Recrystallize Pro Web Publisher for Crystal Reports, for publishing your Crystal Reports on Intranet, Extranet, or Internet

Summary

Publish your Crystal Reports to the Web the smart way. ReCrystallize Pro allows you to make your Crystal Reports available on your intranet or extranet. Now you can provide user-specific information to your managers, sales force, stockholders, employees, customers, or anyone you choose--with a few easy steps. Free Demo Download Available.

Uses

ReCrystallize Pro allows you to make your Crystal Reports available on your intranet or extranet. Now you can provide user-specific information to your managers, sales force, stockholders, employees, customers, or anyone you choose--with a few easy steps.

Whether you have dozens of reports or you're just getting started, ReCrystallize Pro helps you to leverage your investment in Crystal Reports.

ReCrystallize Pro is designed for Crystal Reports versions 6.0 - XI.

Want quick, easy Web reporting? Use ReCrystallize Pro to create Web pages to run your reports with the Crystal Web Component Server / Crystal Enterprise.

Want more power, customization, flexibility, and security for your Web reports without using Crystal Enterprise? Use ReCrystallize Pro to quickly create Active Server Pages for your reports. ReCrystallize slashes the development time and learning curve involved in publishing your Crystal Reports on the Web with Active Server Pages.

Features

Works with virtually any data source.
Works with the Crystal Web Component Server/Crystal Enterprise and virtually any Windows-based Web server to run your reports on the Web.
Works with Active Server Pages (ASP) and Crystal Reports Web components to run your reports on the Web, providing additional security, power and flexibility.
Generates customizable, user-friendly Web pages to prompt for report parameters.
Can automatically default or calculate report parameters such as the current date, last day of the week, or last day of the month.
Works with your Web server and data source to provide report level, table level, and/or record level security; using ASP ensures that data source user ids, passwords, and preset report parameters can be securely hidden from users.
Requires no programming.
Web pages can be easily customized using most popular Web authoring tools.
ASP code can be customized by developers to change the report's appearance or behavior.
Static report option runs your Crystal Reports with saved data to provide nearly instantaneous response times when your report data doesn't change frequently.
Dynamic report option refreshes data whenever your report is requested to provide up-to-the-minute reports that may contain different information for each user.
Automatic report option improves response time by refreshing data from your database only when the specified time has expired. Great for reports that change daily!
Presents your report using your choice of HTML, HTML with Frames, Java, or ActiveX page-on-demand viewers or as Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or Rich Text Format (RTF) files.
Allows you to customize the Crystal Report Viewer interface. If desired, you can prevent users from saving the data in your Crystal Report by disabling printing and exporting.
Allows you to email reports directly from your Web page in Adobe PDF, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, or RTF formats.

How It Works

Using the options you choose, ReCrystallize Pro creates all the Web pages (including JavaScript or ASP code) needed to run your Crystal Reports on the Web.

If your report requires parameters, ReCrystallize Pro can set them automatically or create a Web page to gather the required information from your users before running the report.

Since ReCrystallize Pro produces all the code needed to run your report, no programming is required. However, you are free to modify the Web pages that ReCrystallize Pro creates, to customize the appearance or behavior of your report.

Options

The options available in ReCrystallize Pro include

Setting your data source user name and password so the user is not prompted and cannot see this information when the report is run.
Automatically setting your report parameters to appropriate values such as the current date or the first/last date in the week, month, or year.
Using a Web page to prompt the user for your report parameters using drop-down lists, text input fields, option buttons, or checkboxes
Retrieving parameter value options from your database at runtime so up-to-date options are always available.
Presetting, automatically selecting, or allowing the user to select the report format; choices include the ActiveX, Java, HTML Frames HTML page-on-demand Web viewers and Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, or RTF file formats.
Sending reports by email as Adobe PDF, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, or RTF file attachments no need for users to wait online for long reports to complete.

