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(For recent updates read my BLOG, The Crystal Reports Underground )

The Crystal Reports Underground News - February 2002
an independent source for Crystal Reports Information
by Ken Hamady, MS

Contents for February:
** Questions to ask while planning a Crystal Reports deployment
** Understanding the Crystal Reports licenses and fees
** Options for deploying Crystal Reports to multiple users
** Winter/Spring classes in Leesburg, Baltimore and Philadelphia
** An even *better* place to buy Crystal on the Web
** Washington DC Area User's Group Meeting in February
** Expert on-site training or consulting
** Finding a stray formula so that it can be deleted
** Compile feature is now only for Developer's Edition
** My Quick Reference to Crystal Reports in Visual Basic
** Read back issues at http://www.kenhamady.com/news.html


Questions to ask while planning a Crystal Reports deployment:
There seems to be some confusion around the options for deploying Crystal Reports.  To understand your options you first have to answer the following questions:

1) How many people need to Design reports (RPT files)?
2) How many people need to Run reports (live data) that are Designed by someone else?
3) How many people need to View the static output of reports run by someone else?
4) How often will the reports be run?
5) Do you need to schedule reports to run at a certain time each day/week/month?
6) Do you need to create custom launch screens by writing an application?
7) Will this application run on a server (network or Internet) or one each local PC?
8) Do you want to control access to reports based on the user's identity?
9) Do you want to distribute report output via Email or Web site?


Understanding the Crystal Reports licenses and fees:
Once you have a handle on the questions above, it helps to become familiar with the terms and fees in the Crystal Licenses:

1) Server applications: 
Using versions 4 through 7 of Crystal, you can use the Web Component Server (WCS) that comes with Crystal Reports, and there are no license limits on how many users can run reports on your server.  But, these versions can only effectively handle a certain number of simultaneous users (5 - 15 by some estimates).  If you upgrade to version 8 of Crystal Reports, you can use either the v8 WCS or Crystal Enterprise.  These can handle higher levels of traffic, but you are limited by license to 5 concurrent (simultaneous) users per application.  Additional concurrent users require additional payments for licenses. 

2) Client applications:
However, there is an often overlooked distinction in the license between applications run on a network and applications run on a local PC.  If you create an application that is installed and runs on each local PC, then there is no limit to the number of people that can be running that application.  From my reading of the license (and seconded by an Authorized Crystal Partner) the location of the report or the data isn't the issue, as long as the application and the "report processing" occurs on the local PC.

3) Applications that require royalties:
Most applications that launch Crystal Reports do not require royalties.  However there are certain commands that go beyond launching reports and changing basic report settings.  If you include these commands in your application, then you have to pay royalties with each copy of the application you distribute.  The files and commands that require royalties are specified in the License.HLP file that comes with the Developer's Edition.  There are no royalties for the reports themselves, just the files that contain these specific application commands.

4) The Crystal Broadcast License (CBL):
You might assume that once you create a report, that you can do whatever you want with the output.  You would be wrong - possibly $10,000 per year wrong.  Starting with v8 the license for Crystal reports puts restrictions on what you can do with your "reports".  A report is defined as anything created with Crystal, so it could be an RPT file, an HTML page or even a text export file (they make a specific exception for hard copy).  So, if you automatically and regularly send a "report" to more than 50 people, that costs $10,000 per year.  Or, if you automatically and regularly post it to the web where more than 50 people are likely to see it, that costs $10,000 per year.  The key here is "automatically and regularly".  For more about this, see the 'fine print' link on my website for the dialogue I had with the license manager at Crystal Decisions.

The CBL does not apply to the 5 concurrent users who are under a server based system license.  This CBL also does not apply to reports distributed with an application because these reports are not re-distributed "automatically and regularly".  Last the CBL does not apply to reports created with v7 of Crystal Reports.

Options for deploying Crystal Reports to multiple users:
Once you answer the initial questions, and understand the fees, you can decide how to deploy Crystal Reports to your users.  All users who need to create the original RPT files (report designers) need to have a copy of the Crystal Reports.   For user's who need to run or view reports created by others, I have listed several options below.  Most of these are not affiliated in any way with Crystal Decisions.  Each of these products has a link on my web site's "Links" page.  These are all of the options I have been able to find, including those offered by my competitors, so please let me know if I have missed an option.

