Eclipse BIRT vs ezzyScorecard

Eclipse BIRT creates textual reports and visual charts from data drawn from databases, files, Java, JavaScript, and web services. Its Eclipse-based report designer, runtime, and charting engine can work together, while the charting engine can also be used on its own. The designer offers a drag-and-drop layout view, data and resource explorers, a script editor, and chart and expression builders. Reports can connect to JDBC, XML, web services, and flat files; one report can combine multiple sources using inner or outer joins. Data can be sorted, summarized, filtered, and grouped, including by sums or percentages of totals. Supported report forms include lists, charts, crosstabs, letters, documents, and compound reports. The engine can produce HTML, paginated HTML, Word, Excel, PostScript, ODT, ODS, ODP, and PDF, and export data to CSV. Designs use open XML and can be embedded in desktop or web applications, especially those using Java and Jakarta EE. BIRT is free open-source software under the Eclipse Public License (EPL), with Linux, macOS, Windows, web, API, and self-hosted availability.

ezzyScorecard is a web-based cloud tool for implementing and monitoring a business or nonprofit organisation’s Balanced Scorecard. Users can rename or add perspectives, set weightings and define objectives; linked objectives update a strategy map. The product displays perspectives, objectives and metrics in a color-coded scorecard, alongside a pictorial map of objective relationships. Its Workbench supports alternate dashboard reports, metric comments, red flags, trend analysis, multigraphs, saved report templates and downloadable presentations. Initiatives can be prioritized, assigned timelines and strategic alignment, and connected to perspectives, objectives, metrics and accountability. Users can drill into metrics and examine trends at process and actual levels. Each business is limited to 8 perspectives, 4 objectives per perspective and 6 metrics per objective. Plans allow unlimited user access. Business costs A$75 a month for 3 businesses, Corporate A$120 a month for 6, and Consultant A$150 a month for 10 businesses per pack. A 30-day trial is listed, as is a free six-month Professor subscription for students. The maker says the product focuses on implementation and control, not strategy development or interpreting outcomes and developing corrective action.