crystal reports

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chronodekar

chronodekar

Senior member
Nov 2, 2008
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I've asking around my office, and no-one has a clue. I've looked at the main web-site, but I just don't get it.

It's that additional package that seems to come when you install Visual Studio 2005. ( I don't know about 2008)

What is the benefit or use for these 'crystal reports' ? And they meant for the developer or can they be used by the end-user?
 
KLin

KLin

Lifer
Feb 29, 2000
30,179
546
126
It's a report writing tool. It can interface with just about every database engine out there. The component that comes with visual studio is an OEM software report writing tool to allow you to develop reports for a .net application.
 
chronodekar

chronodekar

Senior member
Nov 2, 2008
721
1
0
Forgive my ignorance, but,

what is the point of a reporting tool? We already have a test-bench doing all kinds of regression tests, source-code documenting ... etc.

I don't see the benefit of a reporting tool. Or is it because it can interface with any data-base that makes it attractive? ... I guess that makes sense. Kind of... -sigh- :roll:
 
KLin

KLin

Lifer
Feb 29, 2000
30,179
546
126
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Forgive my ignorance, but,

what is the point of a reporting tool? We already have a test-bench doing all kinds of regression tests, source-code documenting ... etc.

I don't see the benefit of a reporting tool. Or is it because it can interface with any data-base that makes it attractive? ... I guess that makes sense. Kind of... -sigh- :roll:
Click to expand...

It's a tool to develop reports for users to run.
 
chronodekar

chronodekar

Senior member
Nov 2, 2008
721
1
0
Umm... why will a user need a report? All they would need is a manual or something, right? Or is it some kind of bug-reporting thing ?
 
KLin

KLin

Lifer
Feb 29, 2000
30,179
546
126
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Umm... why will a user need a report? All they would need is a manual or something, right? Or is it some kind of bug-reporting thing ?
Click to expand...

One of our clients run a a tour bus chartering business. the company I work for developed a custom C# application using SQL Server as the backend database to allow them to manage customer orders, employee labor, bus maintenance, etc.

In this application are many reports designed using crystal reports for the users to run (labor efficiency reports, open order reports, etc.). These are user defined reports to allow them to run their business more efficient.

We have another client that uses a c# application we developed to print out pallet tags for their finished good product. The pallet tag is a crystal report.

Starting to make sense now?
 
chronodekar

chronodekar

Senior member
Nov 2, 2008
721
1
0
Originally posted by: KLin
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Umm... why will a user need a report? All they would need is a manual or something, right? Or is it some kind of bug-reporting thing ?
Click to expand...

One of our clients run a a tour bus chartering business. the company I work for developed a custom C# application using SQL Server as the backend database to allow them to manage customer orders, employee labor, bus maintenance, etc.

In this application are many reports designed using crystal reports for the users to run (labor efficiency reports, open order reports, etc.). These are user defined reports to allow them to run their business more efficient.

We have another client that uses a c# application we developed to print out pallet tags for their finished good product. The pallet tag is a crystal report.

Starting to make sense now?
Click to expand...

Things are beginning to make sense to me now.

I think what bugged me was, Why bother with a whole new tool for the purpose? I mean, why not just export to excel directly or something?

Ignoring the benefits/side-effects of the above suggestion, I have a much better idea of crystal reports now.

Hmmm... to me, a report is more useful if it's interactive. That should not be too hard. And we see something similar with many web-applications these days anyways.

Thanks, mate !! :thumbsup:
 
D

DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
You're thinking like a programmer :)

Many users want to see "the web traffic report" or the "daily sales report with monthly trend line" by pushing a button, they don't want to work with raw data to develop or modify reports.
 
joutlaw

joutlaw

Golden Member
Feb 18, 2008
1,108
2
81
We use Crystal Reports a lot in my group.

i.e. Monthly reports go out to each manager in customer service that shows what districts have outstanding requests. I also do a report that gets the response time for each request.

We also use crystal reports to prepare insurance policy illustrations. You can use values from any form of databases, or you can pass it a dataset in memory and populate the report.

You could give the user something in excel or you could give the user something in PDF which almost everyone should be able to open and it will be formatted where it's easy to read.

Crystal is a pretty neat tool and in an ideal situation you would have the end user creating the report template and you linking that with the database... unfortunately it doesn't happen like that where I work.
 
W

WannaFly

Platinum Member
Jan 14, 2003
2,811
1
0
If you do any sort of Line of Business applications, you are going to use _SOME_ sort of reporting tool. Whether it be crystal, SQL Reporting, or some other. Programs need to be integrated. I don't want to have to show the CEO of a company how to use and order data in excel when I can just provide him a simple menu or whatever that will run a report for him.

as with joutlaw, we use crystal extensively in my job. The reporting is what stands my software out from the rest, in some cases.
 
