There are many ways to deploy Crystal Reports to users. I normally lean toward the simpler and less expensive options, like locally installed viewers. But there are environments where a server based option is necessary. The ‘official’ options from SAP are Crystal Reports Server and BO Enterprise. You can read about these on the SAP website under the heading “SAP Business Objects portfolio”. But there are other products out there that most users never see. These are third party products that also allow you to centrally manage your report deployment from your server. The products vary widely and are aimed at several different markets. This page offers a brief rundown on what the products do. I have also posted a feature matrix (PDF) that shows some of the specifics for comparison, including prices. If you have tried one of these products, or are currently using one, I would love to ask you a few questions – on or off the record.
Hi Ken
We’ve been using rePORTAL her for about 2 years now and on the whole are happy with product.
We are running the application on a 4 server clustered web farm being used by over 700 users to access and manually run parameterised reports from multiple data sources, as well as having 1000+ reports scheduled each week.
I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you may have about the product.
Regards
Gary