EZ-Steps

Obviously, this is the opening page!
Step 1: Begin by selecting your Crystal Report file.
Step 2: Choose either the Crystal Web Component Server (Crystal Enterprise) or Active Server Pages. ReCrystallize Pro is designed for Crystal Reports versions 6.0 - 10.0.
Step 3: You may display data you saved in the Crystal Report file, or you can retrieve new information from your database each time the report is run.

Step 4: Example 1 If you have selected to run your report with live data, fill in information about about your data source. When using ASP, this information is kept secure on your Web server. This example shows information for a typical Oracle database using ODBC with the Crystal Web Component Server.
Step 4: Example 2 This example shows information for a typical SQL Server database using ASP. Other PC and SQL database types including Microsoft Access and Visual FoxPro are also supported.
Step 5: Example 1 When using live data, choose how you would like to set each of your report parameters.
Step 5: Example 1, part 2 Values such as the current date or current user name can be supplied automatically.
Step 5: Example 2 Users can select a parameter value by choosing from a list of values in your database. This ensures that your parameter selection options are up-to-date and prevents errors or misspellings.
Step 5: Example 2, part 2 You can sort the list and present options as you need.
Step 5: Example 2, part 3 If you wish to have the user supply a value for one or more parameters, ReCrystallize Pro will produce a Web page for the user to select these values. These Web pages may be easily customized.
Step 5: Example 2, part 4 More customization ability....
Step 6: If desired, you may supply a Record Selection Formula to limit the data returned to the user. When you use Active Server Pages, the formula you supply can replace the Record Selection Formula that was saved with the report design or added to the existing formula.
Step 7: Next, select how you would like to present the report to the user. You can use the ActiveX, Java, or HTML Smart Viewers. If you prefer, you can set the report to open directly in Microsoft Word or Excel. Adobe PDF format is also available in Crystal Reports versions 8.0 and 8.5.
Step 8: Example 1 With ReCrystallize Pro, you can decide which features of the report viewer you wish to enable. For example, you may wish to disable printing and exporting so that the user cannot easily save a copy of the report. Note: not all options are available for all viewers.
Step 8: Example 2 If you choose to send the report by email, you can provide details about how the message should be sent.
Step 9: When you click Finish, ReCrystallize Pro creates Web pages to run your report.

A demo of ReCrystallize Pro is available for download (10.9 MB)

If you simply need to upgrade from 5.0, download the demo here (750 KB).

The demo does not allow you to set parameters, but you will have this ability after you purchase the license.

The demo is your software. What you are purchasing is the license to unlock it.

Our customers agree ReCrystallize Pro pays for itself with its first use by saving hours of trial and error development, testing, and debugging.

Here are some quotes:

"ReCrystallize saved us weeks in our development cycle and paid for itself 20 times over... If you're using Crystal Reports with an intranet or extranet, ReCrystallize is a must have."
-- Larry Linn, Vice President, Innovative Resources Group, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"The best $ I ever spent."
-- Marie Donahue, TimeBridge Technologies, Lanham, Maryland

"Just wanted to say that ReCrystallize is worth its weight (including box) in gold; without it, I would have given up on Crystal Reports. ReCrystallize addressed 99% of my problems in addition to significantly improving Web delivery of Crystal reports at any price!"
-- Hinrich Eylers, Direct Alliance, Gilbert, Arizona

"The Recrystallize product saved me oodles of time. I got a Crystal Report with parameters to come up from an ASP in one day using your product. I thought it would take me weeks to get to that point. Thanks!"
-- Brian Grear, Baker Robbins & Company Technology Consultants, Houston, Texas

"I've purchased the Recrystallize software and generated the asp files (this is really cool)...your product made it so easy! Everything is working great! This product will save us hours of headaches and coding...love the product!"
-- Valerie Snider, MCI WorldCom, Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Delivery

To unleash this powerful software:

Bookmark this page, in case you have questions.
Complete the license purchase.
Download the demo (10.9 MB). (new window opens).
The developer will send you a key via e-mail.

