Although JasperReports is the world's most popular open source Java reporting library, it has always lacked one thing: It doesn't provide a tool to visually design reports. iReport is a visual report designer built on JasperReports that fills that lack. It is an intuitive and easy-to-use visual report builder/designer for JasperReports, written in 100% pure Java.

This beginner's tutorial book is a straightforward introduction to the iReport environment taking an example-oriented approach in developing your skills from scratch. It shows you how to use iReport for creating reports in PDF, RTF, and other formats, which can be delivered over the Web for immediate access.

This book will guide you through using iReport to develop various types of reports from a simple report through to dynamic enterprise-level reports based on realistic examples based on a sample Inventory Management System. It takes you through the main types of report available in iReport, and shows you exactly how to create them. It shows you how to use different report templates, how to use special kinds of data operations to generate more powerful reports, combine data to produce master-detail reports, add images, control the layout and formatting of your report and many more.

It will also show you how to use the NetBeans IDE to create Java projects with reporting facilities. You will learn how to vary report format and layout according to business requirements.