EspressReport ES Tech Support FAQ

General

1. Where can I find a price list?
2. Is ERES fully platform-independent?
3. I need to generate reports and dashboards for a very specific industry, can Quadbase help?
4. What file extensions are used in ERES?
5. The default ERES look doesn't match our company's webpage/IS.
6. How to move a licensed ERES from one machine to another?
7. How do we update the license after we copied/moved ERES to a new machine?

Platform and Getting Started

1. Why can't I install ERES? / I get a no Java virtual machine installed message when trying to install ERES.
2. Does ERES run well under Windows 10/MacOS/Linux?
3. Which browsers does ERES support?
4. I can't start ERES.
5. What Java version should I use?
6. I am not sure how to set some options during the installation process.
7. What is an ERES database?
8. What should I do if I failed to register license in the ERES installation?
9. How to run ERES71 organizer on SUSElinux 12 sp3
10. What should I do if the installer fails to start with the error message “This Application has Unexpectedly Quit” or “Windows DLL failed to load”?

Working with ERES

1. I can't connect to my database (MSSQL, Oracle...). I get "ClassNotFound" error
2. After updating our ERES install, the evaluation message is displayed in reports and charts.
3. Export of big reports and charts are really slow / I get Out of memory or Java heap space error exporting big reports and charts.
4. ERES Organizer won't start.
5. I moved the dashboard to another location and it isn't working properly.
6. I exported a report or chart to PDF and the fonts in the PDF are different from the fonts in the ChartDesigner. / I have problems displaying Unicode characters in exported PDFs.
7. ERES Maps aren't working.
8. Maps aren't showing all of my data.
9. What is a "Virtual Directory"?
10. In the scheduler, I chose "Email delivery", but no emails are sent.
11. I got an "java.lang.NullPointerException" error when working in QuickDesigner, MapsDesigner etc...
12. I moved a report with charts/subreports to another machine and the subreports/charts are missing.
13. I changed a data source (for example: query) in Organizer, but the changes did not appear in a report that uses this datasource.
14. I have modified some configuration files/options in Admin Console, but the ERES is still using the old settings.
15. I made a report/chart/dashboard, saved it, but forgot to insert it into organizer. Where do I find the file and how do I save it into Organizer?
16. How to do single sign-on?
17. ERES Organizer loads incorrect jar files, how to resolve it?
18. How to embed charts, reports, and dashboards in custom web pages?
19. Korean text shows as squares in Report Designer.
20. The Indian Rupee Sign (₹) shows as square in Report Designer.
21. Why does my report have empty pages?
22. The credential is correct, but I can't login to ERES.
23. The report field can’t print correctly when it contains a large amount of data that exceeds one page.

Where can I find a price list?

Our products serve a wide range of customers with varying goals. To ensure the lowest costs and most effective results, we will create a custom package that works for you and your company's needs. Please contact our sales department at [email protected] to build your package.

I need to generate reports and dashboards for a very specific industry, can Quadbase help?

Our support team stands ready to help you design professional reports and dashboards for your targeted audience. We can even use samples from your actual data to provide meaningful templates and examples. Please contact Quadbase support at [email protected] to discuss with a representative regarding your specific requirements. For more involved projects, please inquire about our professional services.

What file extensions are used in ERES?

RPT - Report Designer report
QRP - QuickDesigner report
QDR - New QuickDesigner report
PAC - ChartDesigner chart package (with data, background images etc.)
CHT - ChartDesigner chart with data
QCH - QuickDesigner chart
TPL - ChartDesigner chart template
PAK - Report archive
DSB - Dashboard
GXML - Google map
SXML - SVG map
CXML - Google map coordinates
SVG - SVG map image
GPAK - Google map package
SPAK - SVG map package
DPAK - Dashboard package

The default ERES look doesn't match our company's webpage/IS.

The ERES appearance can be easily modified without any programming by using the customization feature found under the Admin Console.

How to move a licensed ERES from one machine to another?

If you want to move a licensed ERES from one machine to another, you may re-use the same license key by the following procedure, as an example.
(1) On Windows machine that has installed the licensed version, go to \UninstallerData\Uninstall_ERES.exe and run it by double clicking from Windows Explorer
Or you may use the Windows shortcut, Start /All Programs / ERES /Uninstall ERES
(2) Move InstallERES71.exe to another machine and use the same license key again.
(3) The above procedure also works on non-Windows machines where you should use a Command Prompt and run the corresponding file in the UninstallerData directory.

Why can't I install ERES? / I get a no Java virtual machine installed message when trying to install ERES.

