The Definitive Guide to React Reporting Tools

In the dynamic world of data analysis, gaining insight from company data is essential for organizational success. Traditional reporting methods, reliant on static formats and manual processes like data entry, often hurt efficiency. React reporting tools revolutionize this landscape by streamlining the reporting process, enabling businesses to transform raw data into valuable insights accessible from any device anytime.

In this blog, we will examine the React ecosystem, the shift from desktop to web applications, and how React reporting solutions can optimize data management and reporting. We’ll review the core functionalities of these tools, highlight the advantages React brings to reporting, and demonstrate how to implement a reporting solution using ActiveReportsJS within NextJS and Vite web applications.

A History of React

React — the popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces — has become a cornerstone of modern web development. Its component-based architecture and declarative approach have revolutionized how developers think about building interactive web applications, and its journey from an internal Facebook project to the ubiquitous tool we know today is fascinating.

The Early Days: A Solution to a Complex Problem

React was created in 2011 by Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook, and was born out of the need to address the challenges of building and maintaining the ever-evolving Facebook newsfeed. The existing methodology struggled to keep up with the platform’s dynamic nature, leading to performance bottlenecks and a complex codebase.

Walke’s solution offered a new way of thinking about UI development. React introduced the concept of components, reusable pieces of code that encapsulate specific parts of the user interface. These components could be efficiently composed and managed, making it easier to build complex UIs with less code.

Open Source and Adoption: A Revolution Begins

In 2013, React was open-sourced at JSConf US, marking a turning point in its history. The library quickly gained popularity among developers drawn to its simplicity, performance, and component-based approach. The open-source nature fostered a vibrant community that contributed to React’s growth and evolution.

Key Changes and Milestones:

React Native (2015): React’s philosophy of “learn once, write anywhere” led to the development of React Native, a framework for building native mobile applications using JavaScript. This expanded React’s reach beyond the web and solidified its position as a leading UI framework.

React Fiber (2017): React Fiber was a major architectural overhaul that improved performance, particularly when dealing with complex UIs. It introduced a new reconciliation algorithm that allowed React to prioritize and handle updates more efficiently.

Hooks (2019): React Hooks revolutionized state and effect management within functional components. This feature eliminated the need for class components for many use cases, making code more concise and easier to understand.

The React Ecosystem: Next.js and Vite

React’s popularity has led to the development of a rich ecosystem of tools and frameworks that enhance its capabilities. Two notable examples are Next.js and Vite.

Next.js: This popular framework provides server-side rendering, static site generation, and other features that make it easier to build performant and SEO-friendly React applications. Next.js handles tasks like routing, data fetching, and code splitting, allowing developers to focus on building the UI.

Vite: A fast and modern build tool that significantly improves the development experience for React projects. Vite leverages native ES modules and provides features like hot module replacement, making development faster and more efficient.

The Future of React

React continues to evolve, with its team constantly working on new features and improvements. The focus remains on performance, developer experience, and expanding the library’s reach. With its strong community and versatile nature, React is poised to remain a dominant force in web development for years to come.

React’s journey has been one of continuous innovation and adaptation. From its initial conception as a solution to Facebook’s UI challenges to its status as a leading UI framework, React has transformed how developers build web applications. With the support of its vibrant community and the emergence of tools like Next.js and Vite, React’s future looks bright.

The Rise of Web-Based Applications

Over the last ten years, we’ve seen a significant shift in how businesses operate, with web-based applications becoming increasingly dominant over traditional desktop software. This growth is driven by several key advantages that make web apps a very attractive alternative.

Accessibility

Historically, software had to be installed directly on individual computers, limiting users to a specific machine and location. Because web apps run in a browser, they’re accessible from any internet-connected device. This simplifies deployment, updates, and maintenance, as developers only need to make changes in one place to automatically equip all users with the latest version without requiring them to download anything new.

Collaboration

Real-time collaboration is essential in today’s business world, but traditional desktop applications haven’t always handled it well. With real-time data updates and the growth of cloud-based storage, web applications make collaborating on projects and issues easier than ever.

Scalability

As businesses grow, their software must scale with them. Cloud-based computing simplifies adjusting resources as needed, eliminating the need for constant hardware upgrades and saving businesses both time and money.

While desktop applications are still useful for certain intensive tasks, web applications have definitely taken the lead in many areas. The rising popularity of web apps has even spurred the development of strong libraries, previously only found in desktop software, especially for essential functions like data reporting. Next, we’ll look at the benefits of React reporting solutions and how they can improve your business operations.