FAQ

Q: How does ReCrystallize Pro work and how will it help me to make my Crystal Reports^TM available on the Web?

A: The ReCrystallize Pro wizard opens and examines your Crystal Report file to determine what information is needed to run the report on the Web. For example, your database user id and password may be required. Parameter values such as dates may also need to be set, for your report to run correctly.

ReCrystallize Pro allows you to specify how you would like the required information to be supplied. You may wish to prompt your users for some information while hiding other information such as passwords. You can also take advantage of advanced features such as setting a record selection formula and customizing how you would like your Crystal Report to be presented.

ReCrystallize Pro then produces all of the Web pages needed for your Crystal Report. Depending on the options you specify, the generated Web pages may include JavaScript or Active Server Page (ASP) VBSCript code. The Web pages that ReCrystallize Pro produces are "ready to run" immediately. If desired, you may customize the appearance or behavior of the Web pages using a text editor or Web authoring/development tools.

Q: Who should use ReCrystallize Pro?

A: ReCrystallize Pro is ideal for anyone who wishes to distribute Crystal Reports on an intranet or extranet and wants the ability to provide an easy-to-use, customizable Web interface.

Anyone who has a working knowledge of Crystal Reports can use the ReCrystallize Pro wizard to produce Web pages. At the same time, ReCrystallize provides a powerful tool for advanced developers who often use ReCrystallize Pro to "jump start" their development efforts and then modify the HTML or ASP code to customize the appearance or behavior of reports.

Q: Will this solution require any special training for end users?

A: No. Anyone who can use a Web browser should be able to use the report viewers with no little or no additional training. If you prefer, your report data can be returned directly to Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Word.

Q: One what types of data can I report with Crystal Reports and ReCrystallize Pro?

A: ReCrystallize Pro takes advantage of Crystal Reports' ability to report on data from virtually any source. You can use any ODBC data source or Crystal Reports' native drivers to popular RDBMS systems such as Oracle. Reports based on ADO recordsets are not supported in the current release; development is underway to provide ADO support.

Q: What is the difference between the Crystal Web Component Server and Active Server Pages?

A: The Crystal Web Component Server (formerly known as the Crystal Web Reports Server) is a group of components that are included and installed as part of Crystal Reports. These components work with your Web server using the Netscape API, Internet Information Server API, or CGI to render your Crystal Reports as they are requested. The Crystal Web Reports Server offers built-in caching of report data that may be beneficial if your report data does not change frequently and does not vary from user to user. However, the effectiveness of the caching may be negligible if your reports will frequently be run with different parameters or record selection formulas. (Beginning with Crystal Reports 8.5, this functionality is provided as part of Crystal Enterprise.)

The ability to run Active Server Pages is built in to Microsoft Personal Web Server 4, Internet Information Server, and other Web servers. The Active Server Pages created by ReCrystallize Pro use the VBScript programming language to run your reports directly with the Crystal Reports engine automation server.

Using ASP to run reports gives developers practically unlimited flexibility to customize the way reports are run and presented to the user. ASP also provides better security because preset or calculated report parameters and database login information never leave the server, ensuring that users can not observe or override this information.

Q: Can I control access to certain reports or specific data within a report?

A: Yes, ReCrystallize Pro works with Crystal Reports, your Web server and your database to control access to your data in any of three ways:

Report Level: You can control access to the report itself using standard security and user authentication provided by your Web server.

Table Level: If your data source requires a login (e.g. Oracle or SQL Server) and you use Active Server Pages to run your report, you can pass the authenticated user's name and password from the Web server to the data source when the report is run. If you use the Crystal Web Component Server, you may choose to allow the server to prompt for one or more table logins.

Row Level: When you use ReCrystallize Pro to run your reports with Active Server Pages, you can pass the authenticated user's name from the Web server to your Crystal Report as a parameter field. By integrating the user's identity as part of the Record Selection Formula or SQL WHERE clause, you can design a single report that displays different data for each user.