ERES requires an Oracle / Sun Java Development Kit (JDK) installed on your machine to install and run. If you only have a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or if you don't have Java at all, please visit the Java SE Download Page and download the latest JDK.

If you have both JDK and JRE installed, make sure to select the JDK folder on the select Java VM panel in the installer.

Also, you can use LAX_VM parameter to select Java path like this:

In Windows: InstallERES71.exe LAX_VM %JAVA_HOME%\Java\jre8\bin\java

In Linux/Unix: sh InstallERES71.bin LAX_VM $JAVA_HOME/bin/java

Does ERES run well under Windows 10/MacOS/Linux?

Absolutely. One of the advantages of having a Java based product is that it can run on any OS that supports Java.

Which browsers does ERES support?

Microsoft Edge, Safari, Chrome and Firefox. JavaScript and cookies must be enabled for all users. For easier Organizer launching, the browser should be configured to launch .jnlp files in a JavaWebStart application like the “javaws” executable in Java 8 or IcedTea.

I can't start ERES.

First, start Tomcat by navigating to /bin/ and running startup.bat on Windows or startup.sh on Unix/Linux/Mac/etc. Next, open ERES start page in your favorite browser, the default address is http://<hostname>:8080/ERES, but this can be altered during installation. Finally, click the Start button in the ERES Server section.

What Java version should I use?

We suggest Sun Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.8+.  Any designers using the Organizer will need to have a JRE plugin for their browser. No Java is required to use the QuickDesigner, Map Builder, and Dashboard Builders remotely, and end users do not need Java to view finished reports, charts, maps, and dashboards.

I am not sure how to set some options during the installation process.

You may find an answer in the User Guide

If you don't find the answer there, don't hesitate to contact us ([email protected]).

What is an ERES database?

The ERES Database stores data critical to the ERES system such as the Organizer file structure, security and permissions, etc. This is not to be confused with the data sources you will use to create reports and charts.

What should I do if I failed to register license in the ERES installation?

In ERES installation, if you failed to register license, you can go to https://www.quadbase.com/license-registration/ to get a new qblicense.jar, remove each original qblicense.jar in /lib/ and /WEB-INF/lib/ and copy the new jar file into these two directories.

How to run ERES71 organizer on SUSElinux 12 sp3

If you’re not using Oracle Java on your Linux system, you can use the IcedTea-Web software. More information about IcedTea-Web.

Just installing the IcedTea-web software properly should associate the .jnlp files with the IcedTea. If this does not happen, associate the .jnlp file extensions with IcedTea-Web in your browser or system (depending on how you’re launching the jnlp files).

If you are using Oracle Java 8:

Find the downloaded ERES_Organizer.jnlp file, run it from command line:

$ javaws ERES_Organizer.jnlp

You also can set up File Associations to open .jnlp file. The steps are as followings:

1) Create a .desktop file in the folder ~/.local/share/applications (if you want the shortcut to be displayed for the local user only) or /usr/share/applications for the whole system, for example, jnlp.desktop. 

2) Then copy the following into the jnlp.desktop file:

[Desktop Entry]

Encoding=UTF-8

Name=Java 8 Web Start

Comment=Java 8 Web Start

Exec=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/jre/bin/javaws %u

Terminal=false

Type=Application

Icon=javaws

Categories=Application;Network;

MimeType=application/x-java-jnlp-file;

Note: The path to javaws executable in the Exec parameter may be different on your system. You can find out the path to your javaws executable by typing the following command in terminal:

which javaws

or by listing all your JDK/JRE installations with the command:

update-alternatives --display javaws

I can't connect to my database (MSSQL, Oracle...). I get "ClassNotFound" error.

You need to copy the correct database driver to the /WEB-INF/lib/ directory and restart the server. If using API, make sure to add the driver to the classpath.

After updating our ERES install, the evaluation message is displayed in reports and charts.

Go to https://www.quadbase.com/license-registration/ to generate a new qblicense.jar and copy and paste it into /lib/ and /WEB-INF/lib/ directories.

Export of big reports and charts are really slow / I get Out of memory or Java heap space error exporting big reports and charts.

Export from the browser (Menu Page, Dashboard, generated URL) is done on the server side. Export from Report Designer is done on the client side. So if you export a large report from Report Designer, you should also increase the memory on the client. But server side is still used for getting the data, so server side memory should be increased as well. You can quite easily recognize where you have insufficient memory. If the OutOfMemory error is reported in the Tomcat log, it is a server side memory. If it is in the Java Console, it is client side memory. Therefore,
if the errors happen in the server:

Increase the memory allocation to the application server. For Tomcat, go to /bin/ and edit catalina.bat (catalina.sh for non-Windows). Find the line:

set JAVA_OPTS=%JAVA_OPTS% -Xmx1024M
Increase the 1024 to a larger number. ERES also provides virtual memory and paging options to reduce memory usage for large reports. Please see the user guide.

