Item: SAP Crystal
Rating: 8
Author: Nicole Frigo

Overall Satisfaction with Crystal Reports

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Crystal reports was used as an ODBC connector and user interface for many Hotels to report on their transaction level details and other historical and active database records.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Quickly query data from multiple tables
Ability to drill down into the lowest level details of transactions and records
Simple setup and UI with ability to save dictionaries, customized based on the tables being accessed

Cons

Although it is a simple quick way to report on multiple records it doesn't have a great graphical interface for the reports. It is pretty much just the raw data you get back.
The dictionaries are great but they need to be set up and maintained. If they are not, many times tables and fields are displayed in their code name. This is hard to work with if you are not familiar with database table structure and naming conventions
The default language is Crystal and while it is very easy for beginners it does not apply or translate into any other reporting or coding language. There is an option to use basic SQL.

Alternatives Considered

I have used TOAD, Oracle, and a few other larger scale data query tools but, and it may be because they handle more data, they became to complex. Too many tables and much more maintenance required

Likelihood to Renew

I don't work at the same place but i think it would be silly not to renew. It provides an easy, authenticated solution, that works, is quick, and is easy to maintain.

I think Crystal Reports is a great tool, relatively simple to deploy, and cost effective. If you are looking for a tool to use as a UI, that can quickly turn out simple reports for auditing and tying back data, it is a good solid option. Since it connects to your database it is flexible enough to handle changes that in other tools would impact performance structure.

Evaluating Crystal Reports and Competitors

Products Replaced

Yes - The reporting the was included with our Informix databse and Delphi Marketvision reports. We were able to interface Crystal with both reporting systems with simple ODBC setup configuration.

Key Differentiators

Product Usability
Prior Experience with the Product
Analyst Reports

Analyst Reports - When you are reporting on large amounts of data, Crystal was extremely fast and proficient in pulling transaction level details in matter of seconds. This allowed for more complex analysis and ability to drill down further into details without being time consuming. When answers are needed on the fly, any canned report could be written with parameters so just a quick refresh will produce data to support any decision.

Comments

Please log in to join the conversation

Crystal Decisions

Software Version