Be Maximobirt WP PDF

Unraveling the
Mystery of the New

Maximo Reporting
Increasing Your Options
for BIRT and Existing Reports
Authors
Christine Forti, Director of Business Development
Kapil Kedar, Product Marketing Manager
Ash Nanda, VP of International Professional Services
Unraveling the Mystery of the New Maximo Reporting
Notice
The information in this white paper is proprietary to Actuate Corporation ("Actuate") and may not be used in any form without
the prior consent of Actuate.
© 2009 by Actuate Corporation. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. Electronic edition published 2009. Version 1.1, September 23, 2009.
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Contents
Abstract ................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4
What is BIRT? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Options for Reporting in Maximo 7 ....................................................................................................................................... 6
What about Maximo 8? ......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Options for Customers Continuing with Maximo 6 ............................................................................................................... 8
Business Benefits of Maximo BIRT Reporting with the iServer ............................................................................................ 9
Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix A: The History of Reporting in Maximo ............................................................................................................... 15
Appendix B: Differences between the Maximo 7 Reporting Feature and the iServer ......................................................... 16
Appendix C: IBM Maximo Reporting and BIRT FAQs......................................................................................................... 18
Appendix D: BIRT Resources for IBM Maximo Customers ................................................................................................ 21
Abstract
Since the release of version 5 in 2001, the IBM Maximo Asset Management application has provided reporting functionality
by embedding technology from Actuate Corporation. In Maximo 7, however, IBM has introduced a new reporting solution,
based on open source technology from the Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) project of the Eclipse
Foundation, an initiative led by Actuate. In other words, Maximo is essentially migrating from one Actuate-developed
reporting technology to another.
This change has raised many questions for Maximo customers. They want to know how the switch in reporting technology
will affect them: What is BIRT and what can it do? If they upgrade to Maximo 7, what are the choices for reporting? What will
happen to existing reports?
As the founder, co-lead of the project, and primary developer of BIRT within the Eclipse Foundation, Actuate is the leading
expert on both BIRT and Actuate technology. As such, Actuate is uniquely positioned to advise Maximo users on strategies
for adopting BIRT, while also getting the most from current Actuate Reports within Maximo. This white paper will help you
determine what Maximo’s new reporting direction means to you, what your options are, and the decisions you need to make
going forward.

Introduction
As IBM Maximo Asset Manager has evolved over time, so has its reporting strategy. Since release 5.0 in 2001, IBM Maximo
has used Actuate e.Report and iServer products as the basis for its reporting capabilities, replacing technology from Cognos,
Crystal, and SQRiBE. Maximo has also further enhanced its reporting capabilities by incorporating Actuate e.Spreadsheet
and Query in subsequent releases.
With the release of Maximo 7 in 2008, IBM again changed the reporting technology for Maximo to an open source solution
from the Eclipse Foundation’s Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) project, also developed by Actuate. This
decision is part of IBM’s strategy of providing a consistent reporting technology across its software product portfolio, as
BIRT is embedded in a broad range of products from the Tivoli1, Rational, WebSphere and Information Management brands.
IBM Products that Embed BIRT
Rational Tivoli
Rational Application Developer Tivoli Common Reporting
Rational BuildForge Tivoli Composite Application Manager
Rational ClearQuest Tivoli Maximo
Rational Method Composer Tivoli Monitoring
Rational RequisitePro Tivoli Netcool
Rational Quality Manager Tivoli Omegamon
Rational Software Architect Tivoli Storage Manager
Rational Software Modeler Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager
Rational Systems Developer
Rational Team Concert
DB2
WebSphere WebSphere RFID Center
WebSphere Registry and Repository InfoSphere Data Architect
WebSphere ILOG JRules SPSS Showcase Suite
Figure 1 – IBM Products that embed BIRT. IBM has chosen to use BIRT as the core reporting technology across its large product line. IBM is not the
only corporation to depend on BIRT as the basis of reporting for its products. Others include BMC, Cisco, Fujitsu, HSBC, Mentor Graphics, S1 and
Software AG.
Given the importance of reporting in Maximo—after all, reporting is the predominant way end-users get information and
insight from the data Maximo collects—customers are understandably concerned about how this technology change will
affect them. They want to know:
• What is BIRT? What reporting capabilities does it provide?
• What are the options for reporting when upgrading to Maximo 7?
• How will reporting work in Maximo 8 and beyond?
• What business benefits can I expect from BIRT reporting in Maximo?
• How can we extend Maximo reporting functionality beyond what IBM provides?
• Can we preserve our significant investment in existing Actuate Reports when upgrading to Maximo 7? Will we lose
any of the reporting capabilities provided in Maximo 5 or 6?
1
BIRT is at the core of Tivoli Common Reporting, the standard infrastructure for creating, viewing, and managing reports for all
products in the Tivoli product line, including Maximo. For more information on Tivoli Common Reporting, refer to:
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/spaces/tcr?pageid=51&S_TACT=105AGX01&S_CMP=LP

