Updating Reports : Can you update without losing configurations?

[djmnyc]

Hello fellow CE users.

I have been using CR and scheduling reports using CE 9.0 for a few months now. I have posted a few times to this forum, and I have found everyone to be very helpful. For the most part, I have been content with scheduling using Crystal Enterprise, despite the lack of flexibility inherent with many web applications.

However, I have a problem which is becoming more and more tedious to solve each time, and I am at a loss as to how to more efficiently solve this problem. I was hoping someone could offer a better solution to my problem.

THE PROBLEM => Is there a way to update a report in crystal enterprise WITHOUT losing all the scheduling, database, format, etc., etc. configurations that have already been setup? I receive data/formatting updates to reports every so often, and it is very error prone, let alone tedious, to have to reset all the configurations over and over again.

Am I missing something???? This would seem like a simple programming task, and a very important feature for the crystal enterprise application, but as far as I can tell you can not do it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as always.

DJM

 

[synapsevampire]

Save the report directly from Crystal Reports over the top of the report in CE.

You didn't mention the key to all of your woes, which is HOW you're currently saving reports, is it the CMC, or?

Note when you do a Save As from Crystal reports you'll see Enterprise Folders in the icons to the left.

You'll still lose the Database portion, but most information is preserved.

There's also an Excel based 3rd party product from APOS:

http://www.apos.on.ca/sections/07-SoftSol-InfoSched.shtml

-k

 

[djmnyc]

Yes, I have been administering reports via the CMC web application.

So wait ... if I have write access to our production Crystal Reports box, I can update RPT files via Crystal Reports, and all scheduling will remain intact?

I was tasked to administer and schedule the reports, but most of the RPT files are sent to me from other development groups. I control their deployment to the production crystal enterprise environment.

DJM

 

[djmnyc]

Thanks very much k.

Unfortunately, I was thrown this task without much documentation at all, and I was unaware of this functionality in Crystal Reports!

I also have been doing this as a side job to my other Java development efforts, so I could not spend a lot of time researching this. The report administration is a much lower priority to my manager than my development.

Once again, this forum has helped me a great deal. Now that I know it is possible, I will localize my research to Crystal Reports, instead of searching within Crystal Enterprise online documentation. That is where I was looking before to no avail.

Thanks very much!
DJM

 

[synapsevampire]

There isn't really much documentation on this. Nor is it needed. Try a Save As as described above.

I don't have 9 here, but in 8 there was a update folder on the CE 9 CD with the Crystal patch files to allow for saving to CE.

You need write access to the production Crystal Enterprise box, not a Crystal reports box (I'm guessing that's what you meant).

-k

 

[djmnyc]

yes, that's exactly what I meant.

I just tried it, and it works almost perfectly ... the database and report format settings were lost.

BUT, thank god, all the scheduling and event based logic associated with the report were not lost!

djm