ERES Organizer won't start.

If you are using a .bat file, make sure that the ERES server is running. You might need to check your firewall settings as well and ensure that your machine is able to access the server host and the server port. If running from the web page, please make sure you have a JRE plugin installed on your browser.

I moved the dashboard to another location and it isn't working properly.

Use the "Dashboard and Map" Packages  feature described here (navigate to section 2.1.4.5). It allows you to pack all files that are connected with the dashboard into a single file which can be easily moved elsewhere.

I exported a report or chart to PDF and the fonts in the PDF are different from the fonts in the ChartDesigner. / I have problems displaying Unicode characters in exported PDFs.

Make sure to set the "Font Mapping" correctly.

Documentation for Reports

Documentation for Charts

ERES Maps aren't working.

Obtain Google maps API key. Please, keep in mind that you have to fill in the host name or IP address that will be used for connecting to ERES Maps. For example: If you fill in your domain name, Google maps will not work when you connect to ERES using IP address.

Maps aren't showing all of my data.

Make sure that you are using correct coordinates file.

What is a "Virtual Directory"?

“Virtual Directory" are the folders in the ERES Organizer. Please see details here.

When you want to add a file that is not currently accessible via your web server (for example Tomcat), you have to manually add an URL that points to a folder that contains the file. Please see here for details.

In the scheduler, I chose "Email delivery", but no emails are sent.

Make sure to add your SMTP settings in the Admin Console. After you do so, restart the ERES server and try it again.

I got an "java.lang.NullPointerException" error when working in QuickDesigner, MapsDesigner, etc.

Did you use the "back" button in your browser? Please, don't use browser back and forward buttons when working in ERES.

I moved a report with charts/subreports to other machine and the subreports/charts are missing.

Moving components of a report can become cumbersome, so we recommend that you create a PAK file for the report and simply move the PAK file.

I changed a data source (for example: query) in Organizer, but the changes did not appear in a report that uses this datasource.

The data source in the report is not linked with the data source in the data registry. You can either modify the data source in the report, or use the update option described here.
Please note that there are certain requirements before you can use the update option.

I have modified some configuration files/options in Admin Console, but the ERES is still using the old settings.

Please restart the ERES Server. In order to shut the ERES Server down, you need to be logged in as an administrator.

I made a report/chart/dashboard, saved it, but forgot to insert it into organizer. Where do I find the file and how do I save it into Organizer?

Files are saved into the ReportFiles/ChartFiles/DashboardFiles directory by default. You can open the Organizer, click the "Insert new file to current folder" button and insert the file.

How to do single sign-on?

It’s a common practice for users to integrate ERES into an existing application. Single sign-on allows the user to log in once and access ERES without re-entering authentication factors.  

Integrate Users/Groups/Relationships into ERES
To do single sign-on, first, users need to integrate their existing users, groups, and relationships into ERES system. The details can be found in Section 8.2 - Integrating Existing Users and Groups
If existing user information is stored in LDAP, please find details in Section 1.4.1.4 - LDAP Settings.
Extension class UserSecurityProvider provides a flexible way to retrieve/implement users and groups from any source, please find details in Section 8.2.2 - Implementing UserSecurityProvider

Pass login information into ERES 

After users login their application, and then click ERES links, the login information can be passed to ERES internally, so users don’t have to login one more time for ERES.

The details and example are in Section 7.3.3 - Single Sign-On user login information can also be included in a URL of a chart image, a report, or a dashboard.

ERES Organizer loads incorrect jar files, how to resolve it?

Some users may find ERES Organizer loads cached jars, especially when working on two or more ERES servers. It's because ERES Organizer(Web Start) only downloads jars with newer modified dates. So the newer modified jars are cached in the client machine, only when the "Keep temporary files on my computer"  option is turned on in the Java Control Panel. 

To force the ERES Organizer to always download jars, you need to turn off the "Keep temporary files on my computer" option.

To clear the Java web cache, please go to Java Control Panel > General tab> “Settings…” button > “Delete Files…“, ensure the “Cached Applications and Applets” option is selected. Press “OK“.

How do I set-up a JDBC connection to my database?

Below are a collection of URL and Driver for common database connection and drivers.

