Item: SAP Crystal
Rating: 7
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Crystal is used enterprise-wide for pixel-perfect reporting. We have both on-demand reporting use cases, and scheduled reporting via email or logging in to report inboxes. It is used against multiple source systems for all areas of the business, including clinical, financial, and operational. We generate PDF, Excel, and CSV based outputs.

Pros and Cons

Pixel perfect reporting.
Enterprise grade stability.

Dated technology.
There's a lack of web-based development for Crystal reports (though it exists for WEBI and the like).

Return on Investment

A standard reporting tool for the enterprise.
High maintenance cycles.

Alternatives Considered

We originally purchased Crystal as it aligned with our vendors' recommendations for reporting. We have since started to focus our development on more self-service and dashboard-type tools (like QlikView, Qlik Sense, and similar). These tools are more mature and capable than standard reporting tools in general, but not specific to Crystal.

Other Software Used

Qlik Sense, QlikView

Likelihood to Recommend

Crystal can help manage pixel-perfect based reporting for your enterprise, but unless you are using the entire SAP analytics stack, it is tough to manage governance without a strong data warehouse. Pixel perfect reporting also has its place, but most enterprises are moving to more interactive self-service dashboarding and drill down tools, and that capability is limited in Crystal (albeit, it was not developed for that use case).

SAP Crystal Review

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with SAP Crystal