The Complete Guide to JavaScript Reporting Tools

In the constantly evolving landscape of data analysis, the ability to gain insights from your information is crucial for organizational success. Traditional reporting methods, which use elements such as static formats and manual processes like data entry, can become a bottleneck for a company. JavaScript reporting tools, however, offer a game-changing solution by streamlining the reporting process, making it easy for a business to convert its raw data into actionable insights from any machine at any time.

Join us as we review the current JavaScript landscape, the shift from desktop-based to web-based applications, and how JavaScript reporting solutions can help you manage your data and reporting. We’ll look at the core functionalities of these tools, talk about the benefits JavaScript brings to the table in the reporting world, and jump into implementing a reporting solution ourselves using ActiveReportsJS in a JavaScript web application.

The Current JavaScript Landscape

The world of JavaScript is an ever-shifting landscape. It seems that, almost daily, new frameworks are released, existing frameworks are updated, and new technologies are being talked about. Even then, we’ve still seen several frameworks and libraries rise to the top. Frameworks like Angular and Vue, libraries such as React, and all of the off-shoot libraries and frameworks they’ve inspired have come to dominate the world of web-based technologies. We’ve even seen the extension of the JavaScript language itself with the creation of TypeScript, designed specifically for the development of large-scale applications that we’ve come to use regularly.

Though there are many different technologies out there for building web applications, we’re going to focus on a few of the major ones:

• Angular: Starting as AngularJS, Angular is a TypeScript-based open-source framework managed by the Angular Team at Google. It was one of the earliest “modern” frameworks to be adopted into public use and has been the spark for several other libraries and frameworks.
• React: Maintained by Meta, React is different from other web frameworks in that it is itself a JavaScript library and not a fully-fledged framework. It was created to improve the process of designing and building user interfaces, allowing developers to use a structured approach when building their UI components.
• Vue.js: Like Angular, Vue.js is an open-source framework based on JavaScript that uses the model-view-view-model structure. Based on the original AngularJS, Vue is designed as a lightweight, Angular-alternative framework.
• Svelte: A framework that has grown in popularity in recent years, Svelte is also JavaScript-based. Unlike some other popular frameworks used, Svelte does away with much of the boiler-plating required by other frameworks.
• Next.js and Nuxt.js: Based on React and Vue.js, respectively, Next.js and Nuxt.js serve as extensions of their parent frameworks. Their goal is to allow developers to build full-stack applications more easily, including improvements to features such as server-side rendering.

Now that we have an idea of some of the more popular technologies used in modern web development, let’s take a closer look at the rise of web-based applications and how they’re slowly replacing desktop applications in our current ecosystem.

The Rise of Web-Based Applications

Over recent years, we’ve seen the way that businesses operate undergo a fundamental change. Not so long ago, desktop applications ruled the business realm. Today, web-based applications are rapidly taking center stage, transforming how work is completed. This rise of web apps is fueled by several key advantages that make them a compelling alternative to traditional desktop software.

Accessibility

In the past, software was required to be installed on the machine on which it was intended to be used. This limited users to the physical location at which the software had been loaded. Since web apps run within a browser, they’re accessible from any device that can maintain an internet connection. This streamlines deployment, updates, and maintenance. Developers now only have to make changes in a single location, and each user will receive the associated updates without the need to download any additional software.

Collaboration

In a business environment, the ability to collaborate in real-time on tasks is crucial, something desktop applications have struggled with in the past. Thanks to the ability to modify and update data in real-time, as well as the improvements that we’ve seen in cloud-based storage over recent years, it has never been easier to collaborate on tasks and issues with web-based applications.

Scalability

As businesses grow, their software needs to be able to grow with them. With cloud-based computing, you can easily scale your resources up or down based on your business requirements. This eliminates the need for constant hardware upgrades on individual desktops, saving businesses time and money.

While desktop applications still hold value for specific needs, such as high-performance computing or specialized software, the advantages of web applications have become undeniable. With the rise of web applications has come the rise of libraries that previously only existed for desktop applications, and there are few operations more important to an organization than proper data reporting. In the next section, we’ll discuss some of the benefits of a JavaScript reporting solution and how you can take advantage of it to improve your business’s workflow.

