January 4, 2003 at 3:07 am
If you are wanting to view your reports in a browser, one great solution is offered by SSW http://www.ssw.com.au. It's an access based reporting tool that converts access reports to the web browser. It only costs US$199. I like it becuase it uses the software you most probably already have and already know. You can link your SQL Server database to access via an ADP and get all the benefits of building your reports in Access - Much easier than Crystal. It also bypasses Crystal's terrible web-based implementation. The details for this reporting solution are at http://www.ssw.com.au/ssw/accessreporterforiis/default.aspx
January 7, 2003 at 5:00 am
I fail to see the reason for such strong feelings against Crystal Reports. I very much doubt any of these big mouths has actually worked with Crystal Reports and Crystal Enterprise versions 8 and later.
Let's make something clear: Crystal Reports is not a web reporting tool.
Period.
For web reporting there's Crystal Enterprise.
No comment about versions 5 and 6 of Crystal Reports.
They were bad.
Version 7 was alright.
Still not excellent, but going in the right direction.
Versions 8.x were actually very good and I enjoyed working with them.
It made writing reports extremely easy.
So much so that to dish out some basic financial report it takes me less than one minute! (yes, of course I already know where to find the data!)
Version 9 is now a very powerful product, its only drawback being the lack of integration with Crystal Enterprise 8.x (that's why I mostly use CR 8.5).
I don't understand why people keep talking about the crystal reports API calls or the OCX. They have been surpassed since version 6, and that was 4 years ago!
Has anybody ever looked at the RDC?
In version 9 they even have .NET assemblies and Java classes to manipulate reports!
January 7, 2003 at 5:51 am
Been working with Crystal reports 7 for some projects. Always got the job done, without too much hassle.
I think it's good value for the money (ever looked a licensing fees for Cognos).
But I have to agree that sometimes Crystal has some glitches, especially when you have to change something in the database design. Maybe V8 does behave better.
January 7, 2003 at 9:47 am
Saari,
From what I can tell here, personal attacks and name calling are normally frowned upon. We all come here to share information, and hopefully learn something.
I'm currently evaluating Crystal as a replacement for Cognos. I'd be interesting in your analysis of Crystal functionality vs. Cognos.
Don
Donhttp://www.biadvantage.com
January 8, 2003 at 4:19 am
I never personally attacked anyone, actually.
If you take "big mouth" as a personal offence, then sorry about that.
I guess my point was: it's a bit silly to whinge and moan about how hard it is to send a man on the moon with a steam engine.
Regarding my Cognos experience, I was evaluating Query and Impromptu some time ago and at the time it didn't offer a decent drill-down functionality (which I needed). I don't know what it's like in their latest version.
Regarding web distributions, they don't have an engine capable of manipulating published reports on the fly (whereas the Crystal Enterprise framework can use the RAS engine to do that), so that you have to re-publish reports for every insignificant change you make. Export formats are limited, too.
Aside from that, I also had a look at their PowerPlay OLAP engine and it took me 15 mins to find a bug that allows traversal directory navigation between *USER* folders. This means that an exploit was possible whereby anybody could have access to everybody else's cubes. I don't know if they fixed it now, but surely that was enough to stop my evaluation process.
Regards.
January 9, 2003 at 9:50 am
I have been creating fabulous reports from sql server for 10 years or so and from mssql since 4.2.1a.
I would get a demo version of a now sybase product called infomaker, which is an extension of PowerBuilder. Sybase may not be the hottest company around today, but its products are mature and easy to use.
if you have any questions about it, email me at davidc@trinityapex.net.
It has html,xml, all the typical save as options along with pdf save as capabilities in the version 9.0 release
David.
January 22, 2003 at 3:16 pm
I used to use earlier version of crystal reports about 4 years ago and at the time I swore I would avoid them again at all costs.
I wasn't best pleased to have to use Crystal again in the last year but to my astonishment they have improved dramatically in the last few releases.
I still don't like using them (I'd rather write the Stored procs and let someone else worry about layout) but they are powerful enough when used by someone skilled in the dark arts of reporting!
Nigel Moore
======================
January 23, 2003 at 2:01 am
hi ,
well i am not biased for any product...but of all the report generation tools that i have worked on...i have found COGNOS the best ....and the cubes that are generated in PowerPlay...are really cool... i think u shud go 4 Cognos
January 23, 2003 at 3:55 am
We primarily use SQL 2000's XML functionality, then apply XSL for HTML reports. For very quick and simple reports where performance is not an issue, we put the SQL query in a table and that's it.
Biggest issue we have is with printing. It's not easy to get nice printed reports from HTML. We have a copy button on all our reports so people can cut and paste them into Excel and print or do what they like with them, but sometimes this isn't sufficient for user requirements.
So Crystal Reports is our secondary tool in this situation.
Ryan Randall
Solutions are easy. Understanding the problem, now, that's the hard part.
January 23, 2003 at 11:32 am
If you have the budget, MicroStrategy is amazing for sites that need heavy duty reporting. Check out www.microstrategy.com. They have a good flash demo with narration.
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