? NEED IDEAS ON SOFTWARE TO DISTRIBUTE RPTS W/ SECURITY LEVELS?

[LMCRYER]

Hello!

I am using Paradox for the backend and have a software application on the front with canned Crystal Reports.

Some of my clients would like to be able to provide additional rpts to their sites outside of the app.

The problem :

1. Not everybody HAS Crystal on their machines (yet) but this can be changed easily

2. We want to be able to give them the reports WITHOUT letting them have the password to the actual db.

In other words, we are looking for ways to set up a reporting package that will do the following:

1. Set rights and permissions to various reports
2. Allow access based on these and NOT require the user to login to the databse. The package should do that itself.

Any ideas? What are other people out there using?

Any advice / suggestions VERY WELCOME!

 

[dgillz]

First, the user does not have to have crystal reports on their machine to run crystal reports. You can compile the reports. This does not take up an extra seat license and can save you money.

Second, password prompting for access to the database is generally determined by the makers of the database or of the ODBC driver. I beleive this will come up regardless of the tool you use to access the data. You can get around this with VB passing the user and password info to the report but then security is a non-issue.

Finally, I have successfully stored usernames and passwords as variables in a crystal report and based on the parameter reponses display the report with or without sensitive information such as salaries, costs, etc.

I hope that helps. Software Support for Sage Mas90, Macola, Crystal Reports, Goldmine and MS Office

 

[kenhamady]

There are some third party tools that have some security levels built in. I have listed all of the ones I could find on my web site. But, I believe that you are going to have to build your own front end if you want to hid the DB password from the user. Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
Guide to using Crystal in VB

http://www.kenhamady.com/

tek@kenhamady.com

 

[chelseatech]

One of the reasons we originally wrote cView (our report viewer) was at a client site where Info always asked the user for the DB login and password.

So a user could then use that and Excel to pull data from all sorts of places we didn't want them to see.

cView stores the DB login as a connection string, and it's hidden in the installation files where a user cant' find it. The user can run the reports we want them to see, but not others (do that with NT folder security). Editor and Publisher of Crystal Clear

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

 

[LMCRYER]

We're looking for something that we can use via asp pages - so that the app can liveo n the server and be accessed by our clients - will cView do this?

 

[chelseatech]

cVIew is an EXE so runs on the client PC and it has to be able to see the DB.

It sounds like you need the Web Component Server or Crystal Enterprise if you want browser delivered reports. Editor and Publisher of Crystal Clear

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

 

[LMCRYER]

I'm thinking about Crystal Enterprise - but the problem that I have is that right now the client does not want to put that kind of money down on it. They're holding back.

Now, because I am working with several clients that are interested in this - it may be beneficial for ME to get Crystal Enterprise and do the work, set it up, and charge the clients for what they use off of it...I'm going to have to do some cost analysis and see if this would be worth it.

Right now I have at least one client that needs 4 reports that are on his local server (but he doesn't have the password for them, go figure!) and he needs them delivered via either web browser or intranet. Another client needs approximately 6 reports via browser set up for approximately 12 users to be able to get to them....see what I'm saying?