Mastering Business Analysis with Crystal Reports 9 (Wordware Applications Library)

So far in this chapter, you've looked at exporting reports into a static format in which your data is essentially frozen at the time you ran the report. But what if you wish for your users to view real-time reports — providing them with the ability to refresh reports to ensure they're viewing the most current data?

One solution is to provide report users with a copy of the report file (.RPT) you created and have them open and refresh the report with their own copy of Crystal Reports. Unfortunately, doing so requires that they have a copy of the software on their computers. This method may not be the most cost-effective solution for an organization.

Essentially, you have four other choices to provide real-time reports to your users. You can:

• Use a custom application that delivers the reports to your users. You'll need to have the Developer or Advanced editions of Crystal Reports to utilize this option.

• Use the Report Application Server (which is provided with the Professional and Developer version of Crystal Reports), an out-of-the-box web interface for real-time reporting.

• Use Crystal Enterprise (another Crystal Decisions product supported by Crystal Reports Developer and Advanced editions) as a prebuilt report distribution system.

• Use a third-party software report viewer (such as some of the products discussed in Appendix D).

In this book, we look briefly at the use of third-party products as a solution for report deployment.

The Crystal Reports Distributor

One excellent third-party product for successful report distribution is Crystal Reports Distributor, provided by ChristianSteven Software, Ltd. (www.christiansteven.com). This product allows you to automate the production of your Crystal Reports, including:

• Automating the scheduling of batch reports and sending them all out in the same e-mail

• Automating the sending of a report output to a folder, printer, or fax machine

• Automating the sending of a report output to Microsoft Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat (PDF), and other popular file formats

Figure 14-7 displays an example of the Crystal Reports Distributor. This and other third-party products are discussed in Appendix D.

Figure 14-7: The Crystal Reports Distributor from ChristianSteven Software, Ltd.

The following steps present report viewing with the Crystal Reports Distributor:

1. To view a report in real time, select File, Report from the menu bar.

   An Open dialog box displays. Select the location of the report that you wish to view. Note, you do not need to have Crystal installed on your computer to view these reports.

2. Once you select the file, the report displays in a Report Viewer dialog box.

3. Explore the Standard toolbar located on the Report Viewer.

   You can expand the Group Tree, refresh your data, scroll through the pages of your report, print, e-mail, and even export the report to other formats.

   Figure 14-7 displays how your screen might appear when viewing one of the reports that you've created within this book.

Of course, this is only scratching the surface of what Crystal Reports Distributor can do. There's a plethora of functionality that provides scheduling, mailing, and other distribution options. You can find more information regarding this product in the online help that ships with the trial software.