DEPRECATED: Please refer to How To Create BIRT Reports for current documentation on our improved reporting system.

Reports in Mifos

One of the key pieces of customization needed by MFIs is the ability to create reports. Therefore, we have developed a basic reporting framework, which allows for anyone to develop a report in a standard tool and upload that to their own local installation of the mifos application. We are anticipating improvements in the user interface for setting up new reports, so if you have suggestions, email the listserv.

Developing a report

Use iReport to create a JasperReports ready file, which end in .jrxml. iReport is a free tool and easy to download and install. http://jasperforge.org/sf/projects/ireport Please follow the instructions there.

While this software is not as easy to use as Word or Excel, it is similar to Crystal Reports, which is used by many MFIs to develop customized reports. MFIs with the capacity to develop reports, should review this tool. As you develop a report, you create a SQL statement, which is a way of selecting the data directly from the tables found in Mifos. If you upgrade Mifos, you may need to rewrite a portion of the SQL statement to keep the SQL statement in synch with the current data schema found in Mifos. Please note that the datamodel of Mifos is very robust and you may need technical support in order to craft the correct SQL statements.

Currently, there are no external resources being used by the reports, although the intention is to use a report properties file to manage labels and sql statements in a centralized file - rather than distributed across multiple report files.

Report Configuration

Configuring a new report to use. Currently, there is a fixed list of "anticipated reports". This list is not static but the user interface does not currently allow for editing. The list reflects the reports expected for the beta customer implementation. Currently all reports need to have the datasource set, and many reports will be designed to require a parameter. Parameters offer the user the ability to "filter the data". Currently, when parameters or datasource configurations are wrong, the errors are not displayed in the user interface, so if you are having a problem getting a report working, check the datasource and parameter settings first.

• A datasource must be associated with a report before it will work
• If a report requires a parameter (something created during report design), then the parameter must be associated with the report.
• Before you can associate a parameter with a report, you must create it in the user interface
• You can associate a report with any report title, and over-write existing report-title associations, but you cannot delete associations.

Uploading a report

• Login to your installation of Mifos
• Click on Reports Tab
• Click on Administer reports link
• Establish a datasource
  • Click on List Datasources
  • Use these values or the ones established during the build process locally.
  • Note: This functionality is scheduled to be removed - deprecated

Datasource Name      mifos1
Driver    com.mysql.jdbc.Driver
URL    jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/mifos
Username    root
Password    mifos

• Upload a Report
  • Return to the Administer reports page
  • Click on the report title you want to link to (in the pull down menu)
  • Browse for the report (either locally on your machine or on the server machine)
  • Upload report
  • You should now see that you have associated a file ending in .jrxml with a report label or title.
• Create parameter
  • You need to parameter type as specified in the <parameter tag in the reportname.jrxml file
  • Return to the Administer report page entitled "List Reports"
  • Click on List Parameters
  • This takes you to the " Reports Parameters List" page
  • A parameter must be created before it can be associated with a report.
  • Once created a parameter cannot be edited. It can only be deleted and then recreated.
  • Parameter example

• 1 Developing a report
• 2 Report Configuration
• 2.1 Uploading a report
• 3 Report Usage

 Add Parameters:      
Parameter Name*    Loan Purpose
Description*            Purpose of loan usage
Classname    java.lang.integer
Type        Query
Data        select fundcode_id from fund_code
Datasource Name    mifos1

• Once the parameter has been created, it can be associated with any report (and more than one).
• If you want to delete a parameter, you must first disassociated it from the report.
• To associate a parameter with a report, do the following:
  • Click on Administer Reports
  • Click on Parameters next to the report you want to associate the report with
  • Use the pull down menu to select one of the active parameters
  • You have now associated the parameter with the report. You can associate an additional parameter, there is no limit to the number of parameters (filters).

Report Usage

Once the report is configured to work, you merely need to:

• Click on the Reports tab
• Select the report by clicking on the link , for example "Collection sheet"
• If the report has a parameter associated with it, a new page will appear " Enter Parameters for report"
• Select the filter (parameter) for the report you want. e.g. loan officer ID
• Select either HTML or PDF

See Also

• Reports Improvements
• and also Status of reports and RMP from James Daily, posted 29 Nov 2006 to Mifos-developer at SourceForge; a nice summary of where things stand as of then.