Glossary

Ad Hoc Editor

The interactive data explorer in JasperReports Server Professional and Enterprise editions. Starting from a predefined collection of fields, the Ad Hoc Editor lets you drag and drop fields, dimensions, and measures to explore data and create tables, charts, and crosstabs. These Ad Hoc views can be saved as reports.

Ad Hoc Report

In previous versions of JasperReports Server, a report created through the Ad Hoc Editor. Such reports could be added to dashboards and be scheduled, but when edited in Jaspersoft Studio, lost their grouping and sorting. In the current version, the Ad Hoc Editor is used to explore views which in turn can be saved as reports. Such reports can be edited in Jaspersoft Studio without loss, and can be scheduled and added to dashboards.

Ad Hoc View

A view of data that is based on a Domain, Topic, or OLAP client connection. An Ad Hoc view can be a table, chart, or crosstab and is the entry point to analysis operations such as slice and dice, drill down, and drill through. Compare OLAP View. You can save an Ad Hoc view as a report in order to edit it in the interactive viewer, schedule it, or add it to a dashboard.

Aggregate Function

An aggregate function is one that is computed using a group of values; for example, Sum or Average. Aggregate functions can be used to create calculated fields in Ad Hoc views. Calculated fields containing aggregate functions cannot be used as fields or added to groups in an Ad Hoc view and should not be used as filters. Aggregate functions allow you to set a level, which specifies the scope of the calculation; level values include Current (not available for PercentOf), ColumnGroup, ColumnTotal, RowGroup, RowTotal, Total

Analysis View

See OLAP View.

Audit Archiving

To prevent audit logs from growing too large to be easily accessed, the installer configures JasperReports Server to move current audit logs to an archive after a certain number of days, and to delete logs in the archive after a certain age. The archive is another table in the JasperReports Server's repository database.

Audit Domains

A Domain that accesses audit data in the repository and lets administrators create Ad Hoc reports of server activity. There is one Domain for current audit logs and one for archived logs.

Audit Logging

When auditing is enabled, audit logging is the active recording of who used JasperReports Server to do what when. The system installer can configure what activities to log, the amount of detail gathered, and when to archive the data. Audit logs are stored in the same private database that JasperReports Server uses to store the repository, but the data is only accessible through the audit Domains.

Auditing

A feature of JasperReports Server Enterprise edition that records all server activity and allows administrators to view the data.

Calculated Field

In an Ad Hoc view or a Domain, a field whose value is calculated from a user-defined formula that may include any number of fields, operators, and constants. For Domains, a calculated field becomes one of the items to which the Domain's security file and locale bundles can apply. There are more functions available for Ad Hoc view calculations than for Domains.

CRM

Customer Relationship Management. The practice of managing every facet of a company's interactions with its clientele. CRM applications help businesses track and support their customers.

CrossJoin

An MDX function that combines two or more dimensions into a single axis (column or row).

Cube

The basis of most OLAP applications, a cube is a data structure that contains three or more dimensions that categorize the cube's quantitative data. When you navigate the data displayed in an OLAP view, you are exploring a cube.

Custom Field

In the Ad Hoc Editor, a field that is created through menu items as a simple function of one or two available fields, including other custom fields. When a custom field becomes too complex or needs to be used in many reports, it is best to define it as a calculated field in a Domain.

Dashboard

A collection of reports, input controls, graphics, labels, and web content displayed in a single, integrated view. Dashboards often present a high level view of your data, but input controls can parametrize the data to display. For example, you can narrow down the data to a specific date range. Embedded web content, such as other web-based applications or maps, make dashboards more interactive and functional.

Dashlet

An element in a dashboard. Dashlets are defined by editable properties that vary depending on the dashlet type. Types of dashlet include reports, text elements, filters, and external web content.

Data Island

A single join tree or a table without joins in a Domain. A Domain may contain several data islands, but when creating an Ad Hoc view from a Domain, you can only select one of them to be available in the view.

Data Policy

In JasperReports Server, a setting that determines how the server processes and caches data used by Ad Hoc reports. Select your data policies by clicking Manage > Server > Settings Ad Hoc Settings. By default, this setting is only available to the superuser account.

Data Source

Defines the connection properties that JasperReports Server needs to access data. The server transmits queries to data sources and obtains datasets in return for use in filling reports and previewing Ad Hoc reports. JasperReports Server supports JDBC, JNDI, and Bean data sources; custom data sources can be defined as well.

Dataset

A collection of data arranged in columns and rows. Datasets are equivalent to relational results sets and the JRDataSource type in the JasperReports Library.

