This is how I am using CR in my application..
Add References to the following libraries
1. Crystal Report Viewer Control
2. Crystal Reports 8.5 ActiveX Designer Design and Runtime Library
3. Crystal Reports 8.5 ActiveX Designer Run Time Library
'coding starts here
Public Report
Set Report = New CrysDsrGenSmry
'CrysDsrGenSmry is the Crystal designer in VB, the report(.rpt file) i want show would be embed into this designer, and this would be instantiated directly. I did this coz i don't want to distribute the .rpt file
CRViewer1.ReportSource = Report
'CRSmtViewer is the CRViewer control
'pass all the parameters if any
Report.ParameterFields(1).AddCurrentValue ("Report Parameter 1"
'preparing to show the report
CRViewer1.EnableGroupTree = False
CRViewer1.EnableProgressControl = False
CRViewer1.DisplayTabs = False
'show the report
CRViewer1.ViewReport
'when the statement Set Report = New CrysDsrGenSmry is executed the Initialize event in the designer is fired and this is the place where i bind the recordset which i would have created and filled already.
Private Sub Report_Initialize()
AutoSetUnboundFieldSource crBMTName
Database.SetDataSource MyRecordset
End Sub
'now when i try this to create a subreport the data for the subreport is not displayed at all
Dim m_SubReport As CRAXDDRT.Report
Set m_SubReport = CrysDsrGenSmry.OpenSubreport("CrysDsrsubreport"

'CrysDsrsubreport is the subreport designer, here i cannot use .rpt file as u mentioned coz of the same reason i mentioned above
m_SubReport.Database.SetDataSource SubRptRecordset
So I have tried to avoid using subreports which now satisfies my requirement also

But I wanted to know how to use that.
About the second problem i am facing do you see any possible problems in future?
Thanks a lot for all this discussion.. In case you don't have any issues.. I would like to continue this in future.
Here is my mail id neo_kiran@yahoo.com
cheers

- Kiran