Export BIRT reports and libraries from Maximo

Maximo stores deployed BIRT designs in the database. Exporting them gives you a working copy for source control, comparison and development in BIRT Report Designer. The exportreports command can export every report and library, only reports, only libraries, or the reports for one application.

This procedure applies to traditional Maximo Asset Management installations with an SMP directory. Maximo Manage uses a different deployment model, although individual designs can still be managed through Report Administration where the installed release supports it.

Check for missing report designs

An export can stop with errors such as:

Failed to perform task for application: null:
BMXAA5478E - The report swcontract_print.rptdesign of the CONTSFW application could not be exported.
BMXAA5476E - The report swcontract_print.rptdesign could not be prepared to run.

This can happen when REPORT contains metadata for a report but the corresponding design is absent from REPORTDESIGN. Find those records before starting a full export:

SELECT
  R.APPNAME,
  R.REPORTNAME
FROM
  REPORT R
WHERE
  NOT EXISTS (
    SELECT
      1
    FROM
      REPORTDESIGN RD
    WHERE
      RD.REPORTNAME = R.REPORTNAME
  )
ORDER BY
  R.APPNAME,
  R.REPORTNAME;

A Maximo installation affected by this problem might return records such as:

Review every result in Report Administration. Import the matching design from the report source shipped with the same Maximo release when the report should exist. If the metadata is obsolete, back up the affected rows and remove the report through the application where possible.

Avoid running a broad DELETE against every result without review. Report metadata can have related parameter, label, lookup, dependency and security records, and direct database changes bypass Maximo's business rules. If application-level cleanup is impossible, agree and test a database-specific cleanup plan with IBM Support and your database administrator.

Configure the report export utility

On the Maximo administrative workstation, open:

<INSTALL_ROOT>/SMP/maximo/reports/birt/tools/reporttools.properties

Set the server connection, MBO web context and output folder for your environment. This example shows the relevant properties:

# Host name or IP address of the Maximo application server
maximo.report.birt.hostname=maximo.example.com
 
# HTTP or HTTPS port used to reach Maximo
maximo.report.birt.port=443
 
# Use TLS for the connection
maximo.report.birt.ssl=true
 
# Supply credentials interactively when the utility supports it.
# Do not commit a real username or password to source control.
# maximo.report.birt.username=maxadmin
# maximo.report.birt.password=change-me
 
# Optional tenant code for a multitenant environment
# maximo.report.birt.tenant=DA
 
# Export and import directories, relative to the tools directory
maximo.report.birt.outputfolder=./../../birt
maximo.report.birt.inputfolder=./../../birt
 
# Report update settings
maximo.report.birt.update.outputfolder=./../../birt
maximo.report.birt.savechanges=false
maximo.report.birt.update.type=all
maximo.report.birt.updatelog=./update.log
 
# Change mbo if your MboWeb context root is different
maximo.report.birt.contextname=/mbo/reporttool

Use a dedicated administrative account with only the access required for report export. Prefer an interactive or protected secret mechanism over a clear-text password in reporttools.properties. If a password must temporarily be stored there, restrict file permissions, remove it immediately after the export and ensure the file is excluded from backups and source control that would expose it.

For HTTPS, confirm that the Java runtime used by the command trusts the Maximo server certificate. A browser successfully opening Maximo does not prove that this JVM uses the same trust store.

Run the export

Open a command prompt or shell and change to the tools directory:

cd /opt/IBM/SMP/maximo/reports/birt/tools

On Windows, use the corresponding path beneath <INSTALL_ROOT>\SMP\maximo\reports\birt\tools.

Export all reports, libraries and supporting report folders:

exportreports.cmd

On Linux or Unix:

./exportreports.sh

The utility also supports narrower exports:

The files are written beneath maximo.report.birt.outputfolder and organized by the report folders configured in Report Administration. With the example relative path, look beneath:

<INSTALL_ROOT>/SMP/maximo/reports/birt/reports

Confirm that the command finishes successfully and inspect its log. Then compare the exported report count with Report Administration, check that shared .rptlibrary files and resources are present, and open representative designs in the matching BIRT Report Designer version.

Store the clean export in version control or a protected artifact repository. Remove credentials, generated logs and environment-specific secrets before committing anything.

References

• IBM Maximo Report Developer Guide: exporting design files
• BIRT report export fails with BMXAA5476E and BMXAA5478E
• Maximo 7.6 Report Administration feature guide