html report generator triathlon

[Otto]

Hello friends,

We are thrilled to announce that Triathlon, our innovative software solution for report generation, has reached a major milestone with the implementation of the powerful WYSIWYG HTML web editor.

Triathlon is now running in Webview2, which provides a faster and more secure browsing experience, with the HTML format being the format of the future for reports,

Best regards,
Otto

[vilian]

wow! tell us more about this... will this been integrated to FWH ? when ?

[Otto]

Hello friends,
In this video you can see how to change the HTML files for online display with the desktop version and webview2.

The HTML code is stored in a memo field in a DBF.

Best regards,
Otto

[Otto]

AI-powered HTML/PDF reporting solution is future-proof

ChatGPT

Is Jaspersoft Becoming Obsolete Due to AI?

Yes, if you want a modern, flexible, and interactive solution.
No, if you need classic, pre-defined reports for large enterprises.

What is Jaspersoft?

Jaspersoft is a Business Intelligence (BI) platform specializing in reporting, data analysis, and dashboards. It is primarily used to generate and distribute reports from various data sources and is one of the leading open-source solutions in this field.

Key Features of Jaspersoft
JasperReports – A powerful reporting engine for creating reports in multiple formats (PDF, HTML, Excel, CSV, XML, etc.).
JasperReports Server – A web application for managing, automating, and distributing reports.
JasperSoft Studio – A graphical tool for designing and creating reports (replacing the older iReport Designer).
Ad-hoc Reporting – Users can create reports flexibly via a web interface without programming knowledge.
Support for Multiple Data Sources – Compatible with SQL databases, NoSQL databases, cloud services, Excel files, etc.
Integration into Custom Applications – Jaspersoft can be embedded as a reporting solution in existing software.
Use Cases
Enterprises: Creating business reports and dashboards
Web Applications: Dynamic reporting within web apps
Data Analysis: Transforming raw data into visually understandable reports
ERP and CRM Systems: Enhancing systems with professional reporting functions

Jaspersoft is available as an open-source version (Community Edition) and in commercial editions with extended features. The commercial version is distributed by TIBCO Software.

Question:

As a developer, what advantages does Jaspersoft offer for my software compared to a custom solution using HTML as the reporting language?

Comparison: Jaspersoft vs. Custom HTML Reporting Solution
Advantages of Jaspersoft:

Ready-to-Use Reporting Engine:

Saves development time by eliminating the need to build your own reporting logic.
Offers features such as grouping, aggregations, charts, and export to PDF/Excel.

Visual Design:

Reports can be designed using JasperSoft Studio’s drag-and-drop interface.
Reduces the need for manual HTML/CSS/JS coding.

Data Connectivity and Processing:

Supports multiple data sources (SQL, NoSQL, web APIs, CSV, XML).
Built-in functions for calculations, summaries, pivot tables, etc.

Export Functionality:

Reports can be exported directly to PDF, Excel, CSV, Word, XML, or JSON.
A custom HTML solution would require additional development for conversions.

Automated Report Generation:

Reports can be scheduled and sent via email.
A custom HTML-based solution would require manual coding for this functionality.

Access Control:

Jaspersoft offers user and role-based access management.
A custom solution would require manual implementation.
Advantages of a Custom HTML Reporting Solution:

Maximum Flexibility:

You can build exactly what you need without the overhead of a BI tool.
Design, interactivity, and presentation can be fully customized.

Integration with Web Technologies:

If your application is already based on HTML/JS, reports can be seamlessly integrated.
HTML reports can be enhanced with JavaScript, Chart.js, D3.js, or Tailwind CSS.

Less Dependency on Third-Party Software:

No external BI engine or libraries required.
No licensing costs or update issues with commercial versions.

Better Mobile Adaptability:

HTML reports are inherently responsive, whereas PDF reports often have fixed layouts.
Live filtering and interactive elements are easier to implement.

Performance Advantage for Small Reports:

Jaspersoft generates numerous XML files, adding overhead.
A lightweight HTML solution can be faster for small data sets.
When is Each Option Better?
Criterion Jaspersoft Custom HTML Solution
Simple Reports (Invoices, Lists, Tables) Well-suited Well-suited
Complex Reports with Charts & Aggregations Already integrated Requires custom development
Dynamic, Interactive Reports (Live Filtering, Drill-Downs) More static Easily achievable with JS
Export to Multiple Formats (PDF, Excel, CSV) Out-of-the-box Requires additional tools
Automated Reports (Scheduled Jobs, Email Dispatch) Built-in Needs manual programming
Mobile Optimization & Responsive Design More static Ideal for web apps
Dependency on Third-Party Software Yes (TIBCO Jaspersoft) None
Conclusion:
If you need complex, static reports with export capabilities, Jaspersoft is a quick, ready-made solution.
If you need flexible, interactive reports for a web application, HTML with JS is the better choice.

For exporting HTML reports, you could use Puppeteer (Headless Chrome) to convert HTML pages into PDFs.

What is your specific use case? I can give you more targeted advice.

Question:

Are Jaspersoft’s advantages still relevant today—considering AI-powered report generation—or does it now hinder progress?

AI-Powered Development vs. Jaspersoft
1. Automated Report Generation with AI

Modern AI tools like ChatGPT (with code generation), Copilot, or AI assistants in BI tools can already:

Generate HTML/CSS/JavaScript for custom reports
Automate and optimize SQL queries
Analyze data and create visualizations (e.g., with Chart.js, D3.js)
Dynamically generate reports with minimal input

Conclusion: Jaspersoft’s traditional “drag-and-drop” approach is becoming less relevant as AI simplifies direct report generation in HTML, PDF, or Excel.

2. Flexibility vs. Jaspersoft’s Overhead
Jaspersoft is based on XML structures and templates, often leading to unnecessary complexity.
AI can directly generate HTML reports, avoiding the need to deal with Jaspersoft’s templates and syntax.
Modern HTML reports are more interactive than Jaspersoft’s mostly static PDFs.

Conclusion: AI can generate HTML reports more quickly and flexibly, eliminating the need for a heavy BI tool.

3. Adaptability and Evolution
Using Jaspersoft requires learning the framework and adapting to its limitations.
With an AI-powered custom solution, reports could be modified using natural language, e.g.:
“Create a sales report by region as a bar chart.”
“Add a table with the top customers from the last quarter.”

Conclusion: AI makes reporting more dynamic and adaptable, whereas Jaspersoft relies on static templates.

4. Performance and Scalability
Jaspersoft requires a dedicated server instance, adding overhead.
AI-generated HTML/PDF reports can run directly within a web app without an additional server.
Modern databases (e.g., ClickHouse, DuckDB) allow direct AI-powered queries, reducing the need for separate BI tools.

Conclusion: Using AI with HTML + direct database queries is more efficient than Jaspersoft.

Is Jaspersoft Becoming Obsolete Due to AI?

Yes, if you want a modern, flexible, and interactive solution.
No, if you need classic, pre-defined reports for large enterprises.

Your Advantage as a Developer:
You can use AI to generate HTML reports faster.
The solution is more flexible than Jaspersoft and avoids unnecessary overhead.
Web technologies (HTML, JS, SQL) are easier to adapt than Jaspersoft’s XML-based format.

Final Thought: AI significantly reduces Jaspersoft’s advantages. A custom AI-powered HTML/PDF reporting solution is more future-proof.