Web Connector and WCS timing out...

Ever seen this error in the event log and pulled your hair out?

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"The description for Event ID ( 34400 ) in Source ( Crystal_WebConnector ) could not be found. It contains the following insertion string(s): assert failure in file (Y:\webappserver\wsconnector\src\nisapi\workerpool.cpp) at line 71. (false : [color #ff0000]Request failed with code 7 and error message[/color])."
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This kind of situation can often crop up if your reports are based off stored procedures that must process a rather large amount of data.

The key piece if the above error is the last sentence as it holds the error code. (NOTE: Disregard the Y:\ it DOES NOT mean it looking for a file on Y:\ drive.)

Essentially this error is telling you that the Web Connector (WC) and the Web Component Server (WCS) have dropped their connection to each other.

It is important to bear in mind a fundamental difference between the CR Designer and CE. In CR, when you view/refresh a report, the ENTIRE report is served back. CR does not maintaing the same kind of connection.

In CE, only Page 1 of the request is every served back and each subsequent request is served up a page at a time. This is known as page-on-demand.

When you are reporting off a stored procedure, [color green]the procedure must run to completion BEFORE any records are served[/color]. If the proc takes say 10 minutes to run, then...

1. Viewing in CR will take 10 minutes to see the report

2. Viewing in CE will timeout as the 5 minute threashold would be met as Page 1 would not come back for 10 minutes.

Internally [CE] there is a 5 minute threashold that the WC and WCS will hold onto while WCS/WC waits for a completed Page 1 of the report to be passed to the browser.

Having said all that, the fix is quite readily available and requires changing a registry key value to increase the threashold.

The steps to follow have been outlined in a Crystal KBase at the following link --

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/library/kbase/articles/c2012177.asp

The following KBase may also help you troubleshoot and figure out some of the other WC error codes --

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/library/kbase/articles/c2010567.asp

Hope this helps out in some way.