Deploying RAS Environments

The RAS functions in two different environmentseither as a standalone report processing and modification server or as a service of the Crystal Enterprise framework.

Using RAS in a Crystal Enterprise Environment

Crystal Enterprise provides a framework for delivering enterprise reporting. RAS adds the capability for users to modify reports stored in Crystal Enterprise. In this scenario, the Crystal Enterprise framework manages the RAS. Multiple instances of the RAS can be added and Crystal Enterprise will load balance between them.

For additional information on the Crystal Enterprise Framework, p. 510

Using RAS in a Standalone Environment

Even without Crystal Enterprise, the capabilities of RAS can be leveraged. In this scenario the RAS SDK modifies unmanaged reports (reports stored on the file system rather than in Crystal Enterprise) so you refer to the RAS as an unmanaged server.

NOTE

The core functionality of the RAS is the same regardless of the environment it is running in. The rest of this chapter assumes the RAS is running in unmanaged mode as a standalone server.