As the primary developer of both the reporting technology historically embedded in Maximo—Actuate e.Reports,
e.Spreadsheet, and Query, which are collectively referred to as “Actuate Reports” in this white paper—and the Eclipse BIRT
technology, and given Actuate’s long history with Maximo and its customers (see Appendix A), Actuate is uniquely qualified
to help you understand the changes brought about by BIRT. This white paper will help you determine what Maximo’s new
reporting direction means to you, the options available, and the decisions that need to be made going forward.
What is BIRT?
BIRT is the acronym for the open source Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools project of the Eclipse Foundation. The
Eclipse Foundation, formed by IBM in 2001, is a consortium of software industry vendors and the broader community that
uses an open source development and licensing model to deliver the world’s most widely used development tools. The
Eclipse BIRT project began in 2004 and provides a designer, an engine for running reports and data visualizations, a web-
based viewer for end-users, and APIs that enable developers to extend the technology. BIRT has rapidly become the
standard in open source technology for reporting and rich information application development with more than 6.5 million
downloads—more than 4 million in 2008 alone.
Actuate has driven BIRT since its inception. It proposed the project to the Eclipse Foundation in 2004 and continues to co-
lead it. At any time in the last five years, Actuate has dedicated some 30 engineers2 to building the next generation of BIRT
technology—a far greater percentage of manpower than contributed by the other entities combined. In fact, Actuate has
developed more than 95%3 of BIRT code.
Like Actuate Reports, BIRT is a stable, mature, professional-grade technology, capable of supporting the most demanding
commercial reporting and business intelligence applications. This is especially true when BIRT runs on the BIRT iServer4, the
industry’s most scalable reporting and rich information application platform that has been deployed within thousands of
mission-critical applications.
BIRT differs from Actuate Reports5 and other third-party reporting technologies because it is specifically designed to support
web-page-like layouts, plus the highly popular Web 2.0 experience. As most readers are aware, this new paradigm of Internet
interaction was pioneered by rich information applications (RIAs) like Google Maps, Facebook, and Yahoo! Finance.
The popularity of RIAs has completely changed user expectations around how they should interact with web-based
information, including reports. Today’s users expect to use drag-and-drop functionality to rearrange, sort, filter, and
otherwise personalize their reports. They want to create dynamic, interactive charts that filter data instantaneously6 and even
send them to their iPhones and other mobile devices. BIRT and Actuate’s BIRT-based product line enable Maximo users to
have this rich, interactive experience when accessing and manipulating their reports and data visualizations.
2
See http://dash.eclipse.org/dash/commits/web-app/commit-count-loc.php.
3
See http://dash.eclipse.org/dash/commits/web-app/project-diversity.cgi
4
In previous releases, the BIRT iServer was named the Actuate iServer. Regardless of name, it runs BIRT, e.Reports, e.Spreadsheets,
and Queries.
5
In this document, the term “Actuate Reports” refers to the three reporting technologies included in Maximo 5 and 6: Actuate
e.Reports, Actuate e.Spreadsheets, and Actuate Query
6
By “instantaneously”, we mean that the report immediately adapts without requiring another request to the server.

Options for Reporting in Maximo 7

For a number of reasons, including the desire to provide a consistent reporting technology across IBM software products,
IBM decided to offer the benefits of BIRT to Maximo customers. The company switched from Actuate Reports to Actuate-
developed Eclipse BIRT beginning with Maximo 7.
IBM realized, however, that abruptly changing reporting technology could greatly inconvenience Maximo customers, some of
whom would need to recreate hundreds of custom reports and would also lose critical report server functionality. To address
these issues, IBM provides three approaches to reporting for customers upgrading to Maximo 7. Customers can choose the
approach that best meets their schedules, budgets, and end-users’ expectations.
Maximo 7
Mechanism 1 (default): Mechanism 2: Mechanism 3:

Maximo reporting feature Embedded hooks Maximo ERI
to iServer External Reporting
Eclipse BIRT Interface
Report Engine 2.3.1
iServer
e.Reports
Query
Third-Party
e.Spreadsheet Reporting
Tool
BIRT
Eclipse BIRT
Option
Report Engine
2.3.1
Figure 2 – Maximo 7 includes three different reporting approaches, each of which can be used to integrate a different type of reporting technology with
the Maximo application. The first approach is to use the built-in Maximo reporting feature. The second is to configure Maximo to use the iServer. The
third is to use the Maximo ERI to write code that integrates Maximo with any third-party reporting technology.

Approach 1:
Move completely to BIRT reporting, using the built-in Maximo reporting feature7
This is the default. Maximo 7 includes 150 BIRT reports and directly embeds a Maximo reporting capability that is based on
the Eclipse BIRT Engine with some IBM-developed features8.
This is the right approach for Maximo customers who don’t require much report customization or interactive reports for end
users. Customers can either use the pre-defined reports or manually recreate any important existing Maximo 5 and 6 Actuate
reports as BIRT reports. While end-users will receive some of the benefits of the new BIRT reports, the capabilities cannot be
extended. Further, Maximo customers choosing this route would lose some functionality, such as the ability to email reports
in Excel format or deliver Excel spreadsheets with intact formulas (see Appendix B).
Approach 2:
Retain existing Actuate Reports, while incrementally adopting BIRT by using
the iServer from Actuate
If customers configure Maximo to use the iServer9 instead of the built-in Maximo reporting feature, they can:
• Run Actuate Reports and BIRT reports on the same report server with the BIRT Option for the iServer from Actuate.
This will allow customers to continue using their existing reports and introduce BIRT reports when the time is right.
• Provide end-users of Maximo BIRT reports with enhanced Web 2.0 functionality, including interactive viewing, drag-
and-drop report modification, click-to-sort, and interactive Flash charts. These capabilities, provided with the BIRT
Interactive Viewer, effectively relieve IT of the burden of delivering one-off report modifications for each user.
• Give end-users the ability to create their own reports via BIRT Studio from Actuate, an easy-to-use yet powerful
web-based report design environment.
• Benefit from official Actuate support that encompasses all BIRT users, including report developers, administrators,
and report users.
This approach works well for those who have created numerous custom Actuate e.Reports or e.Spreadsheet reports and
want to continue using them, while gradually adopting BIRT reports when the time is right. It is also valuable to Maximo
customers who want to enable end-users to create and modify BIRT reports.
While customers upgrading from prior releases to Maximo v7 can request the iServer Upgrade V9SP2 from IBM to continue
to run existing Actuate Reports, this upgrade has limitations. Also, IBM will not support this configuration with future releases
of Maximo.
Actuate’s BIRT-based product line allows BIRT and Actuate Reports to co-exist on the iServer, and end-users to become
more self-sufficient by modifying and creating their own reports with the BIRT Interactive Viewer and BIRT Studio. For more
information, see the section entitled Business Benefits of Maximo BIRT Reporting with the iServer. Additionally, with the
licensing of this software, Maximo customers benefit by receiving customer support directly from Actuate.
Approach 3:
Use an alternative third-party reporting tool
Customers are not constrained to using only BIRT reports or Actuate Reports in Maximo 7. They can take advantage of
Maximo’s External Reporting Interface (ERI) to plug in a third-party reporting tool. End-users can then access these third-
party reports within the Maximo application. For example, Business Objects Crystal Reports is integrated with Maximo using
the ERI10.
7
In this document, the term “Maximo reporting feature” refers to the combination of the open source Eclipse BIRT Engine plus some
additional IBM-developed features.
8
These features include basic scheduling and email notifications with PDF attachments.
9
IBM will provide an iServer Upgrade V9SP2 that works with Maximo 7 to customers who specifically request it.
10
For details refer to The BO Crystal integration document from IBM.