Streamline Workflow with React Reporting Tools

Using a React reporting solution can significantly streamline a company’s workflow. It provides easy, on-demand access to key reports, improves interdepartmental collaboration, and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. Plus, React reporting tools simplify real-time report modification, from changing the underlying data to drilling down for deeper insights.

Next, we’ll cover several ways utilizing React reporting tools can improve your workflow.

Boosting Efficiency

React reporting tools simplify report generation. Report authors can effortlessly design templates that automatically pull data from your chosen sources, eliminating the need for manual creation and formatting.

This also streamlines your data collection and processing. Instead of manually gathering and manipulating data, these tools automate the process, ensuring you always have access to the latest information.

Finally, integrating reporting tools into your React application gives users access to reports anytime, anywhere. Even in the field, users can pull up any report they need, confident that it contains the most current data.

Enhancing Data Visualization

Old-school reports, typically relying on static spreadsheets and tables, can be a pain to analyze and often fail to convey key business insights effectively. React reporting libraries offer a much better alternative. They let you create interactive charts and graphs that bring your data to life. These data visualization tools translate complex information into a user-friendly format, making it easy to spot trends and patterns immediately.

But it’s not just about visuals. Dynamic reports let you dig deeper into your data. Features like drill-downs allow you to explore specific data points in detail, leading to deeper understanding and uncovering insights you might miss in a traditional report.

Customizable Reports

Reporting has come a long way from the days of one-size-fits-all data analysis. React reporting solutions let developers build a user-focused experience, creating reports — from simple to complex — that meet specific needs. Users can filter and sort to focus on what matters most, getting right to the details that drive decisions.

However, customization doesn’t stop there. React reporting libraries also let you combine reports in a master-child structure using subreports. You can smoothly pass data from a master report to a child report, which then builds itself based on the incoming parameters and data.

Improved Collaboration

React reporting solutions can turn report creation into a team effort. Reports are shared with ease and accessible in real time, facilitating convenient team discussion and feedback. Gone are the days of waiting for updates or verifying that everyone’s looking at the same version, which ensures teams are on the same page and improves their communication.

Plus, this level of collaboration boosts transparency and accountability. With everyone able to see updates and edits, team members feel more ownership and are invested in the final report. Tracking changes also simplifies revision history and allows users to quickly revert to earlier versions when necessary.

Integration with Existing Systems

Many developers already have complex systems for collecting and storing user data and don’t want to overhaul their infrastructure just to add reporting. Luckily, React reporting tools don’t operate in isolation.

These libraries connect seamlessly to your existing databases and applications, retrieving data quickly and efficiently. This eliminates manual data transfers and ensures your reports are always based on the latest information. Integrating reporting into your existing systems creates a unified workflow for data analysis.

If your system requires user authorization for data access, that’s also no problem. You can easily pass authorization tokens, HTTP headers, and query parameters along with the data request from the React reporting library.

React Reporting Solution Features and Uses

Now that we’ve covered the background of the React framework and why more apps are transitioning from desktops to browsers, let’s consider what makes a quality React reporting tool.

We’ve already discussed the advantages of React reporting over desktop tools, but what specific features do these solutions offer, and how can they improve your reporting workflow? Let’s check out some of the most popular React report components and learn how they’re used:

Interactive Charts and Graphs

Static charts and graphs are a thing of the past. React reporting solutions let you create dynamic, interactive charts and graphs that bring data to life. Embedding these in your reports lets users manipulate the visualizations to see data differently, allowing them to quickly spot trends, patterns, and relationships.

Beyond the basic interactivity, these components also offer drill-down and drill-through features for even deeper insights. Users can explore specific data points in detail, identifying exactly how they connect to the bigger picture of the report.

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

Filtering and Sorting Data

Static reports can be overwhelming, burying users in irrelevant information. Sifting through tons of data for specific points is intimidating and time-consuming, which slows down effective analysis. React reporting tools offer a solution in filtering and sorting, simplifying the navigation of large datasets.

Filtering allows you to exclude irrelevant data and focus on what matters most for decision-making. Sorting helps bring order to chaos, enabling users to organize data by date, category, or other metrics to quickly spot patterns and outliers. These features make data exploration insightful instead of painful.

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

Customizable Layouts and Branding

Good reports do more than merely display data — they connect with users. React reporting solutions offer customizable layouts and branding, so you can design reports that are both informative and aligned with your brand.

Customizable layouts help you create professional, organized reports. You can define headers and footers as well as arrange data elements to make the information flow clear. Branding options let you incorporate your logo, colors, and fonts into the reports and the report designer and viewer, ensuring brand consistency. This professional aesthetic boosts credibility, builds trust, and reinforces brand recognition.

