Crystal Report 8.5

[Soleil525]

Can you please help me answer this question:
If I install a full Crystal Developer version 8.5 on the server machine will it functions the same as version 7. When my users access the report, will the server pushes all the neccessary DLLs and the viewer to the client's machine in order for them to view the report. Your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[franklin1232]

Yes it will. There is a new downloader included with the webserver in Crystal 8.5 that wasn't there in any previous versions. Watch out for licensing. I heard the 8.5 webserver you only get 5 concurrent connections. Anything over that and it might cost you!

 

[balves]

Are you talking about a web application with Crystal or a client-server application with Crystal?

With a web application, only the SmartViewer for ActiveX or SmartViewer for Java is downloaded to the user's PC.

 

[franklin1232]

Are you not using Crystal enterprise server with IIS or Apache? I wouldn't now about creating using it in a webservice or java applet. I use Enterprise server and asp to distribute my reports. I still use Enterprise 8.0 because the licensing is unlimited.

 

[Soleil525]

Thank you all for your response. We have a web-based application. We're currently have CR 7 install on the server. When we ordered version 8.5 Developer, it also came with Enterprise ver8.0 CD. We installed trial ver8.0 Enterprise on the test server and I think there is a limited of 5 concurrent users can access at any time. Since there is a limited licensing for ver8.0 Enterprise and we do not need the features, we are thinking about purchasing an additional license for ver8.5 Developer and install it on the server. The functions that we need are for the server to push the DLLs and the Viewer to the user's PC so that they can run, view, print or export the report. (I'm not sure if we need to purchase special license for this)

Franklin,
Are you sure there is an unlimited licensing for ver8.0 Enterprise?

 

[franklin1232]

I will double check about the licensing in 8.0 Does your web app have an HTML ASP front end, or does your application just link to the .rpt file through your browser. I know the DLL from 7.0 to 8.5 are different. You could just insert a line like this into an HTML page:

<OBJECT classid=&quot;clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000&quot;
codebase=&quot;

http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=5,0,0,0&quot;

WIDTH=100% HEIGHT=100%>

You could get the DLL loaded a bunch of ways. I've used MSI packages, standard setup packages, batch files, Scripts. It just depends on what I am distributing.

Maybe you could give me a little more info on your app. Is it .NET webservice. A DLL, PHP, ASP, EXE. Running on IIS Apache.

 

[Soleil525]

Franklin,
We have a ColdFusion Web-based application. You're absolutely right! We're linking to the .rpt file through the browser. We're looking for a way to change the DSN or datasource at run-time. I heard this can be accomplished through the ASP method. Thanks

 

[kenhamady]

There is a huge change in licensing between v7 and v8.
Starting with v8, you can't create a server based application that allows more than 5 concurrent users without buying fairly expensive CAL licenses (concurrent access licenses). Getting another copy of CRv8x doesn't increase the number of CAL's allowed on a single server. Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
Guide to using Crystal in VB

http://www.kenhamady.com/

tek@kenhamady.com

 

[franklin1232]

Changing the datasource at run-time using ASP is pretty simple. You could do a number of things. You could create two reports. Then instead of changing the datasource you could redirect to a different report.

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/library/kbase/articles/c2006325.asp

You could create recordsets using ADO and switch between them at runtime.

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/library/kbase/articles/c2002276.asp

What you really end up doing is creating a report object based on the .rpt file. This report object then exposes all kinds of run-time methods and properties that can be used in ASP. Any COM compliant lanuage for that matter.