Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT)

General Information

Technologies must be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal and Department security and privacy policies and guidelines. More information on the proper use of the TRM can be found on the TRM Proper Use Tab/Section.

Website:	Go to site
Description:	Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools (BIRT) is an open source technology that provides reporting capabilities, specifically for Web and client applications based on Java. BIRT has Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for design, report, and chart engines, and can produce reports in several different formats including Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Portable Document Format (PDF), PowerPoint (PPT), and postscript formats. The BIRT sample database provides a simple set of tables and data that form the basis for BIRT sample reports. The sample database is available in two forms: Apache Derby (Java Database) or MySQL. The Apache Derby database is included in the BIRT download as a built-in data source, whereas MySQL must be installed separately. Additionally, this technology can connect to multiple Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) data sources to pull and extract information.
Technology/Standard Usage Requirements:	Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.
Section 508 Information:	This technology has been assessed by the Section 508 Office and found non-conformant. The Implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508-compliant. Section 508 compliance may be reviewed by the Section 508 Office and appropriate remedial action required if necessary. For additional information or assistance regarding Section 508, please contact the Section 508 Office at Section508@va.gov. Please see reference tab for more information concerning product versions.
Decision:	View Decisions

Decision Source:	TRM Mgmt Group
Decision Process:	One-VA TRM v23.3
Decision Date:	03/16/2023 at 03:46:35 UTC
Introduced By:	Enterprise Tools Management
Vendor Name:	Eclipse

Vendor Release Information

The Vendor Release table provides the known releases for the TRM Technology, obtained from the vendor (or from the release source).

Version	Release Date	Vendor End of Life Date	Vendor Desupport Date
1.0	06/06/2005
2.0	01/22/2006
2.1	07/01/2006
2.2	06/29/2007
2.3	06/25/2008
2.5	06/24/2009
2.6	06/23/2010
3.2	06/22/2011
4.2	06/27/2012
4.3	06/26/2013
4.4	06/25/2014
4.5	06/24/2015
4.6	06/28/2016
4.7.x	07/12/2017
4.8.x	06/26/2018
4.13.x	03/03/2023

Current Decision Matrix (03/13/2023)

Users must ensure their use of this technology/standard is consistent with VA policies and standards, including, but not limited to, VA Handbooks 6102 and 6500; VA Directives 6004, 6513, and 6517; and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards, including Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). Users must ensure sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. Prior to use of this technology, users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Officer (ISO), Facility Chief Information Officer (CIO), or local Office of Information and Technology (OI&T) representative to ensure that all actions are consistent with current VA policies and procedures prior to implementation.

The VA Decision Matrix displays the current and future VA IT position regarding different releases of a TRM entry. These decisions are based upon the best information available as of the most current date. The consumer of this information has the responsibility to consult the organizations responsible for the desktop, testing, and/or production environments to ensure that the target version of the technology will be supported. Any major.minor version that is not listed in the VA Decision Matrix is considered unapproved for use.

Legend:

White	Approved: The technology/standard has been approved for use.
Yellow	Approved w/Constraints: The technology/standard can be used within the specified constraints located below the decision matrix in the footnote[1] and on the General tab.
Gray	Unapproved: This technology or standard can be used only if a POA&M review is conducted and signed by the Authorizing Official Designated Representative (AODR) as designated by the Authorizing Official (AO) or designee and based upon a recommendation from the POA&M Compliance Enforcement, has been granted to the project team or organization that wishes to use the technology.
Orange	Divest: VA has decided to divest itself on the use of the technology/standard. As a result, all projects currently utilizing the technology/standard must plan to eliminate their use of the technology/standard. Additional information on when the entry is projected to become unapproved may be found on the Decision tab for the specific entry.
Black	Prohibited: The technology/standard is not (currently) permitted to be used under any circumstances.
Blue	Planning/Evaluation Constraint:The period of time this technology is currently being evaluated, reviewed, and tested in controlled environments. Use of this technology is strictly controlled and not available for use within the general population. If a customer would like to use this technology, please work with your local or Regional OI&T office and contact the appropriate evaluation office displayed in the notes below the decision matrix. The Local or Regional OI&T office should submit an inquiry to the TRM if they require further assistance or if the evaluating office is not listed in the notes below.

Release/Version Information:

VA decisions for specific versions may include a ‘.x’ wildcard, which denotes a decision that pertains to a range of multiple versions.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 7.x would cover any version of 7.(Anything) - 7.(Anything). However, a 7.4.x decision would cover any version of 7.4.(Anything), but would not cover any version of 7.5.x or 7.6.x on the TRM.

