How to specify the connection information for a database or other JDBC data source 1 In Data Explorer, right-click Data Sources, then choose New Data Source. 2 On New Data Source, supply the following information: 1 Select JDBC Data Source from the list of data source types. 2 In Data Source Name, type a name for the data source. The name must be unique in the current report. Figure 2‑2 shows a default data source name. Figure 2‑2 Creating a JDBC data source 3 Choose Next. New JDBC Data Source Profile shows connection properties, as shown in Figure 2‑3. Figure 2‑3 Defining JDBC connection information 3 Specify the connection information for the JDBC data source: 1 In Driver Class, choose a driver class from the drop-down list. If you do not see the driver class that you want to use, add a driver as described later in this section. 2 In Database URL, type the database URL, using the syntax that the driver requires. Typically, BIRT Report Designer displays the necessary syntax in Database URL. For a Sun JDBC/ODBC bridge, for example, the syntax is jdbc:odbc:<data source name> where <data source name> is the name of your data source. For example, the following URL identifies the sales database: jdbc:odbc:sales 3 In User Name, type the user name to use when connecting to the JDBC data source. This field can be left blank if your data source does not require a user name. 4 In Password, type the password to use when connecting to the JDBC data source. This field can be left blank if your data source does not require a password. 5 In JNDI URL, type the full path to the connection pooling service, if applicable. The following path is an example: java:comp/env/jdbc/MyDataSource In the example, MyDataSource is the name of the JNDI database service. 4 To ensure that the connection information is correct, choose Test Connection. If Test Connection returns an error, repeat the preceding steps to correct the error. Then, test the connection again. 5 Choose Finish. The new JDBC data source appears under Data Sources in Data Explorer.