CR Licencing 1

[BHeF]

Morning Crystal Users,

I have a query regarding licencing...

I'm currently using CR9 and am about to upgrade to 2011. No problem with that. I pay an upgrade fee to my software supplier and hey-presto.

But, my reports are also embedded in a web app with a cost-free royalty-free runtime licence which was available when CR9 was purchased.

Now I see from the SAP site that when I'm on the latest versions of CR there will be a cost to the runtime licence dependent upon whether the app is used by "Employees and Contractors" or "Anyone other than an employees or contractors" and whether the app is defined as either a "Client Application", a "Server Application" or a "Commercial Hosting Service".

My app and it’s reports are definitely used by people external to the company, it’s employees and contractors. So I know that which of those is applicable but I need to find a more detailed definition of the "Client Application", "Server Application", "Commercial Hosting Service" options. I haven't been able to find much further detail pertaining to this on the SAP site bar an article/blog post by Product Manager Brad Wheadon (link below).

http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/go/p...95418dbaa?QuickLink=index&overridelayout=true

My app could possibly be defined as either a "Server Application" or a "Commercial Hosting Service" so I need more details.

Has anyone else had this issue? Or can anyone give me any pointers?

I’ve found even getting this far a little confusing due to the many rebranding and renaming exercises of SAP/BO/Seagate/Crystal products over the years and because many articles on the SAP site still refer to CR2008 and not CR2011 so I .

Thanks in advance.

 

[kenhamady]

I have actually talked to them about this issue so I think I have it right. As a matter of fact I think my discussion with them might have inspired this wording in the license. But here is my take on it.

If this is YOUR application on YOUR server then you are talking about a server application. If you provide web hosting and also provide the Crystal runtime engine so that others can run THEIR apps on YOUR server, that is a "commercial hosting service".

To see examples of these go to Google and search for "hosting crystal reports". These companies provide the Crystal runtime environment as an optional part of your hosting package.

Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
Guides to Formulas, Parameters, Subreports, Cross-tabs, VB, Tips and Tricks

http://www.kenhamady.com/