What about Maximo 8?

The reporting strategy for Maximo has evolved and will no doubt continue to do so in future releases. IBM has indicated that
it will support two approaches in Maximo 8:
1. Customers can use BIRT via built-in Maximo reporting feature.
2. Customers can use the Maximo ERI11 to integrate Maximo with third-party reporting technology, such as the iServer
from Actuate or Business Objects Crystal Reports.
While IBM will no longer make Actuate Reports or iServer technology available to Maximo 8 customers, Actuate can support
customers’ continued, successful use of Actuate technology with Maximo 8 and later releases. This lets customers preserve
their investment in Actuate technology and insulate their organizations from future changes to Maximo’s evolving reporting
strategy.
iServer
Maximo 8
e.Reports
Maximo reporting Maximo ERI

feature External Reporting Query
Interface
BIRT Report
Engine e.Spreadsheet
BIRT Report
Engine
Figure 3 - Maximo 8 will no longer contain built-in hooks to the iServer, and IBM will no longer provide the iServer to customers. Maximo 8 will continue
to integrate with the iServer via the Maximo External Reporting Interface (ERI).
Options for Customers Continuing with Maximo 6

If customers delay upgrading to Maximo 7, they can still take advantage of BIRT technology, either by building their own
solutions with open source Eclipse BIRT technology or by licensing software and support services from Actuate.
With the latest version of the iServer from Actuate, customers can configure Maximo 6 to run both BIRT reports and Actuate
Reports on the same infrastructure, thereby providing users with extended BIRT functionality. This functionality includes
interactive Flash charts and the ability to modify and save reports via drag-and-drop, to create personal reports, and to view
reports on an iPhone and other mobile devices.
11
ERI = External Reporting Interface

Business Benefits of Maximo

BIRT Reporting with the iServer
Configuring Maximo 7 reporting with the iServer instead of the integrated Maximo reporting feature—Approach 2 in the
section entitled Options for Reporting in Maximo 7—offers many business benefits. These benefits range from saving hard
dollars on a Maximo deployment to improving overall ROI and providing end-users with new capabilities.
Benefit:
Reduce Maximo Deployment Costs while Reaching More Users
Under the standard Maximo 7 configuration, the reporting feature runs all reports. Because this reporting feature is
embedded in the application, all users must be licensed to use the full Maximo application.
At most companies, however, many who benefit from Maximo reports have no need to use all aspects of the application. In
effect, serving these “reporting-only” users means paying for functionality they do not need. As a result, Maximo customers
typically pay too much or must severely limit the number of users who can access reporting functionality.
The solution to this problem is to configure Maximo 7 with the iServer instead of the Maximo reporting feature. Reporting-
only users can access the reports they need through a Maximo Reporting Portal12 built on the iServer. Instead of a full
Maximo license, reporting-only users can acquire less costly report user licenses from Actuate. The result? More users can
benefit from the information Maximo provides at a lower cost, increasing ROI.
Figure 4 – With the implementation of a Maximo Reporting Portal using the iServer from Actuate, access to information in Maximo can be provided to an
extended group of end-users who only consume information and don’t use other aspects of the Maximo application. Deployment costs are reduced by
eliminating Maximo software license fees for these users and providing less costly reporting-only licenses.
There are other benefits to implementing a Maximo Reporting Portal with the iServer. Reporting-only users will no longer
require Maximo training, streamlining their experience to focus solely on reporting tasks. Furthermore, if customers use a mix
of BIRT reports and Actuate Reports, the Maximo Reporting Portal will make it possible to use the same methods to access
all reports, regardless of type.13
12
To view a Maximo Reporting Portal demonstration, visit http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/demos/all-demos/
13
Without a Maximo Reporting Portal, depending on configuration, users might need different methods to access different report types.