Datatype

In JasperReports Server, a datatype is used to characterize a value entered through an input control. A datatype must be of type text, number, date, or date-time. It can include constraints on the value of the input, for example maximum and minimum values. As such, a datatype in JasperReports Server is more structured than a datatype in most programming languages.

Denormalize

A process for creating table joins that speeds up data retrieval at the cost of having duplicate row values between some columns.

Derived Table

In a Domain, a derived table is defined by an additional query whose result becomes another set of items available in the Domain. For example, with a JDBC data source, you can write an SQL query that includes complex functions for selecting data. You can use the items in a derived table for other operations on the Domain, such as joining tables, defining a calculated field, or filtering. The items in a derived table can also be referenced in the Domain's security file and locale bundles.

Dice

An OLAP operation to select columns.

Dimension

A categorization of the data in a cube. For example, a cube that stores data about sales figures might include dimensions such as time, product, region, and customer's industry.

Domain

A virtual view of a data source that presents the data in business terms, allows for localization, and provides data-level security. A Domain is not a view of the database in relational terms, but it implements the same functionality within JasperReports Server. The design of a Domain specifies tables in the database, join clauses, calculated fields, display names, and default properties, all of which define items and sets of items for creating Ad Hoc reports.

Domain Topic

A Topic that is created from a Domain by the Data Chooser. A Domain Topic is based on the data source and items in a Domain, but it allows further filtering, user input, and selection of items. Unlike a JRXML-based Topic, a Domain Topic can be edited in JasperReports Server by users with the appropriate permissions.

Drill

To click on an element of an OLAP view to change the data that is displayed:

Eclipse

An open source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Java and other programming languages, such as C/C++.

ETL

Extract, Transform, Load. A process that retrieves data from transactional systems, and filters and aggregates the data to create a multidimensional database. Generally, ETL prepares the database that your reports will access. The Jaspersoft ETL product lets you define and schedule ETL processes.

Fact

The specific value or aggregate value of a measure for a particular member of a dimension. Facts are typically numeric.

Field

A field is equivalent to a column in the relational database model. Fields originate in the structure of the data source, but you may define calculated fields in a Domain or custom fields in the Ad Hoc Editor. Any type of field, along with its display name and default formatting properties, is called an item and may be used in the Ad Hoc Editor.

Frame

In Jaspersoft Studio, a frame is a rectangular element that can contain other elements and optionally draw a border around them. Elements inside a frame are positioned relative to the frame, not to the band, and when you move a frame, all the elements contained in the frame move together. A frame automatically stretches to fit its contents.

Frame can also refer to an element in a legacy dashboard; it's the equivalent of a dashlet.

Group

In a report, a group is a set of data rows that have an identical value in a designated field.

Hierarchy Level

In an OLAP cube, a member of a dimension containing a group of members.

Input Control

A button, check box, drop-down list, text field, or calendar icon that allows users to enter a value when running a report or viewing a dashboard that accepts input parameters. For JRXML reports, input controls and their associated datatypes must be defined as repository objects and explicitly associated with the report. For Domain-based reports that prompt for filter values, the input controls are defined internally. When either type of report is used in a dashboard, its input controls are available to be added as special content.

Item

When designing a Domain or creating a Topic based on a Domain, an item is the representation of a database field or a calculated field along with its display name and formatting properties defined in the Domain. Items can be grouped in sets and are available for use in the creation of Ad Hoc reports.

JasperReport

A combination of a report template and data that produces a complex document for viewing, printing, or archiving information. In the server, a JasperReport references other resources in the repository:

The collection of all the resources that are referenced in a JasperReport is sometimes called a report unit. End users usually see and interact with a JasperReport as a single resource in the repository, but report creators must define all of the components in the report unit.

Jaspersoft Studio

A commercial open source tool for graphically designing reports that leverage all features of the JasperReports Library. Jaspersoft Studio lets you drag and drop fields, charts, and sub-reports onto a canvas, and also define parameters or expressions for each object to create pixel-perfect reports. You can generate the JRXML of the report directly in Jaspersoft Studio, or upload it to JasperReports Server. Jaspersoft Studio is implemented in Eclipse.

JasperReports Library

An embeddable, open source, Java API for generating a report, filling it with current data, drawing charts and tables, and exporting to any standard format (HTML, PDF, Excel, CSV, and others). JasperReports processes reports defined in JRXML, an open XML format that allows the report to contain expressions and logic to control report output based on run-time data.

JasperReports Server

A commercial open source, server-based application that calls the JasperReports Library to generate and share reports securely. JasperReports Server authenticates users and lets them upload, run, view, schedule, and send reports from a web browser. Commercial versions provide metadata layers, interactive report and dashboard creation, and enterprise features such as organizations and auditing.

