are implemented as an Eclipse plug-in to the Data Tools Platform project.

Related terms

application, BIRT technology, class, Connection, data, data source, driver, Eclipse, interface, Java, metadata, open data access (ODA), plug-in, query

A standard protocol that is used by software products as one of the database management system (DBMS) interfaces to connect reports to databases that comply with this specification.

Related terms

database management system (DBMS), interface, protocol, report

Contrast with

Connection, data source, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC)

A symbol or keyword that performs an operation on expressions.

Related terms

expression, keyword

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology, data set, join, query, result set, row, table, value

Contrast with

inner join

An Eclipse view that shows all report elements that comprise a report design, report library, or report template. Outline shows the report elements' containment hierarchy in a tree-structured diagram. Figure G-16 shows Outline.

Figure G-16. Outline

Related terms

design, Eclipse view, hierarchy, library, report, report element, template

A set of functionally related Java classes that are organized in one directory.

Related terms

class, Java

An Eclipse view that shows the visual report elements for organizing and displaying data in a report. Figure G-17 shows Palette.

Figure G-17. Palette

Related terms

data, Eclipse view, report, report element

A report element that provides input to the execution of the report. Parameters provide control over report data selection, processing, and formatting.

Related terms

data, format, report, report element

Contrast with

cascading parameters, data set parameter, report parameter

See superclass.

An optional code that restricts user name access to a resource on a computer system.

A template or model for implementing a solution to a common problem in object-oriented programming or design. For example, the singleton design pattern restricts the instantiation of a class to only one object. The use of the singleton pattern prevents the proliferation of identical objects in a run-time environment and requires a programmer to manage access to the object in a multithreaded application.

Related terms

class, design, instantiation, multithreaded application, object, object-oriented programming

See Eclipse perspective.

The software and hardware environment in which a program runs. Linux, MacOS, Microsoft Windows, Solaris OS, and UNIX are examples of software systems that run on hardware processors made by vendors such as AMD, Apple, Intel, IBM, Motorola, Sun, and Hewlett-Packard.

Related terms

application, Eclipse, extension, lazy load

Contrast with

Eclipse Plug-in Development Environment (PDE)

A separately loaded plug-in that adds functionality to an existing plug-in, such as support for a new language in a localized application. The plug-in fragment manifest contains attributes that associate the fragment with the existing plug-in.

Related terms

application, localization, manifest, plug-in

The ability to provide different implementations with a common interface, simplifying the communication among objects. For example, defining a unique print method for each kind of document in a system supports printing any document by sending the instruction to print without concern for how that method is actually carried out for a given document.

Related terms

interface, method, object

A web page that serves as a starting point for accessing information and applications on the internet or an intranet. The basic function of a portal is to aggregate information from different sources.

Related terms

application, web page

Contrast with

portlet

A window in a browser that provides a view of specific information that is available from a portal.

Related term

portal

A design tool that supports displaying a report or data.

Related terms

data, design, report

Contrast with

layout editor, script editor, Standard Viewer

A set of commands, input data, and statements that perform a specific set of operations. For example, methods are procedures.

Related terms

data, method, statement

A computer program that has no user interface. For example, the process that runs a BIRT report is a process.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), interface, report

See Eclipse project.

A grouped alphabetical list of all properties of visual report elements in a report design. Experienced report developers use this Eclipse view to modify any property of a report item. Figure G-18 shows Properties.

Figure G-18. Properties

Related terms

design, Eclipse view, property, report, report element, report item

Contrast with

Property Editor

A characteristic of a report item that controls its appearance and behavior. For example, a report developer can specify a font size for a label element.

Related terms

font, label element, report item, value

Contrast with

method

An Eclipse view that displays sets of key properties of visual report elements in a report design. The report developer uses Property Editor to modify the properties of report items. Figure G-19 shows Property Editor.