Benefit:
Reduce IT Costs and Improve Service by Enabling Maximo End-users
to Easily Modify and Create BIRT Reports
IBM chose to integrate BIRT into Maximo in a way that emphasizes “traditional” static reporting capabilities, such as
gathering parameter values, rendering reports in PDF, and emailing reports to users. While this is an excellent use of the
technology, it scratches the surface of the value that BIRT reporting can provide Maximo users.
By using the iServer instead of integrated Maximo reporting, customers can leverage unique and valuable BIRT functionality
not provided by IBM. The iServer with some value-added options lets end-users extend the power of BIRT far beyond what
Maximo offers:
• End-users can personalize standard Maximo BIRT reports with Actuate’s web-based user interface, the BIRT
Interactive Viewer. With this self-service tool, they can modify report formatting, incorporate sorting and filtering,
and share reports with others. The BIRT Interactive Viewer will help dramatically reduce the cost of report
modification, while also improving service to the business.14 Figure 5 provides screen shots of the BIRT Interactive
Viewer.
• End-users can perform “ad-hoc” reporting, creating and personalizing reports using Actuate’s web-based BIRT
Studio15. This includes the ability to create the entire structure of the report, including charts and graphs, and use
advanced grouping, sorting, user-defined calculations, and more. Figure 6 shows a screen shot.
• End-users can interact with “live” Flash objects built into reports. These objects respond instantaneously to input,
enabling users to dynamically drill down to more detail or quickly filter report data. Flash objects also make it
possible to create reports that include maps, live gauges, and other sophisticated controls. Figures 7 and 8 include
screen shots of Flash-based BIRT dashboards with interactive visualizations and charts.
• BIRT reporting allows users to view their reports in their format of choice. Currently, Maximo users are restricted to
running a report, viewing it as a web page, or receiving it via email as a PDF attachment. With the iServer, reports
can also be delivered to mobile devices, incorporated into dashboards, and emailed as Excel spreadsheets.
14
For more information on the BIRT Interactive Viewer, including a recorded demo, visit
http://www.actuate.com/democenter/a10/iv2.swf.
15
Learn more about the BIRT Studio at http://www.actuate.com/products/birt/birt-report-studio/

Figure 5 – BIRT Interactive Viewer. End-users view BIRT reports in the BIRT Interactive Viewer, and have a toolbar that invites them to interact, modify
and save their views of reports. The two screenshots above show how an end user can easily add and subtract columns, change column order, modify
grouping and sorting, add and modify aggregations, and add columns with custom calculations.

Figure 6 – BIRT Studio is an easy-to-use yet powerful web-based designer for end-users. With it, users can create charts and graphs; add, rearrange,
reformat, show and hide data; and change report, row, column and cell formatting (including conditional formatting) to create their own BIRT reports.
Users can also securely share these BIRT reports with other users.
Figure 7 – BIRT technology is not limited to static reports. It can be used to build a wide variety of interactive charts and visualizations, as demonstrated
in this BIRT-based dashboard. As the user moves the mouse over each visualization, it immediately adapts: data labels appear, colors change, charts
expand, and more.

Figure 8 – With Actuate’s value-add BIRT Designer Professional, developers can create interactive, Flash-based charts and data visualizations. For
example, in this work order visualization, end-users can move the pointers on the labor, material, and service cost gadgets on the left, which will then
immediately change the graph and chart images on the right, without refreshing the entire webpage, enabling end-users to interact with the data, and
instantly see how changes impact the overall cost allocation.
Benefit:
Preserve Existing Investment in Actuate Reports
As noted earlier, using the iServer instead of the integrated Maximo 7 reporting feature enables customers to continue to run
Maximo 5 and 6 Actuate e. Reports, e.Spreadsheets, and Maximo Queries as they move toward adopting BIRT. Because the
iServer can run all report types, customers can either choose to move gradually to BIRT—perhaps by creating new reports in
BIRT and only recreating the most popular Actuate Reports in BIRT—or to forgo BIRT completely and continue using Actuate
Reports.
While a significant portion of Actuate e.Reports functionality can be replicated with BIRT, IBM provides no viable replacement
for e.Spreadsheets in Maximo 7. It is simply not possible to generate fully functional, analysis-ready Excel spreadsheets with
intact formulas and multiple worksheets. To continue using e.Spreadsheets, customers must configure Maximo 7 with the
iServer. If choosing not to take this route, it will be necessary to do a data dump into Excel and then manually modify
spreadsheets, a labor-intensive and error-prone process.
Benefit:
Reduce Risk by Retaining Report Server Functionality Users Depend On
If a customer opts for the default configuration of Maximo 7, reports will be generated by the Maximo reporting feature, not
the iServer as was the case in Maximo 5 and 6. As a result of this change, Maximo 7 customers will lose important
functionality. Both the iServer and the Maximo reporting feature use the Actuate-developed Eclipse BIRT Report Engine at
their cores and provide basic functionality to run and distribute static reports. However, the Maximo report feature is much
more limited than the iServer; it lacks key functionality, such as letting users share reports, complex scheduling, batch
scheduling, spreadsheet reporting, end-user interactivity, and end-user report writing.

As examples of this loss of functionality, the Maximo 7 reporting feature offers no way for users to run the e.Reports,
e.Spreadsheets, and Maximo Queries they relied on in Maximo 5 and 6 and might want to continue to use. Further, IBM
provides no viable replacement for e.Spreadsheets in Maximo 7, and users who relied on Maximo Query will note that Ad
Hoc Reports, Maximo 7’s replacement technology, does not achieve the same level of functionality. For instance, while
Maximo Query allowed end-users to create reports with charts, user-defined grouping, and user-defined aggregates. This
functionality is not available in either Maximo 7’s Ad-Hoc Reports or Query Based Reporting (QBR).
Appendix B provides more detail about the capabilities that customers lose when upgrading to Maximo 7 if they use the
Maximo reporting feature. Customers can preserve this critical functionality by requesting the iServer V9SP2 upgrade from
IBM and configuring Maximo 7 to use it.
Benefit:
Reduce Total Cost of Ownership by Consolidating Reporting
for All Applications into One Infrastructure
Most Maximo customers run Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), time and attendance, inventory subsystems, and a variety
of other enterprise applications and databases. Instead of using a different reporting solution for each and incurring the costs
of administering multiple systems, consolidate this reporting onto the iServer.
The iServer is designed to be the most scalable and reliable reporting platform in the industry, while supporting a wide variety
of report types, including BIRT reports, e.Reports, e.Spreadsheets, and ad-hoc reporting. Many Actuate customers have
realized significant cost-savings by consolidating their reporting on the iServer platform. This centralized model, which is
often referred to as a “center of excellence,” can dramatically reduce hardware, administration, training, report development,
and maintenance costs.
Conclusion
Customers upgrading to Maximo 7 must carefully consider their reporting options. There are essentially three approaches to
consider:
1. Immediately moving all reporting to the new BIRT report technology
2. Using the iServer from Actuate to support both existing Actuate and BIRT reports, and to extend BIRT’s functionality
beyond what IBM has provided
3. Using an alternative third party reporting technology
Each approach has its pros and cons, however, the second approach makes it possible to realize the business benefits BIRT
offers, while preserving an existing investment in Actuate Reports.
BIRT is an enterprise-grade technology, developed primarily by Actuate Corporation. It is designed to provide report users
with the RIA experience that today’s Internet users have come to expect. By moving to BIRT in conjunction with the iServer
from Actuate, Maximo 7 customers can provide their users with the ability to “self-service” their requests for report
modifications and new reports, thereby reducing IT costs and improving service to the business. Further, by configuring
Maximo 7 with the iServer, more users can benefit from the information Maximo provides without incurring excessive Maximo
software licensing or training costs.

