Connecting to the Web Desktop


The out-of-the-box user interface for general report viewing and scheduling has been renamed to the Web Desktop in version 10. In previous versions, this was known as ePortfolio (and is still referred to as ePortfolio in CE 10 documentation and related web pages). To start the Web Desktop, click the Crystal Enterprise link on the Launchpad link to Crystal Enterprise, or point your browser directly to the URL provided by your administrator. By default, you can navigate directly to the Web Desktop by browsing to:

 http://<  web server  >/crystal/enterprise10/eportfolio 

where < web server > is the name of the web server where CE is installed.

Note  

As Crystal Enterprise can be heavily customized, it s possible that your organization has implemented a unique version that will not use the default URL. Check with your Crystal Enterprise Administrator if you are unsure of the proper URL to use.

The default page for the Web Desktop is loaded with the Guest account automatically logged on, as seen in Figure 25-1. If the Guest account has been disabled in order to require all users to log on individually, you will see the logon screen instead. Supply the user ID and password given you by your CE administrator. You may need to choose an authentication type, such as Windows NT, Windows AD, or LDAP, from the drop-down list (again, your administrator will inform you of the proper authentication type).

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Figure 25-1: Web Desktop default page with Guest account logged on

If the guest account is enabled, or once you properly log in, you ll be presented with the main Web Desktop screen (in this example, only two default top-level folders initially installed with CE 10 ”Feature Samples and Report Samples ”are shown).

Note  

Figure 25-1 shows a New Report option in the upper right-hand corner of the Web Desktop. This option will only appear if your organization has purchased an extra license that permits web-based report design capabilities.

The Guest Account

Unless your CE Administrator has disabled it, the Guest account is the default account you will use when first connecting to the Web Desktop (the account you re using is displayed in the upper center of the Web Desktop). The Guest account is largely designed as just a starting point for getting into the Web Desktop ”by default, it offers a limited set of rights.

Creating Your Own Account

Unless your CE Administrator has disabled the capability, you may create your own account by signing up from the top toolbar in the Web Desktop. This process allows you to create your own user ID and password without requesting assistance from your CE Administrator. This involves a few simple steps:

  1. Click the Sign Up icon in the Web Desktop toolbar. The Sign Up screen will be displayed.

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  2. Complete the sign-up form, including typing your full name, typing a user ID, and typing and confirming a password.

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The Most Important CE Component: The CMS

The Crystal Management Server, or CMS, is the heart of Crystal Enterprise. Every other component communicates through the CMS ”other servers won't know about each other without the CMS. The CMS also acts as the central security point for Crystal Enterprise logon ”all user IDs, passwords, and rights lists are maintained on the CMS. And, the CMS also keeps track of report scheduling. If a report is scheduled to automatically run every day at midnight, the CMS sets the report processing cycle in motion at the prescribed time.

While a substantial number of different software components go into making CE work, the one you'll be concerned with as a regular report viewer or scheduler is the CMS. You must first log on to the CMS when you start to use CE. If the CMS isn't working, you won't be able to use Crystal Enterprise (and neither will anybody else, for that matter).

Note  

Your CE Administrator may have implemented certain requirements for signing up, such as a minimum number of characters in your password. You should check for account standards that may be enforced within your organization. Also, you may not be able to sign yourself up for an account in this manner. If this option is disabled, the Sign Up icon won t appear and you ll need to contact your CE Administrator to receive an account.

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Logging On and Off

If the Guest account is disabled, you will be immediately prompted to log on to the Web Desktop when it appears. Or, if you (or your CE Administrator) have created your own account that you wish to use, you ll need to manually log on to your own account. Log on using these steps:

  1. Click the Log On icon in the Web Desktop toolbar. The Log On screen will appear.

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  2. Type in your user ID and password in the appropriate boxes.

  3. If you have been instructed by your CE Administrator to use an authentication type other than Enterprise, choose the desired authentication type from the drop-down list.

  4. Click the Log On button.

    Note  

    Typically, the CMS you will log on to is entered by default at the top of the logon screen and can t be changed. However, if you are participating in a larger CE environment that may have more than one CMS, you may be able to change this value. Your CE Administrator will provide you with the proper CMS name to use in this case.

CE Security Model

Crystal Enterprise includes a robust security model that works behind the scenes in the Web Desktop to control what you can or cannot do. For example, you may find you have the ability to schedule a report and view the resulting saved instance, but not run the report in real time. Or, you may find the opposite ”you may be able to run a report in real time, but not schedule it. Or, you may have the even higher restriction of being allowed to view only a report instance that another user has scheduled ”you will not be able to schedule your own reports nor view a report on demand.

This security is quite granular. It can be assigned to an individual user or to a group of users (such as the Accounting group, the Finance group, the Power Users group, or the Administrators group ). And, you may have a combination of rights granted or denied you by being a member of more than one group. In addition to this group and user-based security, certain security settings can also be applied to certain folders or individual reports.

Suffice it to say that you may find a variety of capabilities provided to you, depending on various settings and configurations of your particular CE system. Your CE Administrator is your source of information on your current security model. Contact him or her if you wish to have additional capabilities provided to you.




Crystal Reports 10
Crystal Reports 10: The Complete Reference
ISBN: B005DI80VA
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 223
Authors: George Peck

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