Improving Workflow with JavaScript Reporting Tools

Utilizing a JavaScript reporting solution can significantly improve a company’s workflow, allowing easy access to the necessary reports at a moment’s notice and improving collaboration between departments, all while being able to be integrated into existing systems. Not only that, but JavaScript reporting tools also make it easy to alter and edit these reports on the fly, from changing the core data being loaded to drilling down deeper into the data being displayed to allow for better insights.

Now, let’s look at several ways utilizing JavaScript Reporting Tools can improve your workflow.

Boosting Efficiency

JavaScript reporting tools can streamline the way that you handle report generation. You can easily design report templates that automatically pull data from your chosen sources and populate themselves with said data. This removes the need for users to create and format each report manually.

Additionally, this improves the data collection and processing pipeline. You’ll no longer need to gather and manipulate your data for reports manually; these tools will automate the process, ensuring you have access to the latest information.

Finally, by integrating reporting tools into an existing JavaScript application, users can access their reports anywhere, anytime. Now, when users are out in the field, they’ll be able to pull up whatever report they require, knowing that it will be supplied with the latest data.

Enhancing Data Visualization

Legacy reports often come in the form of static spreadsheets and tables, which can be cumbersome to analyze and limited in their ability to convey business insights properly. JavaScript reporting libraries offer a better alternative. By leveraging these tools, you can create interactive charts and graphs that bring your data to life. These dynamic visualizations allow users to convert complex information into a user-friendly format, making it easier to identify trends and patterns at a glance.

This interactivity extends beyond just visually altering the data. Dynamic reports empower users to dig deeper into their data. With features like drill-down capabilities, users can explore specific data points in greater detail. This exploration allows users to gain a deeper understanding of their data, leading to better insights that may be missed in a traditional report.

Customizable Reports

The era of one-size-fits-all reports is long over. JavaScript reporting tools enable developers to create a user-centric reporting experience, allowing users to create reports that fit their needs. With these tools, users can leverage filters and sorting options to focus on the information that matters most to them and zero in on the details that drive their decision-making.

However, customization goes beyond filtering. JavaScript reporting libraries offer the capability to combine reports in a master-child structure through subreports. Easily pass data from a master report to a child report and allow the child report to build itself based on the parameters that it was given.

Improved Collaboration

JavaScript reporting solutions can transform report creation from a solitary task into a collaborative process. Reports can be easily shared and accessed by team members in real-time, creating an environment for discussion and feedback between members. No more waiting for updated versions or struggling to ensure everyone is working with the same information. This streamlines communication and keeps everyone on the same page.

Furthermore, this real-time collaboration creates a new level of transparency and accountability. With updates visible to everyone instantaneously, team members can see how changes and edits are made to the report., creating a sense of ownership and investment in the final product. The ability to track changes also simplifies revision history and reverting to previous versions if needed.

Integration with Existing Systems

Many developers already have a complex system in place for collecting and storing their users’ data, and they don’t want to be required to integrate an entire reporting system into their existing infrastructure. Thankfully, JavaScript reporting tools don’t exist in a silo.

These libraries make it easy to seamlessly connect to your existing database infrastructure and applications, retrieving data quickly and easily. This eliminates the need for manual data transfer and ensures that your reports are based on a consistent source of up-to-date information. By integrating your reporting within your existing systems, you can create a unified workflow for data analysis and reporting.

If your system requires that your users provide authorization to access the data for your reports, JavaScript reporting tools make it possible to provide that information as well. Easily pass authorization tokens, HTTP headers, and query parameters along with the data request made by the JavaScript reporting library.

JavaScript Reporting Solution Features and Uses

Now that we’ve reviewed the current web development landscape and why we’re seeing a migration of apps that would have previously been created as desktop applications to the browser environment, it’s time to examine what makes a quality JavaScript reporting solution.

As we mentioned previously, there are many benefits to transitioning to using JavaScript reporting tools over desktop tools, but outside of the benefits, what features do these solutions offer, and how can they be used to enhance your report workflow? Let’s look at some of the most popular JavaScript report components and explore their use cases.

Interactive Charts and Graphs

Gone are the days of static charts and graphs. JavaScript reporting tools allow you to create dynamic and interactive charts and graphs. By embedding these tools into your report, you can enable your users to bring complex data to life. With the ability to interact with these charts and graphs, users can manipulate the components to view their data in different ways, allowing them to identify trends, patterns, and relationships within the information.

