OpenRPT and its suite of tools enable you to connect natively to the PostgreSQL database. However, OpenRPT can also be used to connect to other databases using an ODBC (open database connectivity) connection. In this chapter we will examine how to connect to an alternate database—for our example, an access database—using ODBC. We will be showing you how to build a new report from the ground up, as we address the following steps:
Look at the access database tables.
Configure settings for the ODBC connection.
Use the MetaSQL editor to create the query.
Use OpenRPT to create the report definition.
Use the report renderer to view the report's output.