OpenOffice gets business intelligence boost

Business intelligence software from Pentaho is to be integrated into the next version of OpenOffice, the open-source application suite.

As from version 2.3, OpenOffice.org users will be able to create reports with content from the OpenOffice.org base database as well as a range of proprietary and open-source relational databases, OLAP and XML sources.

Sun, which founded OpenOffice.org in 2000, says it has been working with Pentaho to enhance the software suite and that it will be "working with the community to enable its integration".

Originally known as JFreeReport, Pentaho's reporting project was first released in May 2002, and acquired by Pentaho in December 2005. Since the acquisition, Pentaho has added a drag-and-drop report designer, MDX support, report scheduling, security and portal integration. Pentaho's recently announced standards-based metadata layer and Ajax-based ad hoc query tool also bolster Pentaho's reporting capabilities.