Using Crystal Reports to Connect to Outlook 1

[O2BNSV]

I recently installed Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager. As far as I can tell, the Business Contact Manager is a SQL database. However, when I try to create a data source via ODBC, I cannot find the database files. Does anyone know how to connect Crystal to the Business Contact Manager database?

 

[smcnulty2000]

It is stored as a Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) database.

You've got to set the database to 'shared' inside of the business contact manager. If you don't do that you won't ever see it. If you have trouble with the port check port 56183.

It will look like "yourmachinename\microsoftsmlbiz" when it is showing properly in ODBC.

 

[O2BNSV]

That worked. However, I have Microsoft Accounting installed on my machine as well. For whatever reason, I still can't seem to find the tables from the contact manager database. I created the data source (so I thought) and tried to create a new connection in Crystal based on it. I ended up with the same tables as the accounting database. Any ideas?

 

[smcnulty2000]

Hmm, tough one.

I'd compare the drop-down inside the DSN configuration that lists the servers with the list of services under "mycomputer/computer management/Services and Applications/Services/" Or it's also under control panel/admin tools/services.

You would look in the range where things starting with MSSQL$... appear.

You should be able to match them one-for-one, or at least tell which are which. A lot of times the DSN has duplicate names.

I don't use MS Accounting, so there's some guesswork going on. The steps after that would probably occur based on what I found. Hopefully there's a service under services that doesn't have a match under the dsn list.

 

[LyleU]

Although one would think that the same instance of the MSDE would be used for both applications, is it possible that there a multiple instances of the MSDE running depending on what product you are using? One of the features of SQL Server is the ability to have, and run, multiple instances, with different names, on the same server.

Lyle U

 

[inetm]

Hello O2BNSV,
I am in the same boat as far as connecting and not seeing any pertainant sql information except for the 100 tables or so from the accounting end (i think??) have you been able to resolve this / see BCM tables?
Many Thanks