Reporting software definitely presents data in required format and in a summarized manner as aimed. The reports are then employed for further analysis. There are various kinds available with some very useful and intelligent features. Open source programs such as Eclipse BIRT Project, Jasper Reports, Pentaho, and others are easily available in the market and some of the commercially available softwares are the Crystal Reports, Actuate, CodeForms, LogiXML, and Oracle XML Publisher.
Naturally, you can design a format;define data fields that are to be shown and create a layout for the report. Layout and format are two very essential factors of reporting software, as the data displayed should be easily readable, properly plannedand printable. This software always works in association with the database, quite definitely because that is where the data for reports would come from. Once the basic designing is concluded, some amount of programming needs to be done as per the requirements of the report.
Here are the following aspects will help you in properly choosing the right software good to your reporting needs:
Database connectivity
It makes sure the program woks efficiently with all leading databases such asMs SQL, Ms-Access, Oracle, MySQL, and so on. It is very imperative if the software can work with Ms-Excel, and flat files as well.
Minor need of technical expertise
It should be easy to use so that personnel with the little technical knowledge of databases can also spin it. Built-in features of query builder, mathematical formulae, grouping, sorting, and filtering operations will make the user comfortable and generate reports without having to write SQL queries or other coding.
Complex report generation
The report wizard should let complex reports to be generated with little efforts. It should allow quick formatting, embedding other objects, accessing data of other reports, and so on.
Present reports in a graphical manner
Apart from presenting the data in text format, the reporting software should also be able to generate graphical reports displaying graphs and charts.
Exporting capability
It let the reports to be exported to other formats such as Excel, PDF, XML, HTML, and others.
Emailing and Publishing
The reports should be published at one single click so that they can be immediately viewed. The reports can be published at some online location or the same can be emailed directly to desired users or user groups.
Security
The reporting software like Inetsoft’s reporting software should offer determining users and user groups which will have rights to access and view particular reports.
Therefore, it is very important to keep in mind the above-mentioned things when choosing reporting software because you choice will determine how productive you will be and if it simplify and answers your reporting needs.