I have CR 8.5 - Can I still take CRCP XI exam studying on my own?

[iquagmire]

I have CR 8.5 and my company is not rolling out CR 10 until December 05. Do you think I can study and pass CRCP XI (at least the first one) without having seend CR XI?

 

[Trixie2004]

Hi,

You can download a free 30 day trial of XI off the BO website. Here's the link:

http://www.businessobjects.com/solutions/crystalreports/default.asp

I would highly recommend doing this, because there is quite a big difference between 8.5 and XI. I would play around with new features that were introduced since 8.5 -

The Repository and the Report Explorer, both introduced in 9, Linking was completely changed in 9 and above, Dynamic and Cascading Parameters the Workbench, the Dependency Checker, all new to XI. I know there are other new features since 8.5, but off the top of my head, those are the ones I can think of. Also, the menus have changed a bit. They ask questions about where things can be found and the multiple ways of doing things, so for that reason I would definitely recommend playing around a lot with XI.

Also, XI cannot sit side-by-side with other versions as well as 9 or 10 could, so be careful, and don't install it on your 8.5 machine. Good luck.

 

[iquagmire]

Do you know if I can install it on Windows XP Home? I won't be able to install it at work and wanted to try it at home.

 

[Trixie2004]

Well, check out this link, it does say XP. If you are concerned about running it on home, contact tech support.

http://www.businessobjects.com/products/reporting/crystalreports/sysreq.asp

 

[Trixie2004]

here's another article i found:

http://support.businessobjects.com/communityCS/TechnicalPapers/cr_xi_supported_platforms.pdf.asp

 

[iquagmire]

Thanks!

 

[bdreed35]

I run 9, 10, and XI on the same machine without any problems. I also know that you can install it on the same machine as 8.5 if you have to, you just need to be careful that you don't accidently upgrade any of your 8.5 reports to XI as you won't be able to go back after that.

~Brian

 

[iquagmire]

Thanks - I was able to install it after adding some Windows updates.

 

[Trixie2004]

Wow, that's news to me that XI could be installed side-by-side! I'm really happy to hear that... I heard from two people that this was not the case, so I never tried it. I guess that's what I get for listening to other people! d'oH!

 

[lupins46]

'I heard from two people that this was not the case'

This is close to the truth but not technically correct.
The issue is that .rpt files cannot be shared between v8.5 and v9 or later. You can certainly install both versions on the same machine quite safely. But once you have used a report in V9 or later it cannot be used in v8.5 (or earlier). Therefore most organisations would take the view that you do not want both versions around for any longer than was absolutely necessary to transfer 8.5v reports into a later version.

 

[chelseatech]

You will need to have a good look at XI before going for the exams. Some questions are bound to ask what menus or toolbars some features is available from.

They have moved in different versions. If you haven't used the product, you won't know where they are to answer those questions correctly.

Editor and Publisher of Crystal Clear

http://www.chelseatech.co.nz/pubs.htm