Figure G-19. Property Editor

Related terms

design, Eclipse view, property, report, report element, report item

Contrast with

Properties

A communication standard for the exchange of information. For example, in TCP/IP, the internet protocol (IP) is the syntax and order in which messages are received and sent.

Related term

syntax

To copy files to a shared folder to make them available to report users and developers. Libraries and resource files are published to the resources folder. Templates are published to the templates folder.

Related terms

library, report executable file, resource file, template

A statement that specifies which data rows to retrieve from a data source. For example, a query that retrieves data from a database typically is a SQL SELECT statement.

Related terms

data row, data source, SQL SELECT statement

A continuous set of values of any data type. For example, 1-31 is a numeric range.

Related terms

data type, value

A JavaScript mechanism that matches patterns in text. The regular expression syntax can validate text data, find simple and complex strings of text within larger blocks of text, and substitute new text for old text.

Related terms

data, expression, JavaScript, syntax

Contrast with

aggregate expression

A BIRT extension that produces a report in a specific format. For example, BIRT provides rendering extensions for HTML and PDF.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension, extension, hypertext markup language (HTML), report

A category of documents that presents formatted and structured content from a data sources, such as a database or text file.

Related terms

data source, format, structured content

An XML file that contains the complete description of a report. The report design file describes the structure and organization of the report, its constituent report items and their style attributes, its data sets, its data sources, and its Java and JavaScript event handler code. BIRT Report Designer creates the report design file and the BIRT Report Engine processes it.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine, data set, data source, design, event handler, extensible markup language (XML), Java, JavaScript, report, report item, style

Contrast with

file types, library (.rptlibrary) file, report document (.rptdocument) file, report template (.rpttemplate) file

A binary file that encapsulates the report item identifier and additional information, such as data rows, pagination information, and table of contents information.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Engine, data row, report item

Contrast with

file types, library (.rptlibrary) file, report design (.rptdesign) file, report template (.rpttemplate) file

In BIRT Report Designer, the main window where a report developer designs and previews a report. The report editor supports opening multiple report designs. For each report design, the report editor displays these five pages: layout editor, master page editor, previewer, script editor and XML source editor.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, design, extensible markup language (XML), master page, layout editor, previewer, report, script editor

Contrast with

report design (.rptdesign) file

A visual or non-visual component of a report design. A visual report element, such as a table or a label, is a report item. A non-visual report element, such as a report parameter or a data source is a logical component.

Related terms

data source, design, element, label element, report, report item, report parameter, table element

A file that contains instructions for generating a report document.

Related terms

file types, report

A report element that you add to a report design to display content in the report output. For example, a data element displays data from a data set when you run a report.

Related terms

data, data element, data set, design, report, report element, run

A BIRT extension that implements a custom report item.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) extension, extension, report, report item

See library (.rptlibrary) file.

The set of XML report elements that BIRT technology uses to build a report design file. ROM defines report elements for both the visual and non-visual components of a report. The complete ROM specification is at:

http://www.eclipse.org/birt/ref/ROM

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology, design, element, extensible markup language (XML), report, report element

Contrast with

Report Object Model (ROM) element

The file that BIRT technology uses to generate and validate a report design. rom.def contains property definitions for the ROM elements. rom.def does not include definitions for report items that are defined by report item extensions, such as the chart element.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) technology, chart element, design, property, report, report item, report item extension

Contrast with

Report Object Model (ROM), Report Object Model (ROM) element, Report Object Model (ROM) schema

An XML element in rom.def that defines a report element.

Related terms

element, extensible markup language (XML), report element, Report Object Model definition file (rom.def)

Contrast with

report item, Report Object Model (ROM) schema

The XML schema that defines the rules for the structure of report design files. All BIRT report design files must conform to this schema. To validate a report design, open the file in a schema-aware XML viewer such as XML Spy. The ROM schema is at:

http://www.eclipse.org/birt/2005/design

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), design, extensible markup language (XML), report, Report Object Model (ROM), schema

Contrast with

Report Object Model definition file (rom.def)

Related terms

parameter, report, report element, value

Contrast with

cascading parameters, data set parameter

See template.