Appendix A: The History of Reporting in Maximo

Since 2001, Actuate reporting products have been integrated with and shipped as part of Maximo. The following table
provides more detail:
Maximo Versions Maximo Embedded Reporting Components

Maximo 5.0, 5.1, 5.2 Actuate 5
(iServer, e.Reports)
Maximo 5.2 Actuate 7
Patches 1–5 (iServer, e.Reports, Active Portal, Query, and e.Spreadsheet)
Maximo 6.0–6.2.1 Actuate 8

(iServer, e.Reports, Active Portal, Query, and e.Spreadsheet)
Maximo 7.0–7.1 For new Maximo customers:
• Maximo reporting feature based on BIRT Report Engine
For existing Maximo customers who upgrade:

• Maximo reporting feature based on BIRT Report Engine
• Upon request: Actuate 9 (iServer, e.Reports, Active Portal, Query, and
e.Spreadsheet)
Maximo 8 Maximo reporting feature based on BIRT Report Engine

Appendix B: Differences between the Maximo 7

Reporting Feature and the iServer
The following chart displays the Maximo 5 and 6 functionality that Maximo 7 customers will lose when using the integrated
Maximo reporting feature instead of the iServer from Actuate. The chart also highlights in blue the enhanced BIRT
functionality provided by Actuate’s BIRT-based products and the iServer.
Maximo 7 with default Maximo 7 with Actuate 9 Maximo 5 and 6 with

BIRT-based Maximo iServer and appropriate Actuate 8 iServer (as
reporting (as shipped) options (by request) shipped)
Runs BIRT reports Y Y, with BIRT Option for N
iServer
Runs Actuate e.Reports N Y Y
Runs Actuate e.Spreadsheets N Y Y
Runs Maximo Queries N Y Y
Users can save report output to XLS file Only by downloading a Y – Users can generate XLS Y – for e.Reports and
view from Maximo UI files directly and have them e.Spreadsheets
emailed to them.
View scheduled reports by means other than N Y – Users can schedule Maximo 5 – Yes
email reports and visit the report Maximo 6 – Yes, but not
server later to view them. as shipped
This is more secure than
emailing the reports.
Email multiple users with report results N Y Y

Save report output to server N Y Maximo 5 – Yes
Maximo 6 – Yes, but not
as shipped.
Users can share report output with other users N Y Maximo 5 – Yes
securely via server Maximo 6 – Yes, but not
as shipped.
End-users can modify reports (change column N Y, with BIRT Interactive N
order, remove columns, change appearance, Viewer Option for iServer
change chart types, add filters, add grouping)
End-users can create own full-featured reports N Y, with BIRT Studio Option N
via a web-based design tool for iServer
Ad-hoc Reporting: Users can specify N Y Y
aggregates (sum, average, ...) to summarize
each level of grouping
Ad-hoc Reporting: Users can filter query N Y Y
results to target the most relevant data for their
needs.
Ad-hoc Reporting: Users can specify more N Y Y
than two levels of grouping
Ad-hoc Reporting: Users can specify more N Y Y
than two levels of sorting
Ad-Hoc Reporting: Users can create reports N Y, with Maximo Query, or N
with charts BIRT Studio Option for
iServer
Ad-Hoc Reporting: Users can save their report N – Administrator must Y Y
definitions and, if allowed by IT, securely share do the sharing
with other users.

Maximo 7 with default Maximo 7 with Actuate 9 Maximo 5 and 6 with

BIRT-based Maximo iServer and appropriate Actuate 8 iServer (as
reporting (as shipped) options (by request) shipped)
Ad-Hoc Reporting: Users can create reports Y N N
with Charts
Report engine installed as part of Maximo Y N N
application (one installer for both)
Report engine/server can be deployed to Y, but not by default. Can Y, although not required. Y, although not required;
separate box to prevent contention for be configured this way Does not require use of (IBM strongly suggests
resources and improve scalability using WebSphere. WebSphere. different box)
Figure 9 – When moving from Maximo 5 or 6 to Maximo 7, important reporting functionality is lost. The reporting feature incorporated by IBM does
significantly less than the iServer shipped with prior releases. To avoid this situation, customers can request the iServer V9SP2 Upgrade from IBM to
retain existing capabilities or license software from Actuate to integrate and enhance BIRT reports.

Appendix C: IBM Maximo Reporting and BIRT FAQs

1. If I upgrade to Maximo 7, what are my choices for reporting?
There are three choices:
1. Move completely to the new BIRT reporting technology, using the built-in Maximo reporting feature16.
2. Use existing Actuate Reports, while incrementally adopting BIRT through use of the iServer.
3. Use another third-party reporting tool.
For more information, please see the section of this paper entitled Options for Reporting in Maximo 7.
2. How do Actuate e.Reports and BIRT reports differ?