1) Give additional copies of Crystal Reports to all users.
This is a simple solution, but can be expensive.  Another potential downside is that it gives the user the ability to modify the reports, which is not always intended.

2) Download the FREE compiled report viewer function.
Although Crystal Decisions has been trying to steer people away from this option, it remains the number one download on their website.  As of January 2002 it has been changed so that it is only for users who have at least one copy of the Developer Edition (or know someone who does).  I discussed this feature at length in my September newsletter:

http://www.kenhamady.com/news0109.html

3) Build your own client "viewer" application in VB.
If you are a programmer you will be amazed at how simple it is to write a "client application" that can view reports.  I have included a working example (source code) in my VB Reference Guide.  The CRv8 Developer Edition (or CRv7 Professional) gives you the license to build, compile and even distribute client applications that have the ability to view Crystal Reports.  If you plan to distribute your application you should  read the license carefully for the few restrictions that might apply.

4) Buy a viewer program. 
There are a couple of programmers that have done what I have described above and sell a ready-to-install viewer that you can use to view reports.  These are generally about $35 - $50 per user, but I am sure that you can negotiate lower prices on volume purchases.  The four that I have listed on my links page are CRW Reporting (the lowest price), CView, ReportX and HammerLaunch.  If you want to add scheduling and/or password security the price is $70 - $500 and you can look at CRW Reporting Pro, CrystalDesk, Cview Manager or ReCrystalize Scheduler. 

5) Crystal Version 7 Web Server (WCS). 
If you are using CRv7 Professional, you can install the Web Component Server on a web server for free.  Reports can be launched from Web pages and can be controlled with commands from the Crystal Automation Server, or from Active Server Pages (programming required).  The v7 WCS can be used by any number of users, with no license limitations.  The practical limit is in the volume that the v7 WCS can handle.  I  have heard that it may start to degrade at anywhere from 5-15 concurrent users, depending on how it is deployed.  You would want to test this configuration in your environment under real-world volumes.  There is also a v8 WCS but it is limited by license to 5 concurrent users.

6) ReCrystalize Web Code Generator.
If you are considering the previous option, there is a piece of software that will generate the programming code for you.  This is a product called ReCrystalize.  It generates the basic pages for either the Automation Server or for ASP.  You can then customize the code if needed.  It starts at $264.

7) Crystal Clear Report Server.
If you want a report-server that you can program in Java, you can take a look at Crystal Clear.  This is a Report Server that you use in place of the Crystal Web Component Server (WCS) mentioned above.  It is completely written in Java, so it is platform independent.  It runs $900 - $1,500 for unlimited users on a single server.  Crystal Clear can be used with all versions of Crystal Reports.  If you are serving Crystal v8 reports, you have to be aware of the CBL fees (mentioned above) and when they start to apply.

8) Parallel Crystal Report Server.
If you want a high volume report-server that can be programmed in both COM and Java,  then take a look at Parallel Crystal.  This is a report server designed for very high volume environments.  It starts at $25,000 for unlimited users on a dual processor server. This can be used with all versions of Crystal Reports.  If you are serving Crystal v8 reports, you have to be aware of the CBL fees (mentioned above) and when they start to apply.

9) If you don't want to do any programming there are 2 products that you can buy that come with a completed front end for your users.  They are Trinity Web and Cizer.  Both allow web based viewing of reports and other office documents.  Both provide security features and scheduling features including Email distribution.  If you are serving Crystal v8 reports, you have to be aware of the CBL fees (mentioned above) and when they start to apply.

Cizer is compatible with Crystal Reports, but this is not mentioned on their web site.  It starts at $8,500 per processor.

Trinity Web allows some customization of the screens and code (written in PHP) and starts at $4,500 for 10 named users.

10) Crystal Decisions offers two products - Seagate Info (for networks) and Crystal Enterprise (for the Internet).  There is an updated article on Crystal Enterprise configuration options and pricing in my 'Toolbox' area.
        