Jaspersoft ETL

A graphical tool for designing and implementing your data extraction, transforming, and loading (ETL) tasks. It provides hundreds of data source connectors to extract data from many relational and non-relational systems. Then, it schedules and performs data aggregation and integration into data marts or data warehouses that you use for reporting.

Jaspersoft OLAP

A relational OLAP server integrated into JasperReports Server that performs data analysis with MDX queries. The product includes query builders and visualization clients that help users explore and make sense of multidimensional data. Jaspersoft OLAP also supports XML/A connections to remote servers.

Jaspersoft Studio

An open source tool for graphically designing reports that leverage all features of the JasperReports Library. Jaspersoft Studio lets you drag and drop fields, charts, and sub-reports onto a canvas, and also define parameters or expressions for each object to create pixel-perfect reports. You can generate the JRXML of the report directly in Jaspersoft Studio, or upload it to JasperReports Server. Jaspersoft Studio is implemented in Eclipse.

JavaBean

A reusable Java component that can be dropped into an application container to provide standard functionality.

JDBC

Java Database Connectivity. A standard interface that Java applications use to access databases.

JNDI

Java Naming and Directory Interface. A standard interface that Java applications use to access naming and directory services.

Join Tree

In Domains, a collection of joined tables from the actual data source. A join is the relational operation that associates the rows of one table with the rows of another table based on a common value in given field of each table. Only the fields in a same join tree or calculated from the fields in a same join tree may appear together in a report.

JPivot

An open source graphical user interface for OLAP operations. For more information, visit http://jpivot.sourceforge.net/.

JRXML

An XML file format for saving and sharing reports created for the JasperReports Library and the applications that use it, such as Jaspersoft Studio and JasperReports Server. JRXML is an open format that uses the XML standard to define precisely all the structure and configuration of a report.

Level

Specifies the scope of an aggregate function in an Ad Hoc view. Level values include Current (not available for PercentOf), ColumnGroup, ColumnTotal, RowGroup, RowTotal, Total.

MDX

Multidimensional Expression Language. A language for querying multidimensional objects, such as OLAP (On Line Analytical Processing) cubes, and returning cube data for analytical processing. An MDX query is the query that determines the data displayed in an OLAP view.

Measure

Depending on the context:

Mondrian

A Java-based, open source multidimensional database application.

Mondrian Connection

An OLAP client connection that consists of an OLAP schema and a data source. OLAP client connections populate OLAP views.

Mondrian Schema Editor

An open source Eclipse plug-in for creating Mondrian OLAP schemas.

Mondrian XML/A Source

A server-side XML/A source definition of a remote client-side XML/A connection used to populate an OLAP view using the XML/A standard.

MySQL

An open source relational database management system. For information, visit http://www.mysql.com/.

Navigation Table

The main table in an OLAP view that displays measures and dimensions as columns and rows.

ODBO Connect

Jaspersoft ODBO Connect enables Microsoft Excel 2003 and 2007 Pivot Tables to work with Jaspersoft OLAP and other OLAP servers that support the XML/A protocol. After setting up the Jaspersoft ODBO data source, business analysts can use Excel Pivot Tables as a front-end for OLAP analysis.

OLAP

On Line Analytical Processing. Provides multidimensional views of data that help users analyze current and past performance and model future scenarios.

OLAP Client Connection

A definition for retrieving data to populate an OLAP view. An OLAP client connection is either a direct Java connection (Mondrian connection) or an XML-based API connection (XML/A connection).

OLAP Schema

A metadata definition of a multidimensional database. In Jaspersoft OLAP, schemas are stored in the repository as XML file resources.

OLAP View

Also called an analysis view. A view of multidimensional data that is based on an OLAP client connection and an MDX query. Unlike Ad Hoc views, you can directly edit an OLAP view's MDX query to change the data and the way they are displayed. An OLAP view is the entry point for advanced analysis users who want to write their own queries. Compare Ad Hoc View.

Organization

A set of users that share folders and resources in the repository. An organization has its own user accounts, roles, and root folder in the repository to securely isolate it from other organizations that may be hosted on the same instance of JasperReports Server.

Organization Admin

Also called the organization administrator. A user in an organization with the privileges to manage the organization's user accounts and roles, repository permissions, and repository content. An organization admin can also create suborganizations and mange all of their accounts, roles, and repository objects. The default organization admin in each organization is the jasperadmin account.

Outlier

A fact that seems incongruous when compared to other member's facts. For example, a very low sales figure or a very high number of help desk tickets. Such outliers may indicate a problem (or an important achievement) in your business. The analysis features of Jaspersoft OLAP excel at revealing outliers.

