Can BIRT export data only?

We have a web application that we recently converted from Crystal to BIRT. The existing infrastructure used Crystal for PDF and web format output. But for the Excel output, we didn't use Crystal. For Excel, we didn't want WYSIWYG. We just wanted to use Excel as an export format to make raw data available to clients for analysis, or for importing to other apps, like Filemaker Pro. In migrating to BIRT, we've abandoned the POI infrastructure we used for exporting the raw data in simple row and column format. So I was hoping that perhaps BIRT had a way to help us get back that raw dump capability without too much new coding. Keep in mind, this is a web app. Clients don't have access to the report designer or other GUI tools - only what we provide in the web app. So, the Spudsoft and CSV emitters caught my eye. Surely (I thought) CSV can't possibly have any formatting, but in reality, I guess it can. Since in our reports a single data record spans many rows, so too does the Excel or CSV output. My hope is that I'm so new to BIRT, that I don't know the right things to Google (and I've been Googling ALL DAY). Are there any shortcuts, features, or plugins that would facilitate dumping raw data in Excel or CSV format in a web app? It needs to be Excel "compatible", because some of our clients simply want to change sort order, etc. and don't actually import it anywhere. Could something like the iHub and web-based solution provide this and more to our clients? Sure. But we have a stable of 25 apps, and we're not ready to roll out a new infrastructure that we would have to support (I'm the resident BIRT expert). Thanks in advance! Jim (P.S. I'm on my way out to pick up the "Integrating" book, but I'm hoping this venue might give relief faster)

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jeb54321

So... not even a form letter to welcome the latest BIRT noob? In the spirit of apologizing instead of getting permission, I've cross-posted this in the Excel forum where perhaps I'll get more traction. Jim

kclark

I haven't used it but you could take a look at this <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://code.google.com/a/eclipselabs.org/p/csv-emitter-birt-plugin/'>csv emitter</a>, from the sample included it looks like you would need to use some code like this in your application.<pre class="_prettyXprint">// Creating CSV Render Option object here.. CSVRenderOption csvOptions = new CSVRenderOption(); String format = CSVRenderOption.OUTPUT_FORMAT_CSV; // Setting up various CSV Render Option before running the task // CSV Render Option to set the output format csvOptions.setOutputFormat(format); // CSV Render Option to specify the output directory and file csvOptions.setOutputFileName("reports/csvTest.csv"); // CSV Render Option to set if Data Type of column need to be rendered in second row of output csvOptions.setShowDatatypeInSecondRow(true); // CSV Render Option to Render a Table by Name csvOptions.setExportTableByName("SecondTable"); // CSV Render Options to specify the delimiter csvOptions.setDelimiter("t");// CSV Render Option to specify the character to be replaced if delmiter appears in actual text csvOptions.setReplaceDelimiterInsideTextWith("-");</pre>