An XML file that contains a reusable design that a report developer can employ when developing a new report.

Related terms

design, extensible markup language (XML), file types, report, style, template

Contrast with

file types, library (.rptlibrary) file, report design (.rptdesign) file, report document (.rptdocument) file

A J2EE web application servlet that produces a report from a report design (.rptdesign) file or a report document (.rptdocument) file. When deployed to a J2EE application server, the report viewer servlet makes reports available for viewing over the web. The report viewer servlet is also the active component of the report previewer of BIRT Report Designer.

Related terms

application, Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), previewer, report, report design (.rptdesign) file, report document (.rptdocument) file, servlet, web server

A message that an application sends to a server to specify an operation for the server to perform.

Related term

application

Contrast with

response

See keyword.

A message that a server sends to an application. The response message contains the results of a requested operation.

Related term

application

Contrast with

request

A text file that contains the mapping from resource keys to string values for a particular locale. Resource files support producing a report with localized values for label and text elements.

Related terms

label element, locale, localization, resource key, text element, value

A unique value that maps to a string in a resource file. For example, the resource key, greeting, can map to Hello, Bonjour, and Hola in the resource files for English, French, and Spanish, respectively.

Related terms

label element, locale, localization, resource file, text element, value

Data rows from an external data source. For example, the data rows that are returned by a SQL SELECT statement performed on a relational database are a result set.

Related terms

data, data row, data source, SQL SELECT statement

See Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP).

See Report Object Model (ROM).

Related terms

cell, grid element, table, table element

Contrast with

data row

See report design (.rptdesign) file.

See report document (.rptdocument) file.

See library (.rptlibrary) file.

See report template (.rpttemplate) file.

To execute a program, utility, or other machine function.

Related terms

application, data, element, extensible markup language (XML), object, report, table, well-formed XML

The parts of a program in which a symbol or object exists or is visible. Where the element is declared determines the scope of a program element. Scopes can be nested. A method introduces a new scope for its parameters and local variables. A class introduces a scope for its member variables, member functions, and nested classes. Code in a method in one scope has visibility to other symbols in that same scope and, with certain exceptions, to symbols in outer scopes.

Related terms

class, function, member, method, object, parameter, variable

In the report editor in BIRT Report Designer, the page where a report developer adds or modifies JavaScript for a report element.

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, JavaScript, report, report editor, report element

Contrast with

layout editor, previewer

See JavaScript and See VBScript (Visual Basic Script Edition).

A collection of programming tools, utilities, compilers, debuggers, interpreters, and APIs that a developer uses to build an application to run on a specified technology platform. For example, the Java SDK allows developers to build an application that users can download across a network to run on any operating system. The Java Virtual Machine (JVM), the Java SDK interpreter, executes the application in the specified software and hardware configuration.

Related terms

application, application programming interface (API), Java, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), platform

A horizontal band in a report design. A section structures and formats related report items. A section uses a grid element, list element, or table element to contain data values, text, and images.

Related terms

data, design, grid element, image, list element, report, report item, table element, value

Related terms

design, report

See SQL SELECT statement.

A sequence of related values. In a chart, for example, a series is a set of related points. Figure G-21 shows a bar chart that displays a series of quarterly sales revenue figures over four years.

Figure G-21. Series in a chart

Related terms

chart, value

Contrast with

category

A small Java application that runs on a web server to extend the server's functionality.

Related terms

application, Java, web server

A construct that represents a set of ROM elements that are contained within another ROM element. For example, the body slot of the report design element can contain one or more of any type of report item. Figure G-22 shows a body slot.

Figure G-22. Body slot

Related terms

design, element, report, report element, report item, Report Object Model (ROM) element

To specify the order in which data is processed or displayed. For example, customer names can be sorted in alphabetical order.

