Can I still use compiled reports with Version 8 or 8.5?

Up through V7 of Crystal Reports you could compile a report to an exe and distribute it. This allowed anyone to run the report without having Crystal Reports. They would need the Runtime Engine, but you could distribute that for free.

With V8, the compile feature was removed from the menu and you had to download it. This gave you the same capabilities as V5 - V7 for report distribution. But, since SAP purchased Business Objects the download has disappeared and I have not been able to find it anywhere else on the web. Compiling is not available at all for any versions after v8.5.

The good news is that there are several 3rd party viewers that also allow you to run reports without installing Crystal Reports. These are even simpler to use than the compile process. There is a list of these on my web site's LINKS page and some are even free. Or, if you are a programmer, you can build your own viewer in a simple VB application. Source code for a working viewer is included in the "Quick Reference to VB" listed on my LIBRARY page.

Ken Hamady, On-site Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
http://www.kenhamady.com/