Live Reporting Tools from InetSoft
InetSoft provides an application for live reporting. Founded in 1996, InetSoft built a tradition of award-winning products. Now its powerful reporting engine and sophisticated design tools enable enterprise-grade live reporting that meets the demands of sophisticated report designers and consumers.
The challenge for live reporting is two-fold: find a high performance data access engine and a high performance report generation engine.
InetSoft delivers both components to its live reporting tool, StyleBI. Whether is it is paginated reports or visually compelling charts, all can be updated in real time with live data. The only dependency is the update rate of the databases that you configure StyleBI to access.
Data Access Capabilities for Live Reporting Software
Almost any operational database can be accessed provided there is JDBC connector available. In addition to such open data sources, connectors exist for many others such as XML, SOAP, Java beans (POJO), Microsoft Excel, flat files, OLAP cubes, SAP, PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, salesforce.com, Siebel CRM, Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services, Hyperion ESSbase, Oracle OLAP, and SAP NetWeaver.
StyleBI's data access is live, or real-time, by default. Very large data sets are manageable due to a myriad of optimization techniques InetSoft has developed including caching, materialized views, pre-aggregation and fine tuning options.
When near live reporting is sufficient, StyleBI offers a proprietary technology called 'Data Grid Cahce.' It is based on Hadoop and Map/Reduce concepts, and it stores the data needed for a particular live report in a columnar disk-based cache along with the necessary indexes to support speedy data access. The software can automatically build these data grid caches on preferred schedules basis when the source datasets are particularly large, in the terabyte and up ranges, and when there is a requirement to minimize queries to live operational databases.
Key Applications
Live Reports:
Harness the power of self-service with user live created reports or queries for answering new and unanticipated questions. Reformulate information for a fresh perspective.
Production Reports:
Publish recurring information to a wide audience through various channels and formats. These reports are typically professionally designed with business logic for pixel perfect presentation.
Live Reporting Tools & Publishing Features
- Business Logic - add server-side JavaScript for run-time presentation control
- Modular Design - combine elements such as tables, charts, and sub-reports, to create a complete report
- Scheduling - monitor and schedule batch report generation with multiple output and delivery channels
- Multiple Crosstab Aggregations - use data aggregation methods like sum, average, correlation, variance, percentage of total, etc. and multiple levels of ugrouping in both directions
- Export Formats - export reports to PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, RTF, HTML, CSV, SVG, XML, PostScript, and text
- Chart Styles - choose from more than 30 chart styles (bar, pie, line, scatter, bubble, radar, 3D, Gantt, etc.)
- Formula Tables - use formulas in a spreadsheet-like manner to present dynamic data exactly as you wish
- Parameter Sheets - simple or multi-level parameter prompting based upon user input
Amphibian Breeder Switches from Plecto to InetSoft for Live Reporting
HerpLife Labs, a specialized amphibian breeding company supplying frogs, salamanders, and newts for research and educational purposes, previously relied on Plecto for its live reporting needs. While Plecto offered basic visualization and KPI tracking, it struggled with integrating the complex biological, environmental, and operational data that HerpLife manages daily. Staff often experienced delays when trying to generate real-time insights on breeding cycles, water quality, and population health across multiple habitats.
Switching to InetSoft provided a more robust and flexible platform for live reporting. The team was able to integrate data from habitat sensors, feeding schedules, breeding logs, and inventory systems into a unified environment. InetSoft’s in-memory processing and data mashup capabilities enabled real-time dashboards, so staff could monitor critical metrics like pH levels, temperature variations, and amphibian health indicators instantly. This immediacy improved responsiveness to environmental changes and enhanced overall animal welfare.
The platform’s interactive features allowed HerpLife’s researchers and operations staff to drill down into specific habitats, species, or breeding cohorts. They could quickly identify trends such as survival rates, clutch sizes, or developmental milestones, and adjust feeding or environmental conditions accordingly. InetSoft’s customizable alerts ensured that potential issues—like sudden temperature drops or contamination risks—were flagged immediately, reducing stress on the animals and preventing losses.
Beyond operational benefits, the switch to InetSoft improved collaboration and reporting efficiency. Staff could share dashboards and live reports with management, external researchers, and regulatory bodies without exporting data manually or relying on static spreadsheets. By consolidating live operational data into an accessible and interactive platform, HerpLife Labs enhanced both decision-making and transparency, positioning the company for more scalable and sustainable amphibian breeding operations.