Welcome to EspressReport Enterprise Server (hereafter referred to as ERES). ERES is a powerful, server-based information presentation and delivery system. ERES provides a fully secure environment where users can create and deploy reports and charts.
With ERES, users can easily draw data from a variety of sources and create a wide range of charts and reports using the integrated Chart Designer and Report Designer interfaces. Ad-hoc reporting is supported through the thin-client QuickDesigner. The Organizer interface provides a virtual file management and security system for reports and charts.
Deployment features allow users to automatically publish reports and charts through the integrated menu features, and by generating URL requests. ERES supports advanced scheduling and archiving features, allowing users to version reports, and schedule email, and batch printing jobs.
Advanced configuration and deployment is available through the Java API interfaces. Programmatically, users can get a handle to created reports and charts, and develop their own deployment vehicles for reports and charts, or integrate them within other application environments.
ERES is composed of 12 main components:
- ERES Server:
The server is the back-end to ERES. It deploys as a servlet collection within an application server or servlet container, and manages design and deployment for Reports and Charts. The server handles user authentication, scheduling, archiving, and provides the data access and file I/O for clients running Chart Designer and Report Designer.
- Organizer:
The Organizer is a powerful graphical user interface that acts as a virtual file management system. It allows users to organize charts, reports, and other files in virtual folders, generate URLs deploying charts and reports, schedule/archive charts and reports, and set file-level privileges. It also provides users with an interface for managing data sources, and designing database queries.
- Report Designer:
The Report Designer is a graphical user interface, launched within the Organizer that allows users to create and customize reports. The simple drop and drag style interface and extensive editing/formatting capabilities, makes report design quick and easy.
- Chart Designer:
The Chart Designer is a graphical user interface, launched within the Organizer that allows users to design and customize charts. Its point and click interface enables the swift and easy creation of charts with an almost infinite degree of flexibility.
- QuickDesigner:
The QuickDesigner is a thin-client ad-hoc reporting tool. It allows users to quickly design queries and build reports and charts. Limited formatting options allow users to customize reports and charts, and save them back to the Organizer.
- Dashboard Builder:
The Dashboard Builder is a thin-client tool that allows users to create custom dashboard presentations. The simple interface allows users to select charts, define parameters and drill-down using elements deployed in the Organizer.
- Map Builder:
The Map Builder is a thin-client tool that allows users to create Google© and SVG maps. The easy to use interface allows users to create elegant maps with parameters, titles, legends, and drilldowns. For Google© maps, reports and charts can be directly embedded into the tooltips. In SVG maps, regions can be color coded based on the user's own data.
- Report Viewer:
Report Viewer is an applet that enables you to view and manipulate a report dynamically through a web browser. Within the Report Viewer, users can navigate from page to page in the report, export the report to a variety of static formats, and drill-down on report elements.
- Page Viewer:
Page Viewer is an integrated applet like Report Viewer that uses page serving technology. With Page Viewer, pages in the report are only sent to the client when requested. This allows users to view/preview large reports.
- Chart Viewer:
The Chart Viewer is an applet that allows charts to be viewed remotely. It enables viewers to rotate, resize, zoom and pan a chart. Viewers can click on individual data points to either recover the data associated with the data point, or link to another chart.
- Report API:
The Report API is an easy-to-use Java application programming interface that allows users to create, modify, and run reports and charts within applications, applets, servlets and JSPs. Users can easily get a handle to most chart or report elements making it easy to customize reports and charts on the fly.
- ERES API:
The ERES API is a Java application programming interface that allows users to interface programmatically with the ERES Server and Organizer. Users can get a handle to the Organizer to retrieve information about files and permissions. Users can also get a handle to scheduled and archived reports.
The following diagram illustrates the basic architecture of an ERES implementation/installation:
ERES Architecture Diagram
The ERES server deploys as a servlet collection within an application server/servlet & JSP container. Other servlets/JSPs can be deployed in the server to connect to, and retrieve information from the ERES server (like file names, schedule information, and schedule reports/charts).
On the back end, information for ERES including user/group information, the organizer structure and files, and security and privilege information are saved in a database. The server also performs data access and buffering for reports and charts, and file I/O on the server-side.
Clients can be administrators modifying users, privileges, and server settings from the remote Admin Console, or the Organizer. Clients can load the Report Designer and Chart Designer through the Organizer to create reports and charts, or load the thin-client QuickDesigner for ad-hoc reporting and analysis. Clients viewing reports and charts can access the menu, make URL calls to the ERES server, or connect to other applications to retrieve charts and reports.