Markbnj

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
15,682
14
81
www.markbetz.net
Crystal Reports has been the standard for years. Entire generations of programmers have learned to curse it, even as they learned that nothing else does what it does as well as it does it. Since it was acquired by Business Objects it has become basically the visualization layer for their proprietary enterprise data object architecture. You can still use it as a stand-alone reporting tool against just about any data source, but the product itself is embedded in a giant wall of marketing concrete along with about six dozen other tools and frameworks that they have acquired.

There actually are some decent reporting alternatives out there now, including at least one open source tool. But we've always ended up back on Crystal.
 
sao123

sao123

Lifer
May 27, 2002
12,653
205
106
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Originally posted by: KLin
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Umm... why will a user need a report? All they would need is a manual or something, right? Or is it some kind of bug-reporting thing ?
Click to expand...

One of our clients run a a tour bus chartering business. the company I work for developed a custom C# application using SQL Server as the backend database to allow them to manage customer orders, employee labor, bus maintenance, etc.

In this application are many reports designed using crystal reports for the users to run (labor efficiency reports, open order reports, etc.). These are user defined reports to allow them to run their business more efficient.

We have another client that uses a c# application we developed to print out pallet tags for their finished good product. The pallet tag is a crystal report.

Starting to make sense now?
Click to expand...

Things are beginning to make sense to me now.

I think what bugged me was, Why bother with a whole new tool for the purpose? I mean, why not just export to excel directly or something?

Ignoring the benefits/side-effects of the above suggestion, I have a much better idea of crystal reports now.

Hmmm... to me, a report is more useful if it's interactive. That should not be too hard. And we see something similar with many web-applications these days anyways.

Thanks, mate !! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

in other words...
reports are for the number crunchers...
 
W

WildHorse

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2003
5,006
0
0
Originally posted by: Markbnj

<cutout>
There actually are some decent reporting alternatives out there now, including at least one open source tool. But we've always ended up back on Crystal.
Click to expand...

Markbnj

Do you remember the name of the open source report writer you refer to?
Have you used it? Any good?


 
Markbnj

Markbnj

Elite Member <br>Moderator Emeritus
Moderator
Sep 16, 2005
15,682
14
81
www.markbetz.net
Originally posted by: scott
Originally posted by: Markbnj

<cutout>
There actually are some decent reporting alternatives out there now, including at least one open source tool. But we've always ended up back on Crystal.
Click to expand...

Markbnj

Do you remember the name of the open source report writer you refer to?
Have you used it? Any good?
Click to expand...

I think it was Datavision, Scott, which Drew has posted a link to.
 
W

WildHorse

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2003
5,006
0
0
GeekDrew & Markbnj,

Thanks guys!

I'm downloading DataVision 1.2.0 now.
From the website I see that it'll do what I nee.

This will be very useful.
 
J

JACKDRUID

Senior member
Nov 28, 2007
729
0
0
Originally posted by: chronodekar



I think what bugged me was, Why bother with a whole new tool for the purpose? I mean, why not just export to excel directly or something?;
Click to expand...

well , you cannot host excel online..
besides, it has built-in tool for you to download your report in excel, pdf etc format.

 
F

ForumMaster

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2005
7,792
1
0
we use a similar product called cognos owned by ibm link and despite the fact that i didn't like it much at first, the information you can gain from the automated reports sent that for example, can show daily performance statistics of your systems.
 
P

polarbear6

Golden Member
Jul 14, 2008
1,161
1
0
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Originally posted by: KLin
Originally posted by: chronodekar
Umm... why will a user need a report? All they would need is a manual or something, right? Or is it some kind of bug-reporting thing ?
Click to expand...

One of our clients run a a tour bus chartering business. the company I work for developed a custom C# application using SQL Server as the backend database to allow them to manage customer orders, employee labor, bus maintenance, etc.

In this application are many reports designed using crystal reports for the users to run (labor efficiency reports, open order reports, etc.). These are user defined reports to allow them to run their business more efficient.

We have another client that uses a c# application we developed to print out pallet tags for their finished good product. The pallet tag is a crystal report.

Starting to make sense now?
Click to expand...

Things are beginning to make sense to me now.

I think what bugged me was, Why bother with a whole new tool for the purpose? I mean, why not just export to excel directly or something?

Ignoring the benefits/side-effects of the above suggestion, I have a much better idea of crystal reports now.

Hmmm... to me, a report is more useful if it's interactive. That should not be too hard. And we see something similar with many web-applications these days anyways.

Thanks, mate !! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Well to get a even better idea, refer to this Text

Hope it helps and i hope no one already posted a link to some tutorial like I did, cause I didn't read all the replies :p
 
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