Parameter

Named values that are passed to the engine at report-filling time to control the data returned or the appearance and formatting of the report. A report parameter is defined by its name and type. In JasperReports Server, parameters can be mapped to input controls that users can interact with.

Pivot

To rotate a crosstab such that its row groups become column groups and its column groups become rows. In the Ad Hoc Editor, pivot a crosstab by clicking .

Pivot Table

A table with two physical dimensions (for example, X and Y axis) for organizing information containing more than two logical dimensions (for example, PRODUCT, CUSTOMER, TIME, and LOCATION), such that each physical dimension is capable of representing one or more logical dimensions, where the values described by the dimensions are aggregated using a function such as SUM. Pivot tables are used in Jaspersoft OLAP.

Properties

Settings associated with an object. The settings determine certain features of the object, such as its color and label. Properties are normally editable. In Java, properties can be set in files listing objects and their settings.

Report

In casual usage, report may refer to:

Report Run

An execution of a report, Ad Hoc view, or dashboard, or a view or dashboard designer session, it measures and limits usage of Freemium instances of JasperReports Server. The executions apply to resources no matter how they are run (either in the web interface or through the various APIs, such as REST web services). Users of our Community Project and our full-use commercial licenses are not affected by the limit. For more information, please contact sales@jaspersoft.com.

Repository

The tree structure of folders that contain all saved reports, dashboards, OLAP views, and resources. Users access the repository through the JasperReports Server web interface or through Jaspersoft Studio. Applications can access the repository through the web service API. Administrators use the import and export utilities to back up the repository contents.

Resource

In JasperReports Server, anything residing in the repository, such as an image, file, font, data source, Topic, Domain, report element, saved report, report output, dashboard, or OLAP view. Resources also include the folders in the repository. Administrators set user and role-based access permissions on repository resources to establish a security policy.

Role

A security feature of JasperReports Server. Administrators create named roles, assign them to user accounts, and then set access permissions to repository objects based on those roles. Certain roles also determine what functionality and menu options are displayed to users in the JasperReports Server interface.

Schema

A logical model that determines how data is stored. For example, the schema in a relational database is a description of the relationships between tables, views, and indexes. In Jaspersoft OLAP, an OLAP schema is the logical model of the data that appears in an OLAP view; they are uploaded to the repository as resources. For Domains, schemas are represented in XML design files.

Schema Workbench

A graphical tool for easily designing OLAP schemas, data security schemas, and MDX queries. The resulting cube and query definitions can then be used in Jaspersoft OLAP to perform simple but powerful analysis of large quantities of multi-dimensional data stored in standard RDBMS systems.

Set

In Domains and Domain Topics, a named collection of items grouped together for ease of use in the Ad Hoc Editor. A set can be based on the fields in a table or entirely defined by the Domain creator, but all items in a set must originate in the same join tree. The order of items in a set is preserved.

Slice

An OLAP operation for filtering data rows.

SQL

Structured Query Language. A standard language used to access and manipulate data and schemas in a relational database.

System Admin

Also called the system administrator. A user who has unlimited access to manage all organizations, users, roles, repository permissions, and repository objects across the entire JasperReports Server instance. The system admin can create root-level organizations and manage all server settings. The default system admin is the superuser account.

Topic

A JRXML file created externally and uploaded to JasperReports Server as a basis for Ad Hoc reports. Topics are created by business analysts to specify a data source and a list of fields with which business users can create reports in the Ad Hoc Editor. Topics are stored in the Ad Hoc Components folder of the repository and displayed when a user launches the Ad Hoc Editor.

Transactional Data

Data that describe measurable aspects of an event, such as a retail transaction, relevant to your business. Transactional data are often stored in relational databases, with one row for each event and a table column or field for each measure.

View

Several meanings pertain to JasperReports Server:

Virtual Data Source

A virtual data source allows you to combine data residing in multiple JDBC and/or JNDI data sources into a single data source that can query the combined data. Once you have created a virtual data source, you create Domains that join tables across the data sources to define the relationships between the data sources.

WCF

Web Component Framework. A low-level GUI component of JPivot. For more information, see http://jpivot.sourceforge.net/wcf/index.html.

Web Services

A SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) API that enables applications to access certain features of JasperReports Server. The features include repository, scheduling and user administration tasks.

XML

eXtensible Markup language. A standard for defining, transferring, and interpreting data for use across any number of XML-enabled applications.

XML/A

XML for Analysis. An XML standard that uses Simple Object Access protocol (SOAP) to access remote data sources. For more information, see http://www.xmla.org/.

XML/A Connection

A type of OLAP client connection that consists of Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) definitions used to access data on a remote server. OLAP client connections populate OLAP views.