One of the best software you could use, for report writing software, is the EspressReport. This software is built as a powerful java reporting tool designed especially for report.
The software offers a new standard in information delivery. It has capabilities retrieving data from many sources and makes report to varieties of formats. EspressReport is by far the best report writing software.
In information delivery, it can retrieve data from many sources, and generate reports in a variety of Web-ready formats. From the simple output of application data, to the sophisticated presentation of vital corporate information, EspressReport is up to the task.
At the moment this article is written, EspressReport is being offered as a 45 days free trial program. The latest version of the program is EspressReport v6.3
OS Requirement
The requirement to run this program is a java applet. Java is commonly installed on both pc and mac. Therefore the minimum requirement for this software is just to have a computer.
Features
EspressReport feature full data connectivity. This means you can draw data from databases, text files, and XML files, any java arrays, objects, or classes. The unique data view features allows EspressReport to easily access any database access/querying.
Another feature is the highly powerful data visualization. User can easily draw over 30 2D and 3D charts with true 3D rendering. User can then embed charts in reports and individually deploy them. The software has a flexible configuration and able to be run as a standalone design tool.
By running the software on server computer through API, user can embed report into web applications. This software also has the capabilities to integrate with 3rd party design tool application.
EspressReport easily integrates with Web and application content, and can generate reports in a number of different formats including tabular HTML, DHTML style sheet layouts, print-quality PDF, Microsoft Excel, and Rich Text. Report data can be exported to XML, CSV, and text formats. On the client, EspressReport provides several applet/application viewers that allow users to integrate reporting with thick-client interfaces as well.
EspressReport provides a complete visual design environment for users to design and build reports. The designer controls all aspects of reporting; allowing users to specify the data sources used for the report, and format all of the report properties. Nearly every report element can be formatted and customized, giving users near limitless control over report appearance. Reports can be easily customized to match existing Web or application content.
EspressReport allows users to adjust properties, and move/shift object groups, as well as adjust object properties globally. Users can manipulate report data in a visual environment using over 85 built-in formulas, or by implementing custom scripts. With EspressReport users can design and format report templates with a minimum of time and effort.
EspressReport has a feature called report API. Report API is an easy-to-use application programming interface that allows users to imbed reporting functionality into their applications, servlets, or JSPs, either on the server-side or client-side. Because it is pure Java it can run on most platforms with few or no changes. Any and every part of the report is customizable using the API giving users full control over report formatting at run-time. Reports can be created and deployed with just a few lines of code.
It also has an integrated report viewer that allows user to view and interact with the report. The applet shows reports in a paginated format, giving users the opportunity to navigate around reports using a pop-up menu.
Also report templates can be directly hyperlinked together using the applet. EspressReport can generate HTML pages with the applet imbedded without requiring any coding.
EspressManager serves as the “back end” to the Report Designer and scheduler interfaces. It supports Report Designer running as an applet EspressManager handles the data access and file I/O activities on the server-side.
In addition, EspressManager provides database connection and data buffering. EspressManager also runs the scheduling process on the server-side, executing the reports according to the user-defined jobs.
Pros
EspressReport allows user to literally built report from virtually any data source. Users can easily draw up data from databases, Text files, XML files, or just any java objects, classes, or arrays, including WSDL SOAP, and SalesForce SOAP.
Report deployment is generally handled though the powerful Java application programming interface.
With the Report API, users can easily incorporate the powerful reporting engine into applets, servlets, JSPs, and applications. EspressReport easily deploys into many popular application servers and sevlet/JSP containers. Deployment can be as simple as placing several classes on the server.
The high performance report engine has been greatly enhanced with innovative algorithms and data structures. It can generate very large reports (millions of rows) with minimal system resources and lightning speed.
Preliminary benchmarks show that for large reports, EspressReport outperforms competitive products by, typically, two to ten times. In performance tests, similar reports were designed for each product. A Java program is then run to capture the time to generate reports from a database. The number of rows from the result sets range from 100,000 to 900,000. EspressReport consistently outperforms competitor products by a wide margin.
Cons
The software does take a steep learning curve to operate to the full potential. However, the final result is worth the effort put in. In that sense, there might be software out there that gives close to the same output and requires much less learning experience.
If you need additional feature such as security, you will need to upgrade to the premium version of the software. Unfortunetly, this will cost a bit more than the standard version of the software.
Developers’ website: Quadbase Systems