In addition to the top-level interactivity, these components provide additional insights through the drill-down/drill-through features included with the controls. This functionality allows your users to explore specific data points in greater detail, allowing them to focus deeply on how they affect the overall report.

Use Cases: Interactive charts and graphs allow your users to create complex financial reports where data analysts can dig deep into the financial state of your business. In addition, these features are crucial for reports that monitor data such as web traffic, demographics, and social media engagement.

Filtering and Sorting Data

Static reports can often overwhelm users with information irrelevant to what they’re looking for; treading through a sea of information for specific data points can be intimidating and time-consuming. This process can be a major roadblock to effective data analysis. JavaScript reporting tools come to the rescue with filtering and sorting functionalities, empowering users to navigate large amounts of data with ease.

With filtering options, you can exclude irrelevant data and focus on the information that impacts your immediate decision-making. Sorting, on the other hand, helps users bring order to the chaos of their data. By sorting data by date, category, or other relevant metrics, your users can quickly identify patterns and outliers within your data. These combined functionalities transform data exploration from a chore into an insightful experience.

Use Cases: Sales managers can filter reports by region or product line to view sales targets versus actual sales and make decisions based on that information, while marketing teams can segment customer data by demographics, interests, and location.

Customizable Layouts and Branding

Effective reports not only convey data clearly but also present it in a way that connects with users. JavaScript reporting solutions go beyond basic functionality by offering customizable layouts and branding options. This allows you to design reports that are not just informative but also properly align with your brand identity.

Customizable layouts allow you to create reports with a professional and organized structure. Define headers and footers and arrange data elements in a way that facilitates easy understanding and information flow. In addition, branding options allow you to incorporate your company logo, color schemes, and fonts to not only the reports themselves but also to the report designer and viewer to ensure that your reports and reporting infrastructure are recognizable and consistent with your brand image. This professional presentation not only enhances the credibility of your report but also fosters trust and reinforces brand recognition with your audience.

Use Case: Adding company logos and color schemes, formatting reports for different audiences (e.g., executives versus sales teams), and customizing layouts for specific data sets.

Seamless Data Integration

The foundation of any good report is accurate and up-to-date data. However, manually gathering information from disparate sources can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. JavaScript reporting solutions bridge this gap by offering seamless data integration capabilities and connecting your reporting tool to various data sources, including databases, REST APIs, and CRM systems.

By establishing a direct connection with your data sources, JavaScript reporting tools ensure your reports are always based on the latest and most reliable information. This not only saves time and effort but guarantees the credibility and trustworthiness of your reports. In addition, integration eliminates the need for manual data manipulation and transfer, minimizing your risk for error. This streamlined approach to data access empowers you to focus on analysis and insights rather than fighting with data collection.

Use Cases: Pulling sales data from your CRM, extracting marketing campaign metrics from analytics platforms, and integrating financial data from accounting software.

Combine Reports with Subreports

Imagine a complex report that requires presenting a high-level overview alongside detailed breakdowns for specific sections. Traditional reports might struggle to achieve this balance, often forcing users to toggle between separate documents or navigate through nested tables. JavaScript reporting tools offer a superior solution with subreports, a functionality that allows you to create a hierarchical structure within your report ecosystem.

Subreports act as mini-reports that can be embedded in larger reports. They allow you to pass data from the parent report to the subreport, which in turn allows the subreport to display associated data based on what the parent report provided without cluttering the main report. This nested structure enhances clarity and organization, providing users with a view of the data at different levels of granularity. This allows users to understand the big picture of the report while having the flexibility to explore specific areas of interest in greater depth.

Use Cases: Display a breakdown of sales figures by category, region, or sales rep, complement a financial performance report with detailed income statements and balance sheets, and showcase detailed information on specific items in an inventory management report.

Implementing a JavaScript Report Designer into a JavaScript Application

Now that we’ve reviewed the benefits, features, and use cases of JavaScript reporting solutions, it’s time to look at implementing JavaScript reporting tools in a web application. For our example, we’ll be using the ActiveReportsJS Report Designer, which supports not only JavaScript but many of the other large web frameworks, such as Angular, React, and Vue.

