Step-by-Step Guide: Generating Reports from Oracle Databases

Ready to transform your Oracle data into professional reports? Let's walk through how ReportBurster connects to Oracle databases and generates personalized reports automatically. ReportBurster works with any database - whether Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, PostgreSQL, or others - giving you flexibility across your entire data ecosystem. Whether you need employee payslips, customer invoices, or financial statements, this guide shows you the complete workflow.

ReportBurster includes an Oracle Northwind database with sample data (like a mini-ERP with sample data). First, access the Help & Support menu and select Starter Packs / Extra Utils to start the sample database.

Note: Docker must be installed on your computer to run the sample databases. Find installation instructions in the Docker / Extra Utilities tab. The first Oracle Northwind database startup takes longer (20+ minutes) as Oracle DB downloads and sets up initially, depending on your Internet connection. Subsequent start/stop cycles are much faster.

Click the Northwind DB (Oracle) card to start the sample database. This provides sample business data for educational purposes, letting you learn and get familiar with ReportBurster and Oracle without risking your production data.

Now navigate to Configuration → Connections (Email, Databases) to set up your Oracle database connection.

For the sample Oracle Northwind database, simply enter a connection name and select Oracle from the dropdown. ReportBurster pre-fills all other connection details automatically. Click Test Connection & Fetch Database Schema to validate the connection and retrieve the complete database structure.

Explore your database structure in the Database Schema tab. The left panel shows all available tables and objects, while you can select specific ones for your reports. Use this schema to understand your data structure and select tables for your reports, or let AI generate all needed code - giving you the benefits without writing any code yourself (unless you want to).

Next, go to Configuration → Reports to create your new report.

Create a new report by giving it a descriptive name and enabling both Report Generation and Report Distribution capabilities.

This ensures ReportBurster will both create the documents and deliver them to your recipients automatically.

Access your newly created report through the Configuration menu to begin setting up the data source and the output template.

Configure your report's data source by selecting SQL Query as the input type and choosing your Oracle database connection. Write your SQL query, then test to verify you're getting the right data.

Notice the Hey AI, Help Me With This SQL Query button? This lets you generate code automatically when you need assistance.

Preview your query results in the Tabulator tab to ensure you're retrieving the correct data before finalizing your report.

Design your PDF output using the Output/Template tab with Apache FOP (XSL-FO) for pixel-perfect layouts.

Leverage AI assistance to create professional-looking documents that match your brand.

That's all the configuration you need - you're now ready to generate your reports!

Navigate to Processing → Generate Reports to preview data rows that will be processed before running the full report generation process.

Review the execution logs and output files after generation completes. ReportBurster provides detailed logs showing SQL execution, and document generation results, including the list of all generated files.

But what if you don't like generic filenames like 0.pdf and want something more descriptive?

Configure custom Burst File Name using report variables to create meaningful names for each document. Use a pattern like ${FirstName}-${LastName}.pdf for personalized employee documents. This makes identification and distribution much easier while giving your documents a professional touch.

When you run the report again, you'll get the properly named output files that make identification and distribution much easier.

When you're finished testing, you should stop the sample database through the Starter Packs interface.

Can I Distribute the Generated Reports?

ReportBurster offers industry-leading report distribution capabilities starting with email distribution, upload to remote servers for archiving, or cloud storage for easy access.

You can also deploy ReportBurster Portal - a full-featured self-service web portal where customers and partners log in to view documents or even pay invoices online. All distribution methods are either trivial to configure (email, upload, cloud web upload) or it is relatively simple to set up ReportBurster Portal for comprehensive document management.

Transform Your Oracle Data Into Actionable Reports

While we've used the Northwind sample database to demonstrate the workflow, you can now apply these same steps to your own Oracle databases. Imagine automatically generating employee payslips with personalized filenames, or creating customer invoices that are immediately ready for distribution. As a reliable enterprise solution for report generation, automation and distribution, ReportBurster seamlessly bridges the gap between your Oracle data and documents your business needs.

The real power emerges when you start automating your own document workflows. Whether it's HR systems for payslips, ERP systems for invoices, or CRM systems for customer statements, ReportBurster handles the complete workflow from data extraction to personalized document delivery. This automation dramatically accelerates cash flow for invoices and streamlines your document distribution processes.

Ready to transform how your organization handles reporting? Download ReportBurster and start building your automated report workflows today.