Related term

data

Contrast with

sort key

A list of one or more column names or expressions. The order of the items in the sort key specifies the sort order of data rows. For example, a sort by State and Date is different from a sort by Date and State.

Related terms

column, data row, expression, sort

A language that is used to access and process data in a relational database. For example, the following SQL query accesses a database's customers table and retrieves the customer name and credit limit values where the credit limit is less than or equal to 100000. The SQL query then sorts the values by customer name:

SELECT customers.customerName,
customers.creditLimit
FROM customers
WHERE customers.creditLimit >= 100000
ORDER BY customers.customerName

Related terms

data, query, sort, table, value

Contrast with

SQL SELECT statement

A statement in SQL (Structured Query Language) that provides instructions about which data to retrieve for a report.

Related terms

data, report, SQL (Structured Query Language), statement

A viewer that appears after the user runs a report. In the Standard Viewer, the user can perform basic viewing tasks, such as navigating the report, viewing parameter information, exporting data, and using a table of contents.

Related terms

data, parameter, report

Contrast with

previewer, report viewer servlet

See instance variable.

A syntactically complete unit in a programming language that expresses one action, declaration, or definition.

A variable that is shared by all instances of a class and its descendant classes. In Java, a static variable is known as a class variable. The compiler specifies the memory allocation for a static variable. The program receives the memory allocation for a static variable as the program loads.

Related terms

class, class variable, descendant class, Java, variable

Contrast with

dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable

A data type that consists of a sequence of contiguous characters including letters, numerals, spaces, and punctuation marks.

Related terms

character, data type

Contrast with

string expression

An expression that evaluates to a series of contiguous characters. Elements of the expression can include a function that returns a string, a string constant, a string literal, a string operator, or a string variable.

Related terms

character, constant, expression, function, operator, variable

Contrast with

String data type

A formatted document that displays information from one or more data sources.

Related terms

data source, format

Contrast with

report

See SQL (Structured Query Language).

A named set of formatting characteristics, such as font, color, alignment, and borders, that report designers apply to a report item to control its appearance.

Related terms

design, font, format, report, report item

Contrast with

cascading style sheet (CSS)

See cascading style sheet (CSS).

The immediate descendant class.

Related terms

class, descendant class

Contrast with

superclass

A report that appears inside another report. Typically, the subreport uses data values from the outer report.

Related terms

data, report, value

The immediate ancestor class.

Related terms

ancestor class, class

Contrast with

descendant class, subclass

The rules that govern the structure of a language.

The label above a page in a dialog box that contains multiple pages.

Contrast with

label element

A named set of columns in a relational database.

Related term

column

Contrast with

table element

A report item that contains and displays data in a row and column format. The table element iterates through the data rows in a data set. Figure G-23 shows a table element.

Figure G-23. Table element

Related terms

column, data, data row, data set, element, report item, row

Contrast with

grid element, list element, table

An element in a markup language that identifies how to process a part of a document.

Related term

element

Contrast with

extensible markup language (XML)

In BIRT Report Designer, a predefined structure for a report design. A report developer uses a report template to maintain a consistent style across a set of report designs and for streamlining the report design process. A report template can describe a complete report or a component of a report. BIRT Report Designer also supports custom templates.

In Figure G-24, New Report displays the available templates and Preview displays a representation of the report layout for the selected My First Report, a customer-listing-report template.

Figure G-24. Template

Related terms

Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT), Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) Report Designer, design, layout, listing report, report, report design (.rptdesign) file

Contrast with

report template (.rpttemplate) file

A report item that displays user-specified text. The text can span multiple lines and can contain HTML formatting and dynamic values that are derived from data set fields or expressions.

Related terms

data set, expression, field, format, hypertext markup language (HTML), report item, value

Contrast with

data element, dynamic text element, label element

See flat file.

