OpenMFG, the makers of open source ERP software, have released OpenRPT, a report writer for ad-hoc Web-based reporting. It creates graphical, embeddable reports, similar to the commercial software Crystal Reports or Microsoft Access report designer, but runs on on Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows. It supports graphs, integrated barcodes, label printing, and watermarks and report definitions can be stored in a PostgreSQL database as XML, or exported to individual files.
Looks pretty good from a quick browse of the website, this will be very useful if it works as described.
the only thing that is missing is that I still have to write the report myself. This has been a known problem for quite some time, why havn’t someone solved it?
Another suggestion: Agata Report
http://www.agata.org.br/us/index.php
http://www.eclipse.org/birt/
One exists already that is cross-platform.
There are some java-based alternatives at this URL:
http://www.java-source.net/open-source/charting-and-reporting
To make things clear:
They don’t think so !
http://www.openmfg.com/about/story4.php:
“… So is the OpenMFG license “open source”? You can read it for yourself here (http://www.openmfg.com/about/license.php). We don’t think it meets the OSI definition, and we rather expect that they’d agree…”
So please state in your article that OpenMFG is NOT really open source software.
Um, no, it’s not, that’s why we go to great pains to say what we do on the page you site. However, OpenRPT (the subject of this OSnews story) IS free – see http://openrpt.sourceforge.net.
Ned Lilly
OpenMFG
… OMFG!
Is OpenMFG really free ?
Of course it isn’t free you idiot – look at it!
So please state in your article that OpenMFG is NOT really open source software.
Oh yer, so everybody submitting articles on Windows etc. should point out that none of this stuff is really open source. Not every bit of software is open source, you know?
The Open comes from how OpenMFG can be extended for other companies, resellers and customers themselves in a way that should be far better than things like SAP etc. They seem to be more deserving of the word open than most.
However, OpenRPT (what this article is about) is open source and free, being published under the GPL.
One exists already that is cross-platform.
Kind of depends on how you define cross-platform. From the BIRT page: “BIRT is an Eclipse-based open source reporting system for web applications, especially those based on Java and J2EE.”
We think OpenRPT is much more broadly applicable, fully embeddable in just about any kind of application or device, without having to buy into J2EE, .Net, or any other platform.
Ned Lilly
OpenMFG
Crystal Reports is just awful. So many headaches for so many programs and users.
I wish a better piece of reporting software would come along and knock down Crystal Reports market penetration. Once that flood gate gets cracked, then Crystal free fall out of popularity.
I mean, it is just awful, poorly written, poorly designed software.
Does this OMFG:) OpenRPT support multipass reporting? I couldn’t find any word about this on website and in pdf documentation, even not in todo.
What I need from reporting software (I mean what I’m using in Crystal Reports):
– multipass reporting (sorting by aggregates and formula results etc)
– field functions and formulas (not only for preparing SQL statements, but mostly for postprocessing query results)
– external libraries support
– multiple db format support (in their todo list)
OpenRPT currently doesn’t fulfill these requirements – I hope they will improve.
Is there some other good Crystal Reports like solution for linux? Not neccessary open source, but needs to be vendor supported then. Best would be option to use/convert CR reports directly of course;)
I like that it uses a true transaction based database PostgreSQL(not that useful for static data reporting but…)
Still looks cool i might have to setup a datbase with some data in it just to play with this. You don’t really need to have it link directly to Oracle. Most reporting setups i have seen are derived from replicated data anyway refreshed daily or otherwise(you don’t want 25 people running reports eating up memory and cycles on your money making mission critcal database machine) So pull a dump from your main database onto another machine import it into PostgreSQL and report away.
It mentions being web-based in the description but after visiting the website it based on QT so it must be client app.
It mentions being web-based in the description but after visiting the website it based on QT so it must be client app.
Correct. GUI embeddable client, written with C++ and Qt libraries. We actually think that’s an important distinction. From the press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050426/085393.html): “While there are several options for ad-hoc Web-based reporting, OpenRPT fills a real void in the marketplace for an open source, general purpose graphical, embeddable report writer. … Unlike other open source reporting options, OpenRPT does not require the use of Java or a web browser interface.”
Ned Lilly
OpenMFG
Correct. GUI embeddable client, written with C++ and Qt libraries. We actually think that’s an important distinction. From the press release (http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050426/085393.html): “While there are several options for ad-hoc Web-based reporting, OpenRPT fills a real void in the marketplace for an open source, general purpose graphical, embeddable report writer. … Unlike other open source reporting options, OpenRPT does not require the use of Java or a web browser interface.”
Ned Lilly
OpenMFG
I think you guys have a winning product(idea) good luck on the commercial side.