VA decisions for specific versions may include ‘+’ symbols; which denotes that the decision for the version specified also includes versions greater than what is specified but is not to exceed or affect previous decimal places.

For example, a technology approved with a decision for 12.6.4+ would cover any version that is greater than 12.6.4, but would not exceed the .6 decimal ie: 12.6.401 is ok, 12.6.5 is ok, 12.6.9 is ok, however 12.7.0 or 13.0 is not.

<Past

CY2022

CY2023

CY2024

Future>

Release

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

4.3

Unapproved

4.4

Unapproved

4.5

Unapproved

4.6

Unapproved

4.7.x

Unapproved

4.8.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 14, 15]

4.13.x

Unapproved

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 13, 14]

Approved w/Constraints
[9, 11, 12, 14, 15]

Decision Constraints


[1]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[2]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information Security Office (ISO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[3]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISO can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[4]	Use of MySQL to store Protected Heath Information (PHI), Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or VA-sensitive information is unapproved until VA develops and approves a security configuration baseline to meet VA`s security requirements for PHI/PII/VA-sensitive information. See the VA baseline website site referenced above for more information. Any use of this product for PHI/PII/VA-sensitive information must be waivered for use by the AERB waiver process. At the time of this writing, NIST and NSOC had not made a distinction if any known vulnerabilities have been remediated in the enterprise edition. This will need to be considered if VA were to develop a security configuration baseline for either edition.

[5]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISO (Information Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[6]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[7]	This product can be configured with a MySQL Database, which at the time of writing has TRM constraints for intranet use only due to its many known security issues. If MySQL is selected for use with this product, these factors should be considered especially when an instance of this product will be considered a Moderate or High Risk system. Please refer to the MySQL Database TRM entry for more details.

[8]	Technology must remain patched and operated in accordance with Federal and Department security policies and guidelines in order to mitigate known and future security vulnerabilities.

[9]	This technology must use the latest TRM-approved version of Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle. This technology must use the latest TRM-approved version of Java Development Kit (JDK) - Oracle. Users must not utilize MySQL Community Edition, as it is at the time of writing, unapproved in the TRM. Users must not utilize Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), as it is at the time of writing, unapproved in the TRM. Users must ensure that Apache Tomcat and Oracle Database are implemented with VA-approved baselines. (refer to the ‘Category’ tab under ‘Runtime Dependencies’) Per the Initial Product Review, users must abide by the following constraints: BIRT will require a 3rd party FIPS 140-2 certified solution for any data containing PHI/PII or VA sensitive information. System owners need to stay informed of the BIRT development activities to ensure software updates and patches to the software are tested and installed in a timely manner. Additionally, system owners need to constantly monitor the various resources within the BIRT community to get the most up-to-date information on known vulnerabilities as well as solutions to mitigate or remediate the vulnerabilities.

[10]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500.

[11]	Users should check with their supervisor, Information System Security Officer (ISSO) or local OIT representative for permission to download and use this software. Downloaded software must always be scanned for viruses prior to installation to prevent adware or malware. Freeware may only be downloaded directly from the primary site that the creator of the software has advertised for public download and user or development community engagement. Users should note, any attempt by the installation process to install any additional, unrelated software is not approved and the user should take the proper steps to decline those installations.

[12]	Due to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identified security vulnerabilities, extra vigilance should be applied to ensure the versions remain properly patched to mitigate known and future vulnerabilities. The local ISSO (Information System Security Officer) can provide assistance in reviewing the NIST vulnerabilities.

[13]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 compliant encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the hard drive where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP).

[14]	Veterans Affairs (VA) users must ensure VA sensitive data is properly protected in compliance with all VA regulations. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed by the local ISSO (Information System Security Officer) to ensure compliance with both VA Handbook 6500 and VA Directive 6500.

