Improving database reporting processes with XML technologies : Case Study of Sage Next

TL;DR: This project aims to prove that it is possible to use XML language specifications and associated technologies in the creation of reports by making a new reporting architecture based on the SRDL (Sage Report Definition Language), and showing that with the created SRDL it is Possible to create reports with a different tool, while maintaining the same visual look.

Abstract: This project aims to prove that it is possible to use XML language specifications and associated technologies in the creation of reports. The current engine to generate reports owned by Sage was made more than 15 years ago and has been in use ever since. Due to its level of rudimentariness, an improvement was needed. The ability to export reports onto other commercial report generating platforms is a crucial step to Sage’s ERP (Sage Next) evolution. Therefore, the use of an XML language to define reports will increase their portability. To make a new reporting architecture, some XML technologies, a programing language and a reporting tool were chosen. After that, an XML language based in Microsoft’s Report Definition Language (RDL) was developed: the SRDL (Sage Report Definition Language). To prove that the created SRDL had the desired complexity it was made a conversion process from the reports of the previous reporting engine to the new architecture. After that, an application was developed using an API (Application Programming Interface) of a commercial reporting tool (List & Label) to output the converted reports. To access the suitability of the components of the architecture developed in this work, four distinct reports were tested. All the results were successful, showing that with the created SRDL it is possible to create reports with a different tool, while maintaining the same visual look. In the future, more tests will be made with the developing of a component, which will feed the new reporting engine with real data from several types of databases.