Hsql (Hypersonic sql) database server (EspressReport example database datasource)
Hsql JDBC Driver (in-process or standalone mode)
jdbc classes: hsqldb.jar under $espressreport_install_dir$/help/examples/DataSources/database/hsqldb.jar
database url (relative path): hsqldb:help/examples/DataSources/database/woodview
database url (absolute path | windows): hsqldb:C:/espress-report/help/examples/DataSources/database/woodview
database url (absolute path | unix): hsqldb:/usr/espress-report/help/examples/DataSources/database/woodview
jdbc driver: org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver

Hsql JDBC Driver (server mode)
jdbc classes: hsqldb.jar under $espressreport_install_dir$/help/examples/DataSources/database/hsqldb.jar
database url (1 db on 1 machine): jdbc:hsqldb:hsql://machineName
database url (> 1 db on 1 machine): jdbc:hsqldb:hsql://machineName:port
jdbc driver: org.hsqldb.jdbcDriver

documentation: frame | no frame

IBM’s DB2 JDBC driver
jdbc driver: com.ibm.db2.jcc.DB2Driver
jdbc classes: db2jcc.jar, db2jcc4, jd2jcc_license_cu.jar (license)
database url: jdbc:db2://host:port/database (ex. jdbc:db2://server1:50000/phonedb)
download: http://www.ibm.com or find it in $(db2-install)/java/db2jcc.jar and jd2jcc_license_cu.jar

MS SQL Server 2019/2022

JDBC Driver from Microsoft

jdbc class: mssql-jdbc-12.10.0.jre8.jar(for Java 8), mssql-jdbc-12.10.0.jre11.jar(for Java 11+)

database url: jdbc:sqlserver://host:port;databaseName=yourDatabase

jdbc driver: com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver

Link:

MS SQL Server 2019/2022 JDBC Driver Download

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/connect/jdbc/download-microsoft-jdbc-driver-for-sql-server?view=sql-server-ver17

MySql

MySQL Connector/J from MySql (https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/)
jdbc classes: mysql-connector-j-8.4.0.zip (for Java 8), mysql-connector-j-9.5.0.jar (for Java 11+)
database url: jdbc:mysql://host/database
jdbc driver: com.mysql.cj.jdbc.Driver

Oracle
JDBC Thin Driver
database url: jdbc:oracle:thin://host:port/servicename
jdbc driver: oracle.jdbc.OracleDriver
jdbc classes: ojdbc8.jar (for Java 8), ojdbc11.jar (for Java 11+) (download from www.oracle.com)

OCI Driver
database url: jdbc:oracle:oci:@servicename
jdbc driver : oracle.jdbc.OracleDriver
jdbc classes: ojdbc8.jar (for Java 8), ojdbc11.jar (for Java 11+) (download from www.oracle.com)

Links:
Oracle JDBC Developer's Guide and Reference
https://docs.oracle.com/en/database/oracle/oracle-database/26/cncpt/concepts-for-database-developers.html

Oracle JDBC Driver download
https://www.oracle.com/downloads/

Sybase/SAP ASE
JConn4 driver from Sybase
jdbc classes:jconn4.jar
database url: jdbc:sybase:Tds:host:port
jdbc driver: com.sybase.jdbc4.jdbc.SybDriver

PostgreSQL
database url: jdbc:postgresql://host:port/database
jdbc driver: org.postgresql.Driver
jdbc classes: postgresql-42.x.x.jar (download from https://jdbc.postgresql.org/download/)

Informix
database url: jdbc:informix-sqli://host:port/database:INFORMIXSERVER=servername
jdbc driver: com.informix.jdbc.IfxDriver
jdbc classes: ifxjdbc.jar (it can be found in Informix Server directory: $INFORMIXDIR/jdbc/lib/)

RMIXDIR/jdbc/lib/)

Excel export isn't working in API

Add correct version of POI library to your classpath, it can be found under /WEB-INF/lib/.

Which JAR files do I have to add to my classpath if I want to work with the API?

Add at least ERESOrganizer.jar, ERESServer.jar and qblicense.jar. You might also need to add certain 3rd party jars like poi.jar,poi-ooxml.jar,poi-ooxml-schemas.jar (for Excel export) and xml-apis.jar (for working with XML), ExportLib.jar (PNG and other image formats), and database drivers (depend on the database you will be using).

I exported some reports via API, but there is "evaluation copy..." message in the reports

If you are running an evaluation copy, please contact our sales office ([email protected]) to get a release license key. Otherwise, make sure that you have added the correct qblicense.jar file into your classpath.

Does the ERES Server need to be running if I want to generate reports via ERES API?

It's up to you. Your application can be fully independent, or you can connect to the ERES Server. Pros and cons of both approaches are described in manual.

I don't know how to start, are there some working API examples with source code available?

Yes, after starting the ERES server, click on the Quick Start API Examples link on the front page. There are some examples in the User's Guide and in the ERES installation directory.