Q: Will users be able to see or override database login information or report parameters?

A: ReCrystallize Pro generates Active Server Pages to run your reports. Because Active Server Pages execute on the Web server, passwords and preset report parameters never leave the server, so users will not be able to observe or override these values. Users can change only the parameters that you specify in the ReCrystallize wizard.

If you use the Crystal Web Component Server, it is necessary to send all information that the report requires to the Web browser. Database and parameter information are not visible to the user during the normal course of running a report, however users can simply choose the View Source option in the Web browser to see this information. ReCrystallize can encode your data source user name and password so that they are not obvious, however users may still be able to determine these values. For this reason, use of Active Server Pages is recommended when data security is a concern.

Q: What are the system requirements for using ReCrystallize Pro?

A: The ReCrystallize Pro wizard will run on virtually any PC with Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, or 2000.

Q: What are the system requirements for running reports on the Web?

A: If you wish to run reports using the Crystal Web Component Server, virtually any computer with a Pentium processor or higher and running Windows 95 or higher with CGI-compatible Web server software can be used.

If you use Active Server Pages to run your reports, you will need a minimum of a Windows 95/98 computer running Microsoft Personal Web Server 4. We recommend a PC with a minimum of 128MB RAM running Windows NT Server 4 Service Pack 6a or Windows 2000 with Internet Information Server. A full copy of Crystal Reports should be installed on the Web server PC since this will provide complete runtime support and allow you to easily troubleshoot any problems such as database connectivity at the server.

Q: Will my Web server need access to my database?

A: Yes, to run reports with "live" data, your Web server PC will need to be configured to access your database. To report on an ODBC data source, for example, you would create an ODBC System DSN from your Web server's Control Panel. If you only wish to run reports with saved data, no database connection is required on the Web server.

Q: Does ReCrystallize Pro work with Seagate Info? If so, where does it fit?

A: ReCrystallize is designed to work with Seagate Crystal Reports. It does not work directly with Seagate Info, however it can work with reports created with Seagate Info. Along with Crystal Reports, these products may complement each other to provide a better solution for all of your reporting needs. For example, you may need to make some reports available to unnamed users on your extranet. Crystal Reports gives you this capability and ReCrystallize Pro helps you get the reports running on the Web quickly and easily. Using ReCrystallize with Crystal Reports additionally provides users the ability to request and view reports with simple, easy to use Web pages without learning the Seagate Info interface.

You may also find it useful to utilize Seagate Info's report scheduling capabilities to refresh report data and then deliver the report with saved data using Crystal Reports and ReCrystallize Pro.

The following text is from Seagate' Software's business intelligence white paper entitled "Installing Seagate Crystal Web Reports Server and Seagate Info to a single Web Server machine":

Why would I want to install both products to the same machine?

There are many reasons to install both products to a single Web server machine. Seagate Crystal Reports provides development capabilities to its Web Reports Server interface. Many companies who have been using Seagate Crystal Reports since we first introduced our Web Technologies in version 4.5 have developed extensive and complex Web Based applications to take advantage of the Web as a report distribution medium... The drawback for some companies to using Seagate Info via the Web is the lack of Development capabilities available to interface with the Seagate Info backend processing components and the requirement of using the built-in Web functionality as is. It is for this reason that many companies have decided to incorporate both products into their report distribution structure.

What are the benefits of this type of installation?

This type of installation provides many benefits for the larger company that has developed a Web Based application to provide report data to their customers. Seagate Crystal Reports provides development access via Microsoft Active Server Pages to both the Web Reports Server component and the Crystal Automation Server component.

The Crystal Automation Server provides the ability to create truly dynamic reports as it allows the setting of Database Location and logon at runtime. Both the Web Reports Server and the Crystal Automation Server accept selection formulas, group selection formulas, database logon, subreport logon, Stored Procedure Parameters and Seagate Report parameters to be passed to the Web Reporting back end components on the fly. This allows Web developer to truly customize their Web reporting sites to fit the needs of their customers."

Please note that we recommend Crystal Reports be installed on a different Web server PC than Seagate Info, as having both products running on the same PC may cause conflicts.

Q: Does ReCrystallize Pro work with Crystal Reports version 8.5 and Crystal Enterprise?

Yes, ReCrystallize Pro (version 3 and higher) is compatible with Crystal Reports version 8.5 and Crystal Enterprise. Beginning with Crystal Reports 8.5, the Crystal Web Component Server functionality has been folded into Crystal Enterprise. Therefore, Crystal Enterprise must be installed for you to use the Crystal Web Component Server function in ReCrystallize Pro. Crystal Enterprise is not required to use the Active Server Pages option in ReCrystallize Pro.

Q: Why would I use ReCrystallize Pro instead of or in addition to Crystal Enterprise?

Crystal Enterprise is a definite improvement in "out of the box" Web functionality for Crystal Reports. However, there are many circumstances in which it is desirable to work outside the Crystal Enterprise framework. In general, Web pages produced by ReCrystallize Pro give you greater control and options for customization than are available with Crystal Enterprise.

By avoiding the Crystal Enterprise desktop metaphor, you can customize your reports' Web pages to blend seamlessly with the other content on your Web site. Unlike the Crystal Enterprise interface, the Web pages produced by ReCrystallize Pro are "self evident"--most users will know at a glance how to set report parameters and view a report. Making your Web reports easy to use avoids the need for costly end user training and support.

Crystal Enterprise is designed for scalability and provides the ability to spread report processing and user security/login over many computers. This may be an advantage for very large enterprises, but is overkill for many applications in small to mid-size companies and departmental uses within large organizations. Where this level of scalability is not required, it comes with an unnecessary cost in terms of simplicity, customization, ease-of-use, and administration overhead.

Q: Does ReCrystallize Pro eliminate the need for Crystal Reports client access licensing or server licensing?

ReCrystallize Pro is not intended to circumvent any user limits or licensing conditions imposed by Crystal Reports. If you are using Crystal Reports version 8.x, expect more than 5 concurrent Web users, and are unwilling to to purchase additional Web user licenses, you may wish to consider using ReCrystallize Pro with Crystal Reports version 7. The Web components included with Crystal Reports versions 6 and 7 are theoretically less scalable than those in version 8, but do not limit the number of Web users. Crystal Decisions is the authority on Crystal Reports licensing and should be contacted with any licensing questions.

Demo/downloads

Download the demo (10.9 MB). (new window opens).

POs

Many of our customers need to purchase via Purchase Order. We are happy to have such customers.

To purchase using a PO number:

Proceed through checkout, as though you were using a credit card.
For Bill To, enter the e-mail address of your Accounts Payable Department (or someone in it).
When you get to the page that asks for your payment method, select "Purchase Order" and proceed through checkout.

If you don't see "Purchase Order" in the dropdown menu, this payment method isn't assigned to the product you have selected. Send an e-mail to sales@mindconnection.com, telling us what item(s) you want to purchase and that you need to use a PO number as payment method.

Note: As an Earth-friendly company, we don't do faxes. We don't need to see your actual PO, so don't worry about sending it.

Terms. Our terms are Net 20, with the discount provided in the regular price. If you need more time, the rates below apply. Don't consider mailing time in your calculations. If you process a check within 20 days after we send you the invoice, then no financing fee applies (your order will have long since arrived). Otherwise, please adjust the payment amount as follows:

Period	Fee	Remember, we give the discount upfront rather than inflating the price to penalize customers who pay promptly. We want to give you that discount. If you have special circumstances, let us know and we'll work something out.
After 20 days	2% of order total
After 30 days	4% of order total
After 40 days	10% of order total

Vendor Information If you need a physical address for us so you can create your Purchase Order: Mindconnection, LLC 4806 Wedd St Merriam, KS 66203-5414