Why web reports and when to choose them

JReport Studio displays web reports (which are also called web layout reports) that are aimed at easier and faster report creation and design, faster report execution, easier customization, and better presentation style using a newer Rich Internet Application (RIA) Web 2.0 interface. Web reports also support agile development techniques such as continuous integration by allowing report templates to be updated by both JReport Studio and JReport Designer.

• Fewer functions
  Web reports (.wls) support a subset of functions of JReport page reports (.cls). The basic and essential functions not only guarantee a good report presentation, but also make the report design experience easier for a new user of JReport.
• Single report solution
  Only one report in a web report speeds up the report running process as compared to a multiple-report page report.
• Tabular style layout
  The creation of a page report using the Standard Report Wizard can only create one data component (table, crosstab, chart, or banded object) using the wizard. The JReport Studio Wizard provides a tabular style layout in which you can place a table, crosstab or chart in each tabular cell so as to achieve a holistic layout with multiple components from the very beginning.
• Predefined report templates
  Web reports allow you to choose a starting template so you can predefine the template to include standard features such as company logo, company name, privacy notices or any standard items and styles you want your users to start with.
  
• Fast report rendering
  At runtime, JReport Studio provides much higher performance when viewed from a browser compared to viewing a page report using JReport Viewer. Using JReport Viewer, all of the user action requests must be sent to JReport Server which renders the new page on the server and updates the browser view. Using JReport Studio, many of the actions which require only a change in rendering the view are done locally on the client in the browser. By using JReport Studio, JReport Engine is structured so that as much of the processing as possible is completed on the client side allowing much higher scalability for JReport Server allowing the server to handle more simultaneous users.
• Oriented toward presentation rather than analysis
  Unlike page reports, web reports do not support slicing and dicing data since the data source for web reports has been designed with no hierarchical relationship between the data objects. Create web reports if you do not want to analyze report data such as drilling down and drilling up, but look forward to an excellent Web 2.0 presentation.
• Creation and edition in both JReport Server and Designer
  Web reports created using the JReport Studio Wizard can be downloaded from JReport Server and edited in JReport Designer and web reports can be created in JReport Designer and published to server just like .cls reports. However, page reports created using the Standard Report Wizard can only be edited in the server. Designer can view these reports but not modify them and publish them.

  Also, JReport Designer can be used to create web reports which can be run in JReport Studio on the server and saved as a template to use in JReport Studio. JReport Designer cannot directly create the template but can create the report and then using JReport Studio, save the report as a template (.wslt).

• Standard banded objects not supported
  Page reports support standard banded objects which are not supported by web reports.