Study with an Expert this Winter:
Click the "Public Classes" button above for dates.
Each class is $675 per student.
Call for more information at (540) 338-0194.


Smart shopping for Crystal Reports, update:
Last month I mentioned 2 major online software retailers, CDW and PC Connections.  Since then I have found a site that offers even better prices for Crystal Reports, Atomic Park. 

http://www.atomicpark.com/

I haven't ordered from them yet, but they have a BizRate rating of 9.0 based on 5,000 customers.  Here is a new price comparison from 1/19/2002:

8.5 professional, single user boxed:
    Crystal Decisions: $395
    CDW: $356
    PC Connections: $350
    AtomicPark:    $339 with free shipping


Washington DC Area User's Group Meeting this month:
There is a CD User's Group meeting for the DC area on the afternoon of 2/19/2002.  If you are interested, I have posted a copy of my invitation on my web site.  It includes the Email address of the person who handles registration.  Registration is required.

http://www.kenhamady.com/cdug.html


Expert On-Site Training or Consulting:
I have personally taught over 1200 satisfied students in more than 30 states.  On-site training is my specialty, and I charge about half of the "List Price" for Crystal Training. 

Do I know my stuff?  Go to Crystal Reports General forum at Tek-Tips.com and you will find me listed as the top Crystal Reports expert out of over 23,000 members:

    http://www.tek-tips.com/gthreadminder.cfm/lev2/4/lev3/100/pid/149

Can I teach?  Over 1200 students would recommend me.  Ask to speak to a recent customer as a reference.  Call for more information at (540) 338-0194.


Finding a stray formula or parameter:
Crystal will not allow you to delete a formula (or parameter field) from the field list, unless that formula is no longer used anywhere in the report.  Unfortunately, there are several hundred places where a formula could be hiding.  These include sorting, grouping, selecting, totaling and dozens of formatting formulas for every report object.  Checking all of these hiding places is not practical, so here are three ways to have Crystal help you uncover where the field is being used.

One technique is to export the report using the "report definition" format.  This creates a text file that lists (almost) all of the settings used in the report.  Theoretically you can search this text file for your formula name and see all of the uses of the formula.  The export will show if the field is used in a section, or in one of the hundreds of condition formulas available in your reports.

However there are a few bugs in this export.  In a short test I found several places where I could hide a formula field and it would not be picked up by the "report definition" export.  The ones I found in v8.5 are the condition formulas for  "Section Background Color", "Underline" and "Strikeout".  I would be surprised if there weren't others.  If the export doesn't locate the formula, there is another technique.  This requires that you change the data type of the formula.  If it is currently a numeric, change the formula to any character value, even "x".  If it is currently a character formula, change it to any numeric value, even zero.  When you try to preview the report, any condition formula that was using this value will now generate an error, and pop up on the screen.

If neither of these locate the formula, the field is likely sitting on the canvas but out of view.  This happens when the orientation or page size is changed.   Make the page wider or switch to landscape to see if the object is out of view on the canvas.


Changes to the Compile Feature:
Crystal Decisions has recently changed the compile feature that you can download from the Crystal Decisions web site.  Until late last year the download would install with Crystal Reports v8 Professional or Developer.  Now there is a message that says it is "only for use with the Developer edition".  It is unclear what happens to everyone who downloaded the earlier version of the file for use with Professional.  It was one of there most popular downloads.


VB Quick Reference Guide:
If you plan on incorporating Crystal Reports into a VB application, you should get my Quick Reference Guide.  It gives an overview of the integration methods, with syntax examples for the most important commands.  It comes with some source code examples, including a sample report viewer.  It is only $16 and can be Emailed to you within 24 hours.  Follow the link below for more details:  

http://www.kenhamady.com/vbref.html
Contact Information:

Ken Hamady, MS
525K East Market St.  PMB 299
Leesburg, VA 20176
(540) 338-0194
ken@kenhamady.com
http://www.kenhamady.com

Copyright 2002 by Ken Hamady
All rights reserved - Republishing this material requires written permission