You should not allow it, because it is not the storage container that should dominate how you work, but the objects that you keep in it. It is not the relational storage that should determine how reporting data should be accessed, but rather the business objects of the application.
Java is the platform with the best solutions for combining object programming and relational storage with JDO, Hibernate and Entity Beans, allowing clean separation of business logic and database persistence. In such a setting use of a report tool that only relates to the database spells disaster or costs and project delays.
We present ReportWeaver, the only reporting tool with a fully object oriented data model and data access via object api's that has a highly scalable engine. We also show how smart layout allows even end users to generate reports and business documents such as invoices with high precision formatting requirements.
Abstract