Project Setup

Since we’re going to be implementing the Report Designer into a JavaScript application, there’s very minimal setup required on our end. For this demonstration, we will be using VisualStudio Code as our IDE. So, open up an instance of the application and create a new HTML file with the following content:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>JavaScript Reporting Solution</title>
</head>
<body>

</body>
</html>

In addition, to run the application, we will be using the Live Server plugin for VSCode. This will make it easier to launch the application from the IDE.

Installing the Required Files

Now that the HTML file is set up, it’s time to install the ActiveReportsJS files. There are a couple of different options that we have when it comes to installation:

• Installing the NPM packages
• Downloading the files from the ActiveReportsJS website
• Referencing the files via CDN

For this application, we will reference the files via the CDN, but if you would like to use another avenue of installation, you can reference the links above.

Back inside the HTML file, add the following script and link tags inside of the head tag:

<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.mescius.com/activereportsjs/4.latest/styles/ar-js-ui.css" type="text/css" />
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://cdn.mescius.com/activereportsjs/4.latest/styles/ar-js-designer.css" type="text/css" />
<script src="https://cdn.grapecity.com/activereportsjs/4.latest/dist/ar-js-core.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.grapecity.com/activereportsjs/4.latest/dist/ar-js-designer.js"></script>

There are four files that need to be included in the application for the JavaScript report designer to run properly:

• ar-js-ui.css
• ar-js-designer.css
• ar-js-core.js
• ar-js-designer.js

The ar-js-ui.css and ar-js-core.js files are the core CSS and JavaScript files required by the reporting solution, and the designer.css and designer.js files are used to implement the reporting solution designer.

Now, with the necessary files included in the HTML file, we can integrate the report designer into the application.

Integrating the Report Designer

With everything set up, we can move on to the implementation process. First, we will need to set up an HTML element to which we can bind the report designer. Inside of the body tag, add the following:

<div id="designer-host"></div>

Now, we will add a bit of custom CSS so the designer takes up the entire browser view. Inside of the head tag, add the following style tag:

<style>
  #designer-host {
    width: 100%;
    height: 100vh;
  }
</style>

Finally, we will include some JavaScript that will bind the report designer to the previously created HTML element. Add the following script tag within the body tag:

<script>
  var designer = new GC.ActiveReports.ReportDesigner.Designer("#designer-host");
</script>

That’s all it takes! With the Live Server plugin installed, click on the “Go Live” button in the bottom-right of VSCode to launch the application in your default browser:

With the report designer loaded into the application, we can proceed to build a sample report in the next section.

Building JavaScript Reports

Now that we’ve added a JavaScript report designer to the web application, we can talk about how you can use the designer to build your own report. Thankfully, building reports is as easy as including the report designer in our application. In this section, we’ll be doing a brief overview of the different sections of the designer, binding data to a report, adding a table and loading data into the control, and learning how you can preview the report in the designer.

Report Designer Overview

The report designer is made up of five different sections:

• Toolbar
• Control Toolbox
• Report Layout
• Properties Panel
• Data Panel

Toolbar

The toolbar is located at the top of the report designer and is used for saving, loading, and previewing reports. It also gives you the ability to do some basic text and paragraph styling.

The toolbar includes three other tabs: Report, Section, and Parameters.

The Report tab allows you to add either additional continuous sections if you are creating a Continuous Page Layout report or new pages to your report if you’re building a Fixed Page Layout report.

The Section tab allows you to add and delete sections from your report, such as page headers and page footers.

The Parameter tab allows you to view existing parameters, which can be used to give users more interactivity with the report. It also allows you to modify the parameter view that users will see when selecting parameters for the report.

Control Toolbox

The control toolbox is accessed on the left-hand side of the report designer and can be viewed in greater detail by clicking on the hamburger menu in the designer:

When expanded, it will display a scrollable list of all the controls available to be included in a report. From here, users can drag and drop report components from the toolbox onto the report area to add them to their report.

Report Layout

The Report Layout is a visual surface in the form of a page that displays the report items for the user, allowing them to select and re-arrange them.

You can also use the bars on the top and left sides of the report area to adjust the margins of the pages.

Properties Panel

The Properties Panel, located on the right-hand side of the designer, is opened by default and allows you to modify report item properties.

