Dennis,
I never learned Report Builder well, so I do most of our new Reports in Crystal.
What you need:
1. To connect thru ODBC, you need at least Crystal 7.0 professional. To modify dbf reports in Vantage (like POfrm) you only need Crystal 7.0 Standard. (The highest level, Crystal Developer, allows you to program reports right into applications. We probably would never use it.)
2. Each client that RUNS an ODBC Crystal report, needs the ODBC driver. This is less of an issue in 4.0 and 5.0.
3. To distribute reports, you need to compile them with Crystal 7's report distribution, or compiler. There are two ways to manage your reports (that we have used) with compiled reports. The compiled reports need to be installed on each client that will use the report. This includes sending a PILE of .dll files for the client to use. The distribution process creates a setup.exe file which needs to be run on each client, which in turn copies all those files to the client. It's a cumbersome process.
A. By default, Crystal would have you send the .rpt file and all dll's to each client. If 5 computers have the same report, you have a copy of the .rpt file on each computer. If you have to modify the report, you have to go to each client and recopy the file or redistribute the report again.
B. Our preferred method is (was) to make a folder on the server for each report. Then when we compile and distribute the report, we do it to the folder for that report on the server. Once a client has run the setup.exe file for one report, then you don't have to run it again on that computer. The .dll files for that report are kept in the folder with the report. Plus, you have one copy of the report on the server. If you need to make simple changes to a report, you can do so, and it will be automatically reflected when a user runs the compiled report from the server. (You basically create a shortcut to the report on the client that points to the "report".exe file on the server.
C. If you decide to move to Crystal 8.0 (now version 8.5), you can distribute reports in a new and better way (or you can download the Compiler and do it like in version 7). It's called Crystal Enterprise (formerly Web Component Server). With CE, your reports reside on special server (although at least one person is using the Vantage server for this). Users only need an internet browser to view reports, and the reports are more flexible in their use. There are limitations on more complicated reports, however.
MIMICKING Report Builder reports:
1. You've got to start from scratch, but at least you have the links and fields to go on.
2. Crystal 7 will be MUCH slower than RB reports because ODBC is inherently slow. (Crystal 8 and Merant 3.6 are much faster than Crystal 7).
3. You can do things with Crystal that you could never do in a RB report - mainly because of Crystal's ability to do subreports. There are many more formatting options as well, so your reports will look a lot nicer. (really impress your boss).
There are some older threads on Egroups touting the +'s and -'s of Web Component Server and Compiled reports you can refer to as well.
Troy Funte
Liberty Electronics
I never learned Report Builder well, so I do most of our new Reports in Crystal.
What you need:
1. To connect thru ODBC, you need at least Crystal 7.0 professional. To modify dbf reports in Vantage (like POfrm) you only need Crystal 7.0 Standard. (The highest level, Crystal Developer, allows you to program reports right into applications. We probably would never use it.)
2. Each client that RUNS an ODBC Crystal report, needs the ODBC driver. This is less of an issue in 4.0 and 5.0.
3. To distribute reports, you need to compile them with Crystal 7's report distribution, or compiler. There are two ways to manage your reports (that we have used) with compiled reports. The compiled reports need to be installed on each client that will use the report. This includes sending a PILE of .dll files for the client to use. The distribution process creates a setup.exe file which needs to be run on each client, which in turn copies all those files to the client. It's a cumbersome process.
A. By default, Crystal would have you send the .rpt file and all dll's to each client. If 5 computers have the same report, you have a copy of the .rpt file on each computer. If you have to modify the report, you have to go to each client and recopy the file or redistribute the report again.
B. Our preferred method is (was) to make a folder on the server for each report. Then when we compile and distribute the report, we do it to the folder for that report on the server. Once a client has run the setup.exe file for one report, then you don't have to run it again on that computer. The .dll files for that report are kept in the folder with the report. Plus, you have one copy of the report on the server. If you need to make simple changes to a report, you can do so, and it will be automatically reflected when a user runs the compiled report from the server. (You basically create a shortcut to the report on the client that points to the "report".exe file on the server.
C. If you decide to move to Crystal 8.0 (now version 8.5), you can distribute reports in a new and better way (or you can download the Compiler and do it like in version 7). It's called Crystal Enterprise (formerly Web Component Server). With CE, your reports reside on special server (although at least one person is using the Vantage server for this). Users only need an internet browser to view reports, and the reports are more flexible in their use. There are limitations on more complicated reports, however.
MIMICKING Report Builder reports:
1. You've got to start from scratch, but at least you have the links and fields to go on.
2. Crystal 7 will be MUCH slower than RB reports because ODBC is inherently slow. (Crystal 8 and Merant 3.6 are much faster than Crystal 7).
3. You can do things with Crystal that you could never do in a RB report - mainly because of Crystal's ability to do subreports. There are many more formatting options as well, so your reports will look a lot nicer. (really impress your boss).
There are some older threads on Egroups touting the +'s and -'s of Web Component Server and Compiled reports you can refer to as well.
Troy Funte
Liberty Electronics
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Houghton
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, March 23, 2001 9:02 AM
Subject: [Vantage] Crystal Reports V7 and Vantage v4
My company wants me to learn how to use crystal reports. We currently use report builder exclusively. We have Crystal Reports ver 7, and Vantage Ver4. Will this version of Crystal enable me to make new reports, modify current crystal reports and forms in vantage? If not, What version crystal do i need? Can Report builder reports I've made be converted to crystal? I still need to get the Merant odbc driver ver 3.5 for the linking also. Any tips or information I can get on using odbc and crystal would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Dennis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
Click Here to Find Software Faster
To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/. Note: You must have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access.
Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]