Both e.Reports and BIRT reports are full-featured, highly flexible, and programmable reporting technologies. They differ,
though, in their basic approach to reporting. e.Reports are geared toward producing paginated, precisely-formatted
reports that look the same on the web as they do on paper, with some interactive features such as a live table of
contents and “Smart Search.” BIRT, in contrast, was designed with modern web page layouts and extreme user
interactivity at its core.
With Actuate’s value-added BIRT products, end-users can personalize their versions of reports and save the changes for
future use. They can also interact with Flash charts that instantly filter data and change how it is visually represented.
3. Should I upgrade to Maximo 7 to use the new BIRT reporting?

The decision about upgrading to Maximo 7 should be made independently of the reporting functionality, because
customers can configure Maximo 6 to use the latest BIRT technology. Actuate’s Professional Services organization has
extensive expertise in Maximo, BIRT, and Actuate Reports and iServer technology. It can advise on adoption strategies
and how to leverage existing reporting infrastructures.
4. Is open source BIRT as suitable for commercial use as Actuate e.Reports?

Yes it is, especially if you run BIRT using the highly scalable and reliable iServer from Actuate. BIRT was designed from
the ground-up to be as suitable for commercial products as any other technology Actuate has developed.
5. Why did Actuate develop BIRT instead of simply enhancing e.Reports?

Given Actuate’s long-standing success with its e.Report technology, many people wonder why Actuate developed BIRT,
and therefore how e.Reports and BIRT differ. In 2004, Actuate saw the trend toward Web 2.0 interactivity, the RIA
application experience, and drag-and-drop functionality.
Actuate realized that reporting and analysis would evolve the same way: that users would expect to be able to modify
their view of a report on-the-fly in any number of ways. At the time, no other reporting technology—including Actuate
e.Reports—was truly capable of providing that type of interactive experience. Extreme interactivity must be built into the
core of a reporting technology and not bolted on. Otherwise, the experience for end-users, report developers, and
administrators will be frustrating, inconsistent, and unreliable. Actuate chose to develop BIRT to address the demand for
interactive reporting.
Actuate e.Reports continues to address reports that do not have interaction requirements or that must be precisely
formatted.
16
In this document, the term “Maximo reporting feature” is used to refer to the combination of the open source Eclipse BIRT Engine
plus the additional IBM-developed features, which include email notifications, and scheduling.

6. How is BIRT incorporated into Maximo 7? How does it differ from the way e.Reports was
incorporated into Maximo 5 and 6?
The Maximo 7.1 footprint includes the 2.3.2 BIRT Engine, as well as additional IBM-built reporting features, such as
basic scheduling and the ability to transmit reports by email. The integrated BIRT engine also runs on the same machine
as Maximo and competes for the same computing processing and memory resources. Further, Maximo 7 includes
approximately 150 BIRT reports. To customize these reports, IBM instructs customers to download the BIRT Designer
from the Eclipse website.
In Maximo 6, reporting was based on Actuate e.Reports, e.Spreadsheets, and Queries. Maximo 6 included the Actuate 8
iServer, and reports were developed using the Actuate 8 e.Report Designer Pro and e.Spreadsheet Designer. Although
shipped with Maximo 6, the Actuate 8 iServer was installed separately, typically on a separate box, to ensure that
Maximo and Actuate did not compete for computing resources.
7. Can I continue to run my existing Actuate e.Reports and e.Spreadsheets with Maximo 7?
Yes, you can continue to run your existing reports with Maximo 7 through an iServer upgrade provided by IBM. If you
use this approach, your existing reports will run on the iServer. To run BIRT reports on the iServer, you must license
additional software from Actuate.
To install the iServer V9SP2 upgrade:
1. Ask IBM to provide you with the iServer V9SP2 Upgrade.

2. Follow this IBM-supplied process:17
3. Modify the reports to accommodate Maximo’s changes to its database schema. Change the data fields in the
reports using the Actuate e.Report Designer Pro for existing e.Reports and Maximo Queries and e.Spreadsheet
Designer for e.Spreadsheets.
17
From the actuate_oct2008_reporting.ppt webinar by IBM.

8. Is there a way to use BIRT with Maximo 6?

Yes. You can still leverage BIRT technology, either by building your own solution or by licensing software and support
services from Actuate. Maximo 6 can be configured to use the latest iServer technology that will run new BIRT reports as
well as your existing Actuate Reports.
9. Will I be able to run Actuate e.Reports with Maximo 8?

Yes. Actuate e.Report, e.Spreadsheets, Query, and iServer technology will no longer be embedded in Maximo as of the
release of Maximo 8. However, you can preserve your existing reports, knowledge base, and investment in Actuate
technology and insulate your organization from the impact of IBM’s evolving Maximo reporting strategy by entering into
a business relationship with Actuate.
Actuate can support your existing reports and continued, successful use of Actuate technology with Maximo 8 and later
releases, through the use of the Maximo External Reporting Interface (ERI) introduced with the release of Maximo 6.
10. How do I convert e.Reports to BIRT reports?

BIRT and e.Reports are two different reporting technologies that use different formats, and there is no utility to convert
e.Reports into BIRT reports. You will either need to rewrite all your e.Reports in BIRT or rewrite only those that benefit
from the extra interactivity BIRT provides. To simplify this scenario, you can run BIRT reports and e.Reports on the same
iServer, rather than running e.Reports on an iServer and BIRT reports through IBM’s Maximo reporting feature.
11. What is the learning curve for BIRT?

