Integrate JD Edwards Data in the Pentaho Report Designer

The CData JDBC driver for JD Edwards data enables access to live data from dashboards and reports. This article shows how to connect to JD Edwards data as a JDBC data source and publish reports based on JD Edwards data in Pentaho.

Connect and Create a Report

1. Copy the JAR file of the driver, located in the lib subfolder of the installation directory, to the \Report-Designer\lib\jdbc\ folder in the Pentaho directory.
2. Run the report-designer.bat file in the \Report-Designer\ folder to open the Report-Designer UI.

3. Create a new data source with the driver by clicking Data -> Add Data Source -> Advanced -> JDBC (Custom) and then creating a new JD Edwards connection. In the resulting dialog, configure the connection properties as shown below.

   • Custom Connection URL property: Enter the JDBC URL. This starts with jdbc:jdedwards: and is followed by a semicolon-separated list of connection properties.

     The driver connects to JD Edwards through your Application Interface Services (AIS) Server. Set the following connection properties:

     • URL: The base HTTPS URL of your AIS Server (e.g., https://jde-ais.example.com:8300).
     • User: Your JD Edwards username.
     • Password: Your JD Edwards password.
     • Environment (optional): The JD Edwards environment to use (e.g., PD920 for production or DV920 for development). If not specified, the AIS Server's default environment is used.
     • Role (optional): The JD Edwards role for the session. If not specified, the AIS Server's default role is used.
     • DeviceName (optional): An identifier for the connecting device or application, used for auditing and logging on the AIS Server.
     • Jasserver (optional): The specific Java Application Server (JAS) instance to route requests through, useful in clustered environments.

     Choosing Which Data Is Exposed

     JD Edwards organizes tables and business views by System Code, and the driver exposes each System Code as its own schema. Use these properties to control which schemas are available:

     • DataModel: One or more ERP modules (comma-separated) whose System Codes are exposed as schemas, or All to expose every System Code in the connected instance. Defaults to FinancialManagement.
     • SystemCodes: A comma-separated list of additional System Codes to expose alongside those from DataModel (e.g., 42,43).

     When you connect, the driver sends your credentials to the AIS Server to obtain a session token and caches it. The driver requests a new token automatically before the session expires.

     Built-in Connection String Designer

     For assistance in constructing the JDBC URL, use the connection string designer built into the JD Edwards JDBC Driver. Either double-click the JAR file or execute the jar file from the command-line.

     
     java -jar cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.jar
     

     Fill in the connection properties and copy the connection string to the clipboard.

     

     When you configure the JDBC URL, you may also want to set the Max Rows connection property. This will limit the number of rows returned, which is especially helpful for improving performance when designing reports and visualizations.

     Below is a typical JDBC URL:

     jdbc:jdedwards:URL=https://your-jde-environment-app.example.com;User=admin;Password=myPassword;

   • Custom Driver Class Name: Enter cdata.jdbc.jdedwards.JDEdwardsDriver.
   • User Name: The username to authenticate with.
   • Password: The password to authenticate with.
   

Add JD Edwards Data to a Report

You are now ready to create a report with JD Edwards data.

1. Add the JD Edwards source to your report: Click Data -> Add Data Source -> JDBC and select the data source.

2. Configure the query. This article uses the one below:

   SELECT DocumentNumber, Amount FROM AccountsPayable.AccountLedger WHERE BusinessUnit = '100'

   
3. Drag a chart onto your report and double-click it to edit the chart. Run the report to display the chart. You can use the results of this query to create a simple chart for the AccountsPayable.AccountLedger table.
4. Finally, run the report to see the chart.