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

Seamless Data Integration

Effective reports start with accurate, up-to-date data. However, manually gathering info from different sources can be slow and error-prone. React reporting solutions address this with seamless data integration, connecting your reporting tool to various sources like databases, REST APIs, and CRM systems.

By directly connecting to your data sources, React reporting tools ensure your reports always use the latest, most reliable information. This saves time and effort and makes your reports more credible. Integration also eliminates manual data manipulation, reducing the risk of errors. This streamlined data access lets you focus on analysis and insights without the headache of data collection.

Use Cases: Pull sales data from your CRM, extract marketing campaign metrics from analytics platforms, and integrate financial data from accounting software.

Combine Reports with Subreports

Consider a complex report that needs both a high-level overview and detailed breakdowns. Traditional reports often struggle with this task, forcing users to toggle between documents or wade through nested tables. React reporting tools offer a better solution with subreports, allowing for the creation of a hierarchical structure within your reports.

Subreports are like mini reports embedded within larger ones. You can pass data from the main report to the subreport, displaying related data without cluttering the main view. This nested structure organizes and simplifies the data, providing users with a bird’s-eye view while exploring specific areas in detail.

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 React Report Designer into NextJS and Vite Applications

Now that we’ve reviewed the benefits, features, and use cases of React reporting solutions, it’s time to implement React reporting tools in a web application. In this article, we’ll cover two scenarios: implementing React reporting tools in a NextJS application and a Vite application. For these examples, we’ll use the ActiveReportsJS Report Designer, which not only supports NextJS and Vite but also JavaScript and other major frameworks such as Angular and Vue.

NextJS: Project Setup

To use ActiveReportsJS, we’ll first need a NextJS application. If you don’t already have an application created, you can set up a new application with the following command:

npx create-next-app@latest --ts

When setting up our NextJS application, we used the following settings:

√ What is your project named? ... arjs-nextjs-viewer-app
√ Would you like to use ESLint? ... Yes
√ Would you like to use Tailwind CSS? ... No
√ Would you like to use `src/` directory? ... No
√ Would you like to use App Router? (recommended) ... No
√ Would you like to customize the default import alias (@/*)? ... No

NextJS: Installing the Required Packages

Since we will implement the Report Designer into a NextJS application, we must install the ActiveReportsJS packages. The best way to do this is through NPM:

npm install @mescius/activereportsjs-react@latest

This command will ensure that the most recent version of ActiveReportsJS is installed in your application.

NextJS: Integrating the Report Designer

For the React Report Designer to work with Next.js, we must create a simple wrapper. Create a folder called ‘components’ in the application’s root and add the ReportDesigner.tsx file with the following code:

import { Designer } from "@mescius/activereportsjs-react";
import { DesignerProps } from "@mescius/activereportsjs-react";
import React from "react";
import "@mescius/activereportsjs/styles/ar-js-ui.css";
import "@mescius/activereportsjs/styles/ar-js-designer.css";

// eslint-disable-next-line react/display-name
const DesignerWrapper = (props: DesignerWrapperProps) => {
  const ref = React.useRef<Designer>(null);
  React.useEffect(() => {
    ref.current?.setReport({id: props.reportUri});
  }, [props.reportUri]);
  return <Designer {...props} ref={ref} />;
};

export type DesignerWrapperProps = DesignerProps & { reportUri: string };

export default DesignerWrapper;

Now, head to the index.tsx file and replace the content of the file with the following code:

import type { NextPage } from "next";
import React from "react";
import { DesignerWrapperProps } from "../components/ReportDesigner";

// use the dynamic import to load the report designer wrapper: https://nextjs.org/docs/advanced-features/dynamic-import
import dynamic from "next/dynamic";
const Designer = dynamic<DesignerWrapperProps>(
  async () => {
    return (await import("../components/ReportDesigner")).default;
  },
  { ssr: false }
);

const Home: NextPage = () => {
  return (
    <div style={{ width: "100%", height: "100vh" }}>
      <Designer />
    </div>
  );
};

export default Home;

This code will load in both the required CSS files for the designer and the designer component. Then, we add some styling to set the size of the report designer and load it in using the Designer component.

