Easy Report Design, Modification, and Generation: RenderX Brings Together XML, Microsoft Word 2003/2007, Web, and Oracle Database 9i/10g
PALO ALTO, Calif. — RenderX (www.renderx.com), a market leader in “XML to PDF” and “XML to PostScript” technology, officially released the Beta versions of two new software products – DataStyler (www.datastyler.com) and XML Report Generator (XMLRG) (www.xmlrg.com). DataStyler is an application for quick creation of templates for variable data embedding. Microsoft Word 2003/2007 is used as the environment for template layout design. Special XML tags indicate data merge points in report templates.
XML Report Generator is a Web application that uses the RenderX XEP rendering engine to produce final reports in the PDF, PostScript, and AFP formats from Oracle Database 9i/10g.
A template created with DataStyler can be imported into XML Report Generator, and vice versa templates can be exported from XML Report Generator into DataStyler for modification. However, XML Report Generator can use templates created with other tools as long as they are compliant with the XSL-FO standard or the XML-based formats used by the application.
A special DataStyler window shows the structure of the data to be merged. A user can just to drag-and-drop XML data elements from this window onto the layout of the Microsoft Word document. A predefined table layout to embed the corresponding data elements will be generated automatically. It is possible to define conditions for filters for embedded data, calculated fields (including totals and subtotals), formatting masks, relations between different XML data fragments (like ‘one-to-one’, ‘one-to-many’).
DataStyler employs a rich client interface that features floating windows, different user views and perspectives, wizards, progress indicators, workspace layout management (save/restore), automatic updates and so on.
Every report in XML Report Generator can contain any number of layout templates for different presentation of the same data (such as the same data may be displayed in a tabular format, as a chart diagram embedded as an SVG object, or a mixture of both). With XML Report Generator, a user can produce a single-record as well as batch reports.
XML Report Generator supports administrative functions, such as creating and editing user accounts, users’ report access rights, addition and modification of lists and attributes of reports instances, etc.
While originally designed to work with Oracle Database 9i/10g, XML Report Generator can use data from any JDBC-compatible database that support XML API. The server part of the application requires the Apache Tomcat Web server and can be installed on different platforms – Windows, Linux, and Unix. The installer streamlines the application setup.
Developers that would like to build their own custom reporting applications may use developer’s kits – DataStyler API Beta and XML Report Generator API Beta – that are freely available. They are 100-percent Java applications and can be run on both Windows and Linux/Unix platforms.
DataStyler API Beta is a command line utility intended to be used for data merge and reports generation. This application uses templates created with DataStyler and XML data source files to produce printable reports.
XML Report Generator API (XMLRG API) Beta is a software library intended for building custom report generating applications with an Oracle XML database backend and XEP for rendering functionality.
The DataStyler and XML Report Generator Beta versions, as well as the developer’s kits, are available for download from the RenderX Web site.
About RenderX, Inc.
RenderX, the recognized industry leader for software used for standards-based typeset-quality electronic and print output of business content, provides both standalone software products as well as integrated components into larger business solutions. XEP, RenderX’s original commercial engine and its flagship product, is the rendering engine of choice for XML/XSLFO to PDF, PostScript, and other paged formats generation.
RenderX’s patented technology is used by hundreds of organizations worldwide in the financial, consumer, insurance, government, manufacturing, transportation and pharmaceutical sectors to cost-effectively deliver dynamic documents in high volume to their customers, partners, and employees. RenderX also provides integration support for its software products, as well as provide professional services for custom software development and document design, generation, and management.
[tags]DataStyler and XML Report Generator, RenderX Inc, XML to PDF software, variable data embedding[/tags]