In general, report developers find BIRT easier to learn and become more productive in a shorter period of time than with
Actuate e.Reports. This is because BIRT uses a familiar web design metaphor, uses standard technologies like Java and
JavaScript, and has a superior user interface.
12. Can I utilize my existing hardware infrastructure?

Although you are no longer required to deploy the integrated report feature in Maximo to a different machine than
Maximo proper, we recommend doing so to increase performance and responsiveness.
13. If Actuate as a company is centered on BIRT, how is it operating financially, given that BIRT
is open source software?
Like most open source companies, Actuate makes money by:
• Charging for a variety of services, including customer support, training, implementation assistance, indemnification,
and documentation for the open source BIRT technology.
• Offering commercial products that extend the capabilities of the open source version. For example, with Actuate’s
commercial BIRT-based products—BIRT Studio, BIRT Interactive Viewer, BIRT Designer Professional—you can
create reports that embed interactive Flash objects, enable users to create their own full-featured reports through a
web-based designer, and allow them to personalize IT-developed reports.
14. Is there a way to provide asset management information, stored in the Maximo database, to
users without Maximo licenses?
Yes. By using Maximo with the iServer from Actuate, users can independently access reports containing asset
management information. By implementing a Maximo Reporting Portal or dashboard built on the iServer, end-users can
log into the reporting portal directly. Thus, “report-only” users will not need full Maximo software licenses and instead
can obtain less costly report user licenses from Actuate.

Appendix D: BIRT Resources

for IBM Maximo Customers
BIRT Exchange Community
Sponsored by Actuate and staffed by its BIRT experts, BIRT Exchange (http://www.birt-exchange.com ) is the most active
community site on the Internet for BIRT developers and users. Since BIRT Exchange was started in 2007, there have been
more than 20,000 registrants. Together, this large and expert community has shared hundreds of documents, examples,
articles, and code samples—all of which are stored and readily searchable on the site. BIRT Exchange also provides the
most comprehensive forum for BIRT reporting questions, including those specific to using BIRT with Maximo. Resources
include:
• Extensive contributions from developers, users, consulting firms, and the creators of BIRT
• Maximo-dedicated Forum for posting questions:
http://www.birt-exchange.org/forum/using-birt-maximo
• Maximo-dedicated DevShare to share reports, code samples, documents, etc:
http://www.birt-exchange.org/devshare/using-birt-with-maximo/
• Maximo Reporting Portal demonstration:
http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/demos/all-demos/
• Free downloads of open source Eclipse BIRT products
• Free trial downloads of Actuate commercial BIRT products
The Eclipse BIRT Project

The Eclipse Foundation hosts the open source BIRT project. While the BIRT Exchange community focuses on the immediate
needs of report users, report creators, and administrators, the Eclipse BIRT Project is primarily for those who contribute to
developing BIRT. To contribute code to BIRT, report or fix bugs, and influence the direction of the open source BIRT project,
visit the Eclipse BIRT project at http://www.eclipse.org/projects/project_summary.php?projectid=birt.
Where to Get the BIRT Designer

The most current version of the BIRT Designer is always available on the BIRT Exchange and Eclipse websites at
http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/downloads/ and http://www.eclipse.org/birt/phoenix/. Most Maximo report developers will
want the “RCP Designer,” but those who plan to extend their reports using Java code will probably prefer the “All-In-One”
Designer, because it includes the Eclipse IDE. Both the RCP Designer and the All-In-One Designer are open source and
available at no cost.
Actuate also provides commercial versions of BIRT Designers. They provide all the functionality of the Eclipse BIRT
Designers, plus value-added extensions such as out-of-the-box support for Flash objects, auto-suggest for parameter
values, built-in drivers for the most common relational databases, support for a meta data layer, and direct integration with
the iServer. More information can be found at
http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/products/birt-report-designers/compare-options/
If you plan to use the integrated Maximo 7 report feature, you will need to contact IBM to determine which version of the
Eclipse BIRT Designer is compatible with your Maximo release. From a historical perspective, Maximo 7 uses BIRT 2.1.2,
while Maximo 7.1.1.5 Fix Pack uses BIRT 2.3.2.2.

Training
BIRT training classes from Actuate are available in two formats: 1) instructor-led classroom training, and 2) instructor-led on-
line distance learning. Private on-site training at your company’s location can also be arranged by contacting Actuate.
Course titles include:
• Working with BIRT Report Designer (classroom and distance learning)
• Integrating and Deploying BIRT (distance learning)
• Developing a Customized BIRT Studio Environment (classroom and distance learning)
• Beyond Open Source: Using Actuate BIRT (classroom)
• Using the BIRT Integration APIs (classroom)
• Managing the BIRT iServer System (classroom and distance learning)
Public classroom training is available in 10 cities in North America as well as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Singapore, Sydney and
Tokyo. To view the schedule of public classroom and distance learning classes, visit:
• http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/services/training/
• http://www.actuate.com/services/education/
Customer Support for BIRT

Actuate Support Engineers have identified and assisted more BIRT users than any other support team. Actuate provides a
variety of support plans to assist developers and users of BIRT reports, whether they use open source Eclipse BIRT or
Actuate’s BIRT-based products. Because IBM does not support the Eclipse BIRT Designer, users may want to consider
support plans from Actuate. To learn more, visit the following web pages:
• http://www.birt-exchange.com/be/services/support/
• http://www.actuate.com/services/support/service-plans/
Implementation Assistance
Actuate consultants can help kick start your Maximo project and accelerate time to production, while bringing you up to
speed on BIRT best practices to support your long-term success. They are ready to assist across a wide range of activities
from BIRT adoption strategies to report development and fine tuning.
With five pre-defined Professional Services packages to choose among and the ability to define a custom engagement,
Actuate consultants can help every Maximo roll-out leverage BIRT capabilities and make the most of your existing Actuate
Reports and iServer technology.
Actuate’s BIRT-certified consultants can offer strategy recommendations, help make strategy decisions, and guide the
implementation of best-practice BIRT development frameworks or implement them turnkey. They can also develop reports
cost-effectively.
You can register for one of the five following packages on BIRT Exchange, or contact Actuate to discuss a custom
engagement.
• BIRT Strategy Workshop – a one-day engagement that reviews your options and makes best-practice
recommendations
• BIRT Deployment Strategy Package – a five-day engagement that creates design documents and a project plan
• Best Practice BIRT Report Design Package – a combination of two days of classroom training and three days of
mentoring
• BIRT Fast Start Package - development of a reusable reporting Framework
• BIRT Report Factory – a pay-as-you-go service for designing reports

