VB and Crystal Reports - Standalone or Integrated Reports?

[MrsPie]

I posted this question in the Crystal Reports forum, but since it applies as much to VB, I'll post here in case the smart people here can help.

I'm building a VB 6 program for distribution. I'm now building reports and purchased Crystal Reports 10 (developer edition).

I'm using the data environment connections in VB6 hitting Access 97 tables.

I just learned that if I use CR designer integrated in VB, I can't preview my reports without running my VB program itself. This will make the design work much slower. If I build standalone reports, print preview is available making it easier to design the reports, but I can't use the same Data Connections I'm using in VB for my program.

How easy is it to build standalone reports, and then access them within VB? If I do, will the fact that they have their own, separate data connection cost me efficiency or cause me any other problems?

Where do most CR users (working in VB) build their reports - standalone or in the integrated environment?

Thanks much!

 

[DrJavaJoe]

The thing is when using the CR designer integrated you do all of the design work in the VB IDE. Lot's of examples on their web site

http://www.businessobjects.com/products/dev_zone/default.asp.

"Two strings walk into a bar. The first string says to the bartender: 'Bartender, I'll have a beer. u.5n$x5t?*&4ru!2[sACC~ErJ'. The second string says: 'Pardon my friend, he isn't NULL terminated'."

 

[rich914]

What I have done, is create all my report queries in Access. Created an ODBC Data Source Name for my Access database. Then when creating the reports, use the ODBC dsn to attach to the database.

To be able to see the stored queries in Crystal, you have to go to Options from the file menu, click on the database tab and check stored procedures in the show frame. At least there is where it is at in CR 8.0.

When using stored queries from Access that have parameters to selectively restrict the data view, this is the only CR will handle that.

For distribution, you would have to make sure the ODBC dsn was created during the VB installation.

With CR 8.0, I did not use the integrated RDC because I had better control of creating the report from within CR.

Richard