That’s it! Incorporating ActiveReportsJS React Report Designer into your NextJS application is that simple. If you run the application, you should see the following in the browser:

Vite: Project Setup

To use ActiveReportsJS, we’ll first need a Vite application. If you don’t already have an application created, you can set up a new application with the following command:

npm init vite arjs-vite-react-app --template react

Vite: Installing the Required Packages

Since we will implement the Report Designer into a Vite application, we must install the ActiveReportsJS packages. The best way to do this is through NPM:

npm install @mescius/activereportsjs-react@latest

Vite: Integrating the Report Designer

Before we start using the Report Designer, we’ll need to ensure that we import the proper CSS files so the designer appears as it should. Open the index.css file and replace its contents with the following:

@import "@mescius/activereportsjs/styles/ar-js-ui.css";
@import "@mescius/activereportsjs/styles/ar-js-designer.css";

#designer-host {
  width: 100%;
  height: 100vh;
}

Now, inside the App.jsx file, we’ll load in the Designer component and reference it in our markup:

import React from "react";
import "./App.css";
import { Designer } from "@mescius/activereportsjs-react";

function App() {
  return (
    <div id="designer-host">
      <Designer report={{ id: 'report.rdlx-json', displayName: "sample report" }} />
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

That’s it! Incorporating ActiveReportsJS React Report Designer into your Vite application is really that simple. If you run the application, you should see the following in the browser:

Building React Reports

Now that the application’s been set up and the React report designer packages have been installed, we will learn how to use the designer to build your own report. Thankfully, building reports is as easy as including the report designer in the React application. In this section, we’ll briefly review the different sections of the designer and how to bind data to a report. We’ll also add a control and bind data to it. Finally, we’ll show how to view the report as a user would.

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 allows you to perform some basic text and paragraph styling.

The toolbar includes three additional 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 add 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 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 include 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 report items, allowing users to select and re-arrange them.

You can also adjust the page margins using the bars on the top and left sides of the report area.

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, some of the properties of a TextBox control are displayed. The properties panel displays the selected control and all the associated properties available for that control.

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

Data Panel

The last piece of the Designer to review is the data panel. Here, report authors can bind to a data source, creating a data set from the data being pulled from the source. Authors can also leverage the data panel to create parameters, which they can use to modify the data displayed in the report, creating a layer of interactivity between the report and the user.

Binding Data to the Report

Since we’ve covered the basics of the report designer, let’s move on to building a report. Before adding controls to the report, we’ll need to bind some data that we can use to load into a report control. So, we will 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 open 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 will give to the data source in the report.
• Data Provider: How we expect to retrieve data and the format in which it will come. Currently, report authors can select from Remote JSON, Remote CSV, Embedded JSON, and Embedded CSV.
• Endpoint: The endpoint from where we will retrieve data; if you are using embedded data instead, there’s an option to upload a file containing your data.
• Parameters: Authors can also pass HTTP Headers and Query Parameters to the backend using the report designer, which can be set up here.

With the required fields defined, we can click the Save Changes button.

Now that the data source has been added, we can create a data set to load data from the source. To create a data set from a source, simply click the Plus button next to the data source you’d like to use, which will open the data set creation wizard:

The important fields to which we assign values 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 performed on the data. In this case, we will retrieve all the data, so we use the $.* JSON Path.

For more information on JSON Paths, Oracle offers detailed documentation outlining the possibilities.

Adding a Table Control

Now that we have bound data to the report, we will add a control and bind our data to the control. For this blog, we’ll add a table to the report, bind our data to the control, and then modify several properties to improve the look and layout 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:

You don’t need to manually enter each field you’d like to include from your data set. To make it easier to bind data, ActiveReportsJS provides a context menu instead to select which fields you’d like to include.

Hover over one of the cells and click the box with the ellipse — this will open the data set context menu:

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

In this example, we will add a few different fields: productId, productName, unitPrice, unitsInStock, and unitsOnOrder:

Finally, we will add a few styling settings to the table:

• A background color for the header row
• Borders to the table cells
• The unitPrice column formatting to reflect currency

With everything set, we will preview the report.

Previewing the Report

Now, we will preview the report to see what will be shown to users upon loading 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 simple!

Conclusion

Equipping yourself with the right tools is crucial for building success through data analysis in today’s business world. React reporting solutions allow businesses to effortlessly unlock the full potential of their data, offering excellent insights and improved efficiency. By providing features like interactive visualizations, user-friendly customization, and seamless data integration, these tools allow you to create clear, insightful, and actionable reports. This, in turn, improves decision-making, streamlines collaboration, and allows your company to make the most of its data. So, embrace the power of React reporting and watch your data transformation journey unfold!

This article is a springboard for your exploration of React reporting tools. We’ve reviewed the history of the React framework, the rise of web-based applications, and the core functionalities of these tools. Remember, the knowledge gained here is only the beginning. With the plethora of React reporting solutions available, you can find the perfect tool for your needs to move your organization toward data-driven success. Now, take the next step and dive deeper into the world of React reporting. Experiment with different tools, explore advanced functionalities, and witness the transformative power of data visualization and insightful reporting!