Books
The following books will help you learn to use BIRT in conjunction with IBM Maximo. The first two references in this list were
written by Actuate employees and are available on Amazon.com. Additional books, including one written in German, offer
evidence of strong user adoption worldwide:
• BIRT: A Field Guide to Reporting, by Diana Pen, Nola Hague, and Jane Satchel
• Integrating and Extending BIRT, by Jason Weathers by, Don French, Tom Bonder, Jane Satchel & Ian
Chatalbasheva
• Practical Data Analysis and Reporting with BIRT, by John Ward
• Eclipse BIRT: Business Intelligence und Reporting Tool, (German Edition) by Ulrich Obst, Dennis Schladebeck
You can also find many PDF and HTML documents on important BIRT topics at the BIRT Exchange at http://www.birt-
exchange.org/modules/documentation/.
Blogs
The following blogs discuss BIRT and are aimed at report developers:
• BIRT World, by Jason Weathersby of Actuate and Scott Rosenbaum of Innovent Solutions:
http://birtworld.blogspot.com/
• BIRT-ing Out Loud, by Virgil Dodson of Actuate for BIRT-Exchange:
http://www.birt-exchange.org/blog/
Maximo Reporting Documentation from IBM

IBM discusses its reporting strategy and the practicalities of using BIRT with Maximo, in the following documents:
• Tivoli Common Reporting -
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/spaces/tcr?pageid=51&S_TACT=105AGX01&S_CMP=LP
• V7 Reporting Features Guide - reporting feature guide_V71 may.doc
• V7 QBR (Ad Hoc) Reporting and Report Object Structures – V7 QBR_Ad Hoc Reporting.pdf
• Maximo’s Business Intelligence Strategy – MRO BI strategy.pdf
• Maximo Asset Management and Tivoli Asset Management for IT – What’s New in Release 7.1 -
Maximo-WhatNewIn7.1.pdf
• V7 Report Options - MaximoV7_ReportingChoices_docview.pdf
• Maximo 7 and 8 reporting strategy FAQs.pdf
• IBM Maximo Asset Management 7.1 – Report Developer Guide
mam71_report_dev_guide.pdf
• Designing V7 Reports - Designing V7 Reports.pdf
• V7 Report Performance.pdf
• Powerpoint: IBM on Actuate Reporting for Maximo 7 (webinar aired 10/2008)
Actuate_oct2008_reporting.ppt
• Configuring BIRT Designer with V7 - Configuring_BIRT212_V7.pdf
• BO / Crystal Integration - BO XI Product Integration.pdf
• External Report Integration - V7 External Report Integration

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Unraveling the

Mystery of the New

Actuate Corporation Actuate International

Actuate UK Ltd. Actuate France

Actuate GmbH Actuate Asia Pacific

ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 2

What is BIRT? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Options for Reporting in Maximo 7 ....................................................................................................................................... 6

What about Maximo 8? ......................................................................................................................................................... 8

Options for Customers Continuing with Maximo 6 ............................................................................................................... 8

Business Benefits of Maximo BIRT Reporting with the iServer ............................................................................................ 9

Appendix A: The History of Reporting in Maximo ............................................................................................................... 15

Appendix C: IBM Maximo Reporting and BIRT FAQs......................................................................................................... 18

Appendix D: BIRT Resources for IBM Maximo Customers ................................................................................................ 21

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IBM Products that Embed BIRT

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Options for Reporting in Maximo 7

Mechanism 1 (default): Mechanism 2: Mechanism 3:

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ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 7

What about Maximo 8?

Maximo reporting Maximo ERI

Options for Customers Continuing with Maximo 6

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Business Benefits of Maximo

ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 9

ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 10

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Appendix A: The History of Reporting in Maximo

Maximo Versions Maximo Embedded Reporting Components

Maximo 6.0–6.2.1 Actuate 8

For existing Maximo customers who upgrade:

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Appendix B: Differences between the Maximo 7

Maximo 7 with default Maximo 7 with Actuate 9 Maximo 5 and 6 with

Email multiple users with report results N Y Y

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Maximo 7 with default Maximo 7 with Actuate 9 Maximo 5 and 6 with

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Appendix C: IBM Maximo Reporting and BIRT FAQs

2. How do Actuate e.Reports and BIRT reports differ?

3. Should I upgrade to Maximo 7 to use the new BIRT reporting?

4. Is open source BIRT as suitable for commercial use as Actuate e.Reports?

5. Why did Actuate develop BIRT instead of simply enhancing e.Reports?

ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 18

To install the iServer V9SP2 upgrade:

1. Ask IBM to provide you with the iServer V9SP2 Upgrade.

ACTUATE CORPORATION PAGE 19

8. Is there a way to use BIRT with Maximo 6?

9. Will I be able to run Actuate e.Reports with Maximo 8?

10. How do I convert e.Reports to BIRT reports?

11. What is the learning curve for BIRT?

12. Can I utilize my existing hardware infrastructure?

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Appendix D: BIRT Resources

The Eclipse BIRT Project

Where to Get the BIRT Designer

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