[15]	Per the May 5th, 2015 memorandum from the VA Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) FIPS 140-2 FIPS 140-2 Validate Full Disk Encryption (FOE) for Data at Rest in Database Management Systems (DBMS) and in accordance with Federal requirements and VA policy, database management must use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 or its successor to protect the confidentiality and integrity of VA information at rest at the application level. If FIPS 140-2 encryption at the application level is not technically possible, FIPS 140-2 or 140-3 compliant full disk encryption (FOE) must be implemented on the storage device where the DBMS resides. Appropriate access enforcement and physical security control must also be implemented. All instances of deployment using this technology should be reviewed to ensure compliance with VA Handbook 6500 and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards. It is the responsibility of the system owner to work with the local CIO (or designee) and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) to ensure that a compliant DBMS technology is selected and that if needed, mitigating controls are in place and documented in a System Security Plan (SSP). By September 22, 2026, all FIPS 140-2 certificate validations will be placed on the Historical List, please refer to FIPS Transition Effort for further guidance and timeline of changes.

Note:

At the time of writing, version 4.13.0 is the most current version and was released on 03/03/2023.

References

The following reference(s) are associated with this entry:
Type	Name	Description
Vendor Provided*	Overview and Latest Releases	This webpage outlines an overview and the latest releases for the technology.
Vendor Provided*	Alternate Github Repository	This webpage outlines alternate Github repository for the technology.
Vendor Provided*	Overview of Release 4.8.0	This webpage outlines an overview of version 4.8.0 for the technology.
*NOTE: Vendor provided information is subject to the accuracy of the manufacturer.

Technology Components

Note: This list may not be complete. No component, listed or unlisted, may be used outside of the technology in which it is released. The usage decision for a component is found in the Decision and Decision Constraints.
Name	Description
Eclipse Charting Engine (ECE)	The Chart Engine provides a rich business chart generation capability that can be used as a standalone charting component, as well as providing the chart generation service within the Report Engine.
Eclipse Report Designer (ERD)	The Eclipse Report Designer is an Eclipse-based desktop authoring environment for report development.
Eclipse Report Engine (ERE)	The Report Engine enables reports to be generated using the Extensible Markup Language (XML) report designs created by the Eclipse Report Designer, Web Based Report Designer.
Web Based Report Designer (WRD)	The Web Based Report Designer project delivers customizable and extensible Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) based technology for creating reports with basic layouts and data manipulation. WRD will leverage components such as style sheets and templates created using the Eclipse Report Designer.

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Domain Area	Category	Customer Guidance	Category Locked By ELT Date
Information Management Technologies Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse Platforms	Web Reporting Tools

Open Source

This entry is available as an open source technology.

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

macOS - Approved w/Constraints
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Client - Approved w/Constraints
Windows Server - Approved w/Constraints

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Apache Tomcat - (required for some configurations)
Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF)
Eclipse Web Tools Platform (WTP)
Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle
JDK - Oracle Java Standard Edition (SE) Development Kit
My Structured Query Language (MySQL) Database - Community Editions

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

This technology can be acquired without cost through open source licensing and as such, supports VA`s open source initiative.
This is a well-documented technology.
This technology may improve productivity for specific staff whose responsibilities include producing reports in several different formats.

Adoption Risks

There are known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) associated with this technology. Please see https://nvd.NIST.gov/vuln/search for more details.
The potential exists to store Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Protected Health Information (PHI) and/or VA Sensitive data and proper security standards must be followed in these cases.
Other supported solutions that provide similar functionality are available on the TRM. The use of several similar solutions may increase organization requirements for support and maintenance.
BIRT`s default encryption does not conform to Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 encryption standards. However, supporting documentation indicates BIRT can be deployed on an application server (e.g., IBM WebSphere, Oracle Weblogic, Apache Tomcat) that supports the use of FIPS 140-2 cryptographic module.
As this is an open source application, software issues may arise from the lack of software updates. Without a responsible vendor’s commitment to provide updates to patch known vulnerabilities, the application is left vulnerable to malicious attacks.
This technology relies on Java Runtime Environment (JRE) - Oracle, which has a rapid release and update schedule.
This technology relies on Java Development Kit (JDK) - Oracle, which has a rapid release and update schedule.
This technology can potentially use MySQL, an unapproved technology.
This technology can potentially use Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), an unapproved technology.

Architectural Benefits

This technology is portable across multiple VA-supported platforms.

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

Vendor Release Information

Current Decision Matrix (03/13/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Open Source

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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VA Technical Reference Model v 24.7

General Information

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Current Decision Matrix (03/13/2023)

Decision Constraints

References

Technology Components

VA Categories View the VA Categorization Framework

Open Source

Operating Systems Supported by the Technology

Technologies/Standards Relationships

Runtime Dependencies:

Comparable Technologies:

Companion Technologies/Supported Standards:

General Analysis

Adoption Benefits

Adoption Risks

Architectural Benefits

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