[ReCrystallize Pro] [Who's
using ReCrystallize Pro?]
[Sample Reports] [Screen
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[Support FAQ] [Support]
[Activation]
How does ReCrystallize Pro work and how will it help me
to make my Crystal
Reports available on the web?
Who should use
ReCrystallize Pro?
Will this solution require any special training for
end users?
On what types of data can I report
with Crystal
Reports and ReCrystallize Pro?
What is the difference between the Crystal Web
Component Server and Active Server Pages?
Can I control access to certain reports or specific
data within a report?
Will users be able to see or override database login
information or report parameters?
What are the system requirements for using
ReCrystallize Pro?
What are the system requirements for running reports
on the web?
Will my web server need access to my database?
Why would I use
ReCrystallize Pro instead of or in addition to Crystal Enterprise?
Does ReCrystallize
Pro eliminate the need for Crystal Reports client access or server
licensing?
Q: How does ReCrystallize Pro work and how will it help me
to make my Crystal
ReportsTM available on the web?
A: The ReCrystallize Pro wizard opens and examines your Crystal Report file
to determine
what information is needed to run the report on the web. For example, your
database user id and password may be required. Parameter values such as dates
may also need to be set in order for your report to run correctly.
ReCrystallize Pro allows you to specify
how you would like the required information to be supplied. You may wish to prompt
your users for some information while hiding other information such as
passwords. You can also take advantage of advanced features such as
setting a record selection formula and customizing how you would like your
Crystal Report to be presented.
ReCrystallize Pro then produces all of the
web pages needed for your Crystal Report. The web pages that ReCrystallize Pro
produces are "ready to run" immediately. If desired, you
may customize the appearance or behavior of the web pages using a text
editor or web authoring/development tools.
Q: Who should use
ReCrystallize Pro?
A: ReCrystallize Pro is ideal for anyone who
wishes to distribute Crystal Reports on an intranet or extranet and wants the
ability to provide an easy-to-use, customizable web interface.
Anyone who has a working knowledge of Crystal
Reports can use the ReCrystallize Pro wizard to produce web pages.
At the same time, ReCrystallize provides a powerful tool for
advanced developers who often use ReCrystallize Pro to "jump start"
their development efforts and then modify the
HTML or ASP code to customize the appearance or behavior of reports.
Q: Will this solution require any special training for
end users?
A: No. Anyone who can use a web browser should be able to use the report viewers with no little or no additional training. If you
prefer, your report data can be returned directly to Microsoft Excel or
Microsoft Word.
Q: One what types of data can I report
with Crystal
Reports and ReCrystallize Pro?
A: ReCrystallize Pro takes advantage of Crystal Reports' ability to
report on data from virtually any source. You can use any ODBC data source or
Crystal Reports' native drivers to popular RDBMS systems such as Oracle.
Reports based on ADO recordsets are not supported in the current release;
development is underway to provide ADO support.
Q: What is the difference between the Crystal Web
Component Server and Active Server Pages?
A: The Crystal Web Component Server (formerly known as the Crystal
Web Reports Server) is a group of components that
are included and installed as part of Crystal Reports. These components work
with your web server using the Netscape API, Internet Information Server API, or CGI to render your
Crystal Reports as they are requested. The Crystal Web Reports Server offers
built-in caching of report data that may be beneficial if your report data does
not change frequently and does not vary from user to user. However, the effectiveness of
the caching may be negligible if your reports will frequently be run with
different parameters or record selection formulas. (Beginning with Crystal
Reports 8.5, this functionality is provided as part of Crystal
Enterprise.)
The Active Server Pages created by ReCrystallize Pro use the VBScript programming language to run your
reports directly with the Crystal Reports engine automation server. Using ASP to run reports
gives developers
practically unlimited flexibility to customize the way reports are run and
presented to the user. ASP also provides better security because preset or
calculated report parameters and database login information never leave the
server, ensuring that users can not observe or override this information.
Q: Can I control access to certain reports or specific
data within a report?
A: Yes, ReCrystallize Pro works with Crystal Reports, your web
server and your database to control access to your data in
any of three ways:
Q: Will users be able to see or override database login
information or report parameters?
A: ReCrystallize Pro generates Active Server Pages to run your
reports. Because Active Server Pages execute on the web server, passwords and
preset report parameters never leave the server, so users will not
be able to observe or override these values. Users can change
only the parameters that you specify in the ReCrystallize wizard.
If you use the Crystal Web Component Server, it is necessary to
send all information that the report requires to the web browser. Database and
parameter information are not visible to the user during the normal course of
running a report, however users can simply choose the View Source option
in the web browser to see this information. ReCrystallize can encode your data
source user name and password so that they are not obvious, however
users may still be able to determine these values. For this reason, use of Active Server
Pages is recommended when data security is a
concern.
Q: What are the system requirements for using
ReCrystallize Pro?
A: The ReCrystallize Pro wizard's requirements
are similar to Crystal Reports. It will run on most PCs with Windows 98 SE, Me, NT, 2000,
XP, 2003, or Vista.
Q: What are the system requirements for running reports
on the web?
A: We recommend a PC with a minimum of 128MB RAM running Windows 2000
or Windows 2003 with Internet Information Server. A full copy of Crystal Reports
should be installed on the web server PC since this will provide complete
runtime support and allow you to easily troubleshoot any problems such as database
connectivity at the server.
Q: Will my web server need access to my database?
A: Yes, in order to run reports with "live" data, your web server PC will need to be configured to access your database. To report on an ODBC data source, for example, you would create an ODBC
System DSN from your web server's Control Panel. If you only wish to run reports
with saved data, no database connection is required on the web server.
Q: Why would I
use ReCrystallize Pro instead of or in addition to Crystal Enterprise?
ReCrystallize Pro often provides a simpler,
more cost-effective solution. In general, the web pages produced by ReCrystallize Pro give you greater control
and options for customization than are easily available with Crystal Enterprise.
By avoiding the Crystal Enterprise desktop
metaphor, you can customize your reports' web pages to blend seamlessly
with the other content on your web site. Unlike the Crystal
Enterprise interface, the web pages produced by ReCrystallize Pro are
"self evident"--most users will know at a glance how to set
report parameters and view a report. Making your web reports easy to
use avoids the need for costly end user training and support.
Crystal Enterprise is designed for
scalability and provides the ability to spread report processing and user
security/login over many computers. This may be an advantage for
very large enterprises, but is overkill for many applications in small to mid-size companies
and departmental uses within large organizations. Where this level of scalability is not required,
it comes with an unnecessary cost in terms of complexity and
administration overhead.
Q: Does
ReCrystallize Pro eliminate the need for Crystal Reports client access
licensing or server licensing?
ReCrystallize Pro is not intended to circumvent any user limits or licensing conditions
imposed by Crystal Reports.