As you can see in the image above, we are looking at some of the properties of a TextBox control. The properties panel will display the control we currently have selected, as well as all of the associated properties available for that control.

This panel offers your report designers complete control over the look, feel, and formatting of each control they include in their report, allowing them to design their controls to fit their needs.

Data Panel

The last piece of the designer to examine is the data panel. Here, report authors can bind to a data source and create a data set from the data that is being pulled from the source. Authors can also use the data panel to create parameters, which dictate what data is being displayed in the report, creating a layer of interactivity between the report and the user.

Binding Data to the Report

Now that the basics of the designer have been covered, we can take a quick look at building a report. To do so, we’ll need to add some data that can be loaded into a report control, so we’ll add a data source and data set to the report.

To add a new source, simply click the Add button under the data source section. This will bring up the data source creation wizard:

The data source creation wizard includes several fields that we can define to set up the data source:

• Name: The name we’re giving to the data source in the report.
• Data Provider: How we expect to retrieve data and the format in which it comes. Currently, report authors can select from Remote JSON, Remote CSV, Embedded JSON, and Embedded CSV.
• Endpoint: The endpoint from where we’ll be getting data. If you are using embedded data, instead, you’ll be given an option to upload a file containing the data.
• Parameters: Authors also have the ability to pass HTTP Headers and Query Parameters to the backend via the report designer, which can be set up here.

With everything we need set up, we can hit the Save Changes button.

Now, with the data source set up, we can create a data set to hold data from the source. To create a data set from a source, simply click the Plus button next to the data source that you want to use to bring up the data set creation wizard:

The important elements we’re setting in this example are the Uri/path and Json Path fields. The Uri/path will direct the report to the data source from where the data should be retrieved (in this case, we’re retrieving information from the “Products” data set). The Json Path tells the report designer if any filtering should be done on the data; in our case, we want to retrieve all of the data, so we use the Json Path $.*.

For more information on Json Paths, Oracle has detailed documentation outlining what’s possible, which you can find here.

Adding a Table Control

With the data bound to the report, we can include the data in a control. For this article, we’ll simply add a table to the report, bind our data, and then modify some properties to improve the look of the table.

First, drag and drop a table control from the control toolbox onto the report layout. Then, right-click on one of the cells and add two more columns to the table. When complete, it should look something like this:

To make it easier to bind data, you don’t need to manually enter each individual field that you want to include from your data set. Instead, ActiveReportsJS provides a context menu to make it easy to select what fields you want to include.

Hover over one of the cells and click the box with the ellipse. This will bring up the data set context menu:

You can either use the search bar to find the field that you want or select fields from the scrollable list.

We’re going to add a few different fields: productId, productName, unitPrice, unitsInStock, and unitsOnOrder:

Finally, we’re going to add a few styling settings to the table:

• Adding a background color for the header row
• Adding borders to the table cells
• Setting the unitPrice column formatting to currency formatting

Now, we can move on to previewing the report.

Previewing the Report

With everything set up, we can preview the report to see what the users will see when they load it.

To preview the report, simply click on the Preview button on the toolbar of the designer:

As you can see, binding data to and modifying a control is that easy!

Conclusion

Equipping yourself with the right tools is paramount for navigating the ever-increasing demands of data analysis in today’s business world. JavaScript reporting solutions have emerged as a powerful ally, transforming how you interact with and extract value from your data. By offering functionalities like interactive visualizations, user-friendly customization, and seamless data integration, these tools empower you to create clear, insightful, and actionable reports. This, in turn, fosters better decision-making, streamlines collaboration, and unlocks the true potential of your data. So, embrace the power of JavaScript reporting and watch your data transformation journey unfold!

This article has provided a springboard for your exploration of JavaScript reporting solutions. We’ve explored the current JavaScript landscape, the rise of web-based applications, and the core functionalities of these tools. Remember, the knowledge gained here is just the beginning. With the plethora of JavaScript reporting solutions available, you can find the perfect tool to fit your specific needs and propel your organization toward data-driven success. Now, take the next step and dive deeper into the world of JavaScript reporting. Experiment with different tools, explore advanced functionalities, and witness the transformative power of data visualization and insightful reporting for yourself!