Efficient reporting tool with endless possibilities
Overall Satisfaction with SAP Crystal
Crystal reports help us to pull automatic reports out of various databases directly (without importing into Excel first and running pivot tables) and display relations in the data. As long as there is a common data field (a campaign ID, for example), the reports are done in seconds across all the connected data sources. This exact process used to take at least an hour when done manually.
Pros
- Seamless parsing of data across different data sources.
- Ability to create sub-records and drill-down feature for granular data analysis.
- Complex queries or SQl statements are done in seconds.
Cons
- The export of reports to Excel is very cumbersome and the results are difficult to format.
- The design of reports and the graphical features (e.g. charts) feel quite rigid.
- The learning curve for a non-programmer is incredibly steep, making Crystal a specialty tool.
- Time and cost savings achieved by automation of report creating across many data sources we maintain.
- The ability to drill down into granular details of the data leads to a better understanding of the business procedures.
- Well-presented reports are invaluable for getting new clients on board.
Crystal offered a more straightforward implementation for our situation. While Tableau offers well-designed reports, the overall functionality regarding data manipulation and analysis is behind Crystal.
Compared to MS Excel, the possibilities of Crystal are virtually endless, providing a completely new and fresh view over the performance of the company as a whole.
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