Selecting the Right Reporting Tool

Transcription

1 Selecting the Right Reporting Tool Crystal Reports and Web Intelligence Michelle Ng Solution Engineer, OEM June 17 th, 2009

2 Introduction WHO AM I Michelle Ng Solution Engineer, OEM Working with Crystal and Business Objects technology for 5 years TAKE AWAYS Understand the differences between Crystal Reports and Web Intelligence OEM Integration Points Which to Choose SAP 2008 / Page 2

3 Agenda 1. Crystal Reports Introduction Features OEM Integration When to Use CR 2. Web Intelligence Introduction Features OEM Integration When to Use Webi 3. Selecting the Reporting Tool Comparison Matrix Summary SAP 2009 / Page 3

4 SAP 2009 / Page 4 Operational Reporting with CRYSTAL REPORTS

5 Introduction to Crystal Reports 1/2 Released in 1992 as Windows OS first report writer Win32 desktop client designer Author type: IT User, Developer Integrated as part of the BusinessObjects Enterprