Server Technology

Part 4 Server Technology
by:Reports guru David McAmis

And at long last there is a single merge module you can use to deploy your application, which makes creating installation and setup packages much easier. There has been a renewed focus on this area with this release and it is now possible to setup packages that install right the first time.

On the Java side of things, the enhancements are along the same lines, with the exception of dynamic parameters which didn’t make it in time for the first release. However, there are enough new features though to keep most Java developers happy, including a new JavaServer Faces(JSF) Viewer and set of custom JSF tags to cut down on development time.

There are a number of enhancements to the Java API itself, with additional methods that give more control over the data source and location. There is also an updated version of the Java Reporting Component that brings it closer to rough parity to with the other platform API’s.

Updated Server Technology
This version of the product not only includes new features, both for report design and application development but also brings together the platform components from Crystal Decisions and Business Objects. Business Objects bought Crystal Decisions over a year ago and this version represents the first “combined” product featuring the tools and functionality from both product lines.

The first immediate benefit for application developers is Crystal Reports Server, which provides a subset of the features and functionality found in Business Objects Enterprise, which is an enterprise framework for publishing reports to the Web, as well as scheduling and distributing reports in a secure environment. And in addition to the subset of features, it is also a subset of the price, at around AU$12,000 for 5 concurrent users.
Crystal Reports Server brings the core report scheduling and distribution framework and functionality to application developers, which they can use to create scalable, multi-tier applications for small to medium-sized user bases. And when scalability to thousands of users is required, there are only minor changes required to use the same code with the full-strength Business Objects Enterprise.

It also bears mentioning that the licensing within both Crystal Reports and related products has been simplified and now is much more competitive with other products in the market. For most internal applications you won’t need any additional licensing and if you are developing applications for commercial distribution, there is a free runtime for thick-client applications and simplified process for any components that are licensed and would require a software license.

Summary
So in the end, this release offers a little bit of something for everyone. Report developers will love the new look and feel and features found in the report designer itself, while application developers can look forward to an updated set of tools and technologies to help them easily integrate reports into their application.