How do shared variables in Crystal 8.5 and XI effect performance?

[vtisgreat]

I have a solution to a problem that I am considering that requires me to design around using possibly 100s of Shared variables in a subreport that gets included for every report I write. I am concerned before I go too far that this could effect performance/memory considerably.

These variables typically are not set to database fields, but are set to change the behavior of the main report I write.

Does anybody have experience with many shareds? How does it effect file size, memory consumption, and subreport performance. Note this subreport with the shared variables is only called once, but the shared variables may be referenced many times.

Thanks,
Sean

 

[TheBlondOne]

It does affect the performance of the report but so do the sub-reports. It all depends on what and how much data your trying to pass from sub-report to main report and vice versa.

Is there no other way to get the data you need for example creating a stored proc or a view

-Steve


"if at first you don't succeed, sky diving is not for you"!!! )

 

[vtisgreat]

Hi Steve:

The items that I am passing from Subreport to report typically are not stored in a database, so a stored proc or a view would not help, nor would the logistics work for this solution in the environment that it is to be used.

I am not too concerned about the overhead of one call to a subreport that has no tie to a database (this subreport probably will be not tied to a database), what I am concerned about would be the overhead of multiple shared variables. Note I may be using 100s of these shared (or potentially global) variables.


Ohh really what I'd like are structures in Crystal formulae... ohh and parameters to formulae would also be sweet! but I digress... BTW... to head off at the pass... custom functions would not really work here either.

Thanks for your response!
Sean

 

[GJParker]

In my experience as long as you have decent specification servesr / pc's you shouldn't have a problem. Although if you told us what the problem to this solution was we mey be able to help you even more with alternative suggestions.

HTH

Gary Parker
MIS Data Analyst
Manchester, England

 

[Madawc]

For business computing, it is data accesses that will take the time. That's the reason for avoiding subreports when it's possible, because each use of the subreport is a separate database access.

I'd have thought that data in memory would take very little time to manipulate.

Madawc Williams (East Anglia, UK). Using Windows XP & Crystal 10

 

[BobSuruncle]

Shared Variables force the formula that they're in to evaluate WhilePrintingRecords.
If you have a number of these formulas, then displaying the report to the screen can take a while.

Bob Suruncle