Skip to main content

Data Sources

About Data Sources and Data Sets

BIRT reports use a data source element to connect to a database or other data provider. BIRT uses a data set element to retrieve data from the data provider. Think of the data source as a connection, and the data set as a query.

Build a Data Source

Let's build our data source:

  • Open the Data Explorer View, if it is not already visible.

  • Select the Data Sources node within the tree view.

  • Right-click to open the context menu.

  • Choose New Data Source. The New Data Source dialog appears.

  • Choose Classic Models Inc. Sample Database.

  • In the Data Source Name field, enter "Sample".

  • Click Next.

  • Click Finish.

Your new data source appears within the Data Sources node in the Data Explorer.

Edit a Data Source

For future reference, let's review how you would go about changing the data source:

  • Find or open the Data Explorer View.

  • Open the Data Sources node.

  • Double-click the data source.

  • The Data Source editor opens. You can make any needed changes.

  • Click OK to save your changes.

BIRT reports use a data source element to connect to a database or other data provider. BIRT uses a data set element to retrieve data from the data provider. Think of the data source as a connection, and the data set as a query.