Different VB Reporting Options

One of the big reasons for Crystal Reports popularity is that it seems to automatically show up whenever you install a great number of other applications. It has been bundled with Visual Basic since version 3 and is also included with some other Microsoft development tools and some 200 other general and specific off-the-shelf applications. This, combined with the inclusion of Microsoft s Data Report Designer in VB 6, may beg the question: Why should I upgrade to the full Developer or Advanced Developer Edition of Crystal Reports if I can use the Data Report Designer or already have a bundled version of Crystal Reports with Visual Basic?

Crystal Reports Versus the Microsoft Data Report Designer

In VB versions prior to 6, the only reporting options you had out of the box were excruciatingly painful record-by-record coding options, or the various bundled versions of Crystal Reports. Visual Basic 6 introduced the Microsoft Data Report Designer, as well as continuing to include a bundled version of Crystal Reports. Whereas Crystal Reports was typically installed automatically with VB in versions prior to 6, you have to dig for it with VB 6. Microsoft automatically installs its own Data Report Designer instead.

However, a peek at the Microsoft offering will quickly give you an idea of where you may want to turn for report design. While the Data Report Designer is fairly well integrated with Visual Basic (using the VB Data Environment), it quickly runs out of steam . And Microsoft obviously didn t think that highly of its report designer either ”it has been eliminated from Visual Studio .NET to once again make way for Crystal Reports!

Bundled Crystal Reports Versus the Stand-Alone Version

Even with Microsoft s Data Report Designer included in VB 6, Crystal Reports is still bundled in the VB package ”you just have to install it separately. VB 4 and 5 also included bundled copies of Crystal Reports. The versions that are included with VB differ dramatically from off-the- shelf Crystal Reports 10 Developer or Advanced Developer, however.

VB versions 5 and 6 bundle a version of Crystal Reports known as Version 4.6. This is interesting, because an off-the-shelf Version 4.6 of Crystal Reports never existed ”stand- alone Crystal Reports versions progressed from 4.5 to 5.0, and then 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 8.5, 9, and now 10. Not only is the bundled version now far, far outdated , but it wasn t even as full- featured as the current off-the-shelf version available at the time of VB 6 release. So for you, the developer, the differences between the 4.6 bundled version and off-the-shelf Crystal Reports 10 are vast and significant:

• Bundled Crystal Reports was brought to market before Microsoft s COM became a standard. It doesn t contain any of the newer programming interfaces, such as the RDC.

• Crystal Reports 5 and later introduced many new usability enhancements, such as conditional formatting, multiple sections, and subreports. Accordingly, many capabilities will be severely limited if you choose to use the bundled Visual Basic 6 version.

• The bundled version contains absolutely no web-reporting capabilities. If your VB apps will ever get near the Web, you ll appreciate the stand-alone version s web-reporting features, such as Active Server Page support and various versions of Crystal Enterprise (discussed in Part II of this book).