Viewing Crystal Reports by Many Concurrent Users 2

[yomama8me]

We are trying to figure out the best way to distribute reports with hyperlink capability to multiple users over the web. We are not sure if we should go with CE 8.0 (the 5 concurrent user limit seems to prevent this and we don't want to spend $45,000), go back to Crystal Reports 8.0 which we hear doesn't meter concurrent users but has less functionality, or go with Crystal Reports .NET which seems to have better metering for concurrent users but still has a concurrent user limit.

In any event, we have to present these reports as ASP pages so we can control security and allow passing of parameters between hyperlinked reports.

Anybody have any idea which way we should go and why?

 

[RoughingIT]

Dude, that soooooo depends on your exact business needs. How mant concurrent users do you have? Underline concurrent, so accessing CE at the same time and possibly for hours and not being able to wait a few minutes until another user has freed a license.
Features in CE are pretty sweet, but if you can live without it (there's a white paper on CR web reporting)then go for the least work. Licensing for .net should be the same as for CE, I'd suspect.
Did you talk to Crystal Decisions yet? They have a whole bunch of people just waiting for questions like this.

 

[yomama8me]

Well, I'm starting off with just a few users now but it will grow rapidly. I don't think I should spend $50,000 until I need to so I would like to find some way around it until I really need it.

Having users wait for a license to free up to look at a report is not very customer-friendly!

 

[masonf]

Is using the "license restriction-free" version 7 much different than using 8.5 for web reporting? I am trying to allow our users to print a relatively simple form populated with record data.

We currently have crystal 8.5 on the web server. Would there be any problems if we uninstalled it and put on version 7 (such a versioning of the activeX control on the client-side)?

Otherwise, what alternatives do I have?

 

[MHPGuy]

You need to talk to either Howard Hammerman or Ken Hamady- they are the reigning experts here about the silly licensing rules from Crystal. You can find them in the forums all the time.

I have yet to stump either of them with a licensing issue. Michael Phipps
Technical Business Analyst
Mercy Health Plans
3142148036

 

[HowardHammerman]

Hi Gang, Howard here.

I suggest going the .net route. Here is why:

While you get the same five licenses as with Enterprise,
Microsoft negotiated a special way that the licenses are used. In Enterprise a license is 'tied up' as long as a user is looking at a report and is active with his keyboard or mouse OR until the time-out has occured. The default time-out is 20 minutes, but you can reset it to 1 minute in the administrator screens. That will get you better utilization out of your licenses and pervent a license from being tied up when someone runs a report and goes to lunch.

Now, with .NET the license is only used while Crystal is generating the page. That means (for most pages) it is tied up only for seconds. So you get the most BANG for the BUCK with .NET

I hope this helps. Howard Hammerman,

Crystal Reports training, consulting, books, training material, software, and support. Scheduled training in 8 cities.
howard@hammerman.com

http://www.hammerman.com

800-783-2269

 

[Guest_imported]

Time and time again, we cover the same issues, so here it is one more time:

The .NET licensing scenario described earlier (where a license is only used when generating a report) is incorrect. I suggest that you read the license agreement for yourself and ask your local Crystal Decisions rep to walk you through implementing a .NET application as opposed to using Crystal Enterprise.

Most .NET developers are developing solutions on top of Crystal Enterprise for the scalability, feature set, etc. it provides and again, the figure bandied around of $50k for Crystal Enterprise is incorrect. Check it out for yourself with Crystal Decisions and make the best decision for you.