I look up this compatibility list far more often than I should. When you develop or modify a BIRT report, the safest starting point is the Report Designer version intended for that Maximo release.
Maximo Manage and BIRT compatibility
| Maximo Manage version | BIRT Report Designer |
|---|---|
| 9.2 and later | 4.21 |
| 9.1 | 4.16 |
| 8.3 through 9.0 | 4.8 |
IBM's current BIRT Report Designer installation guidance identifies each of these change points and links to the matching Eclipse downloads.
Use the Maximo Manage application version for this table, not the Maximo Application Suite core version. Suite and application versions do not always move together.
IBM's current guide starts its explicit mapping at Maximo Manage 8.3. If you still run Manage 8.0, 8.1 or 8.2, check the BIRT plug-in version deployed with that environment and use its version-specific documentation rather than assuming that a later designer is compatible.
Maximo 7.x and BIRT compatibility
| Maximo version | Embedded BIRT version | Eclipse release |
|---|---|---|
| 7.6.1.3 | 4.8 | Photon |
| 7.6.0.0 through 7.6.1.2 | 4.3.1 | Kepler SR1 |
| 7.5.0.3 and later 7.5 releases | 3.7.1 | Indigo |
| 7.5.0.0 through 7.5.0.2 | 2.3.2 | Ganymede |
| 7.1.1.5 and later 7.1.1 releases | 2.3.2 | Ganymede |
| 7.1.1.1 through 7.1.1.4 | 2.1.2 | Callisto |
IBM confirms that Maximo 7.6 originally used BIRT 4.3.1, and provides a reviewed BIRT Report Designer 4.3.1 package for Maximo 7.6. Maximo 7.6.1.3 incorporated BIRT 4.8 into the product; IBM describes that change and one of its PDF formatting differences in its BIRT 4.8 troubleshooting note.
The important boundary in Maximo 7.5 is Fix Pack 7.5.0.3. That release upgraded the embedded BIRT version from 2.3.2 to 3.7.1. IBM's Maximo 7.5 Report Development Guide covers BIRT 3.7.1 from 7.5.0.3 onward, including the effect of the upgrade on existing custom reports.
Maximo 7.1.1.5 introduced BIRT 2.3.2. Earlier 7.1.1 releases use BIRT 2.1.2, as documented in IBM's Maximo 7.1 Report Developer Guide. IBM's BIRT 2.3.2 support material also identifies it as the version used by Maximo 7.1.1.5 and later, and by Maximo 7.5 before the 7.5.0.3 upgrade.
Maximo 7.6.1.2 and the BIRT 4.8 designer
BIRT 4.3.1 normally runs with Java 7, while Maximo 7.6.1.2 uses Java 8. IBM documents BIRT Report Designer 4.8 as an alternative development environment for Maximo 7.6.1.2 when running the older designer is impractical. This does not change the embedded 4.3.1 runtime in Maximo 7.6.1.2.
That option requires the Maximo 7.6.1 report scripting classes and current database drivers in the designer. Follow IBM's procedure rather than treating a newer Eclipse download as a drop-in replacement.
Why the version matters
The designer writes .rptdesign files for a particular BIRT generation, while Maximo runs them through its embedded BIRT engine and Maximo-specific scripting classes. A report that previews correctly in an arbitrary newer designer can still fail after import or use features the server-side engine does not understand.
Match the designer to the target Maximo environment, install the report libraries and scripting classes specified by its development guide, and test imported reports in a non-production environment. Keep a copy of the original report before modifying it, especially when moving across one of the version boundaries above.