A set of related styles that are stored in a library (.rptlibrary) file. A theme provides a preferred appearance for the report items in a report design. A library file can store multiple themes. A report design can use styles from a single theme as well as styles defined in the report design itself.

Related terms

design, library (.rptlibrary) file, report, report item, style

Contrast with

cascading style sheet (CSS)

A marker that occurs at regular intervals along the x- or y-axis of a chart. Typically, the value of each tick appears on the axis.

Related term

chart

Contrast with

tick interval

The distance between ticks on an axis. Figure G-25 shows a tick interval in a chart.

Figure G-25. Tick interval

Related terms

chart, tick

A bar that contains various buttons that provide access to common tasks. Different toolbars are available for different kinds of tasks.

See converter.

See data type.

A living language standard that is managed by the Technical Committee of the Unicode Consortium. The current Unicode standard provides code points for more than 65,000 characters. Unicode encoding has no dependency on a platform or software program and therefore provides a basis for software internationalization.

Related terms

code point, character, internationalization

A character string that identifies the location and type of a piece of information that is accessible over the web. http:// is the familiar indicator that an item is accessible over the web. The URL typically includes the domain name, type of organization, and a precise location within the directory structure where the item is located.

Related terms

character, domain name, hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)

Contrast with

Universal Resource Identifier (URI)

See hyperlink.

A set of names and addresses in the form of short strings that identify resources on the web. Resources are documents, images, downloadable files, and so on.

Contrast with

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

See Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Related terms

constant, parameter, variable

A named storage location for data that can be modified while a program runs. Each variable has a unique name that identifies it within its scope. Each variable is capable of containing a certain type of data.

Related terms

data, data type, scope

Contrast with

class variable, dynamic variable, field variable, global variable, instance variable, local variable, member variable, static variable

A Microsoft Windows scripting engine. VBScript is a subset of the Visual Basic language with some added functionality. Internet Explorer, Active Server Pages, and Windows Script Host support VBScript as a scripting language.

When used in Internet Explorer, VBScript processes code that is embedded in HTML. VBScript is similar in function to JavaScript. Stand-alone applications that were created using VBScript require Internet Explorer to run.

Related terms

Active Server Page (ASP), hypertext markup language (HTML), JavaScript

A predefined query that retrieves data from one or more tables in a relational database. Unlike a table, a view does not store data. Users can use views to select, delete, insert, and update data. The database uses the definition of the view to determine the appropriate action on the underlying tables. For example, a database handles a query on a view by combining the requested data from the underlying tables.

Related terms

data, query, table

Contrast with

Eclipse view

See previewer and Standard Viewer.

See VBScript (Visual Basic Script Edition).

A file format that is used to bundle web applications.

Related terms

application, format

Contrast with

Java archive (.jar) file

A page that contains tags that a web browser interprets and displays.

Related term

tag

A computer or a program that provides web services on the internet. A web server accepts requests that are based on the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). A web server also executes server-side scripts, such as ASPs and JSPs.

Related terms

Active Server Page (ASP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), JavaServer Page (JSP), request, web page

An XML document that follows syntax rules that were established in the XML 1.0 recommendation. Well-formed means that a document must contain one or more elements and that the root element must contain all the other elements. Each element must nest inside any enclosing elements, following the syntax rules.

Related terms

element, extensible markup language (XML), syntax

An international, but unofficial, standards body that provides recommendations regarding web standards. The World Wide Web Consortium publishes several levels of documents, including notes, working drafts, proposed recommendations, and recommendations about web applications that are related to topics such as HTML and XML.

Related terms

application, extensible markup language (XML), hypertext markup language (HTML)

See Eclipse Workbench.

See Eclipse workspace.

See extensible markup language (XML).

See element.

XPath is a subset of XSLT that supports addressing an element or elements within an XML document based on a path through the document hierarchy.

Related terms

element, extensible markup language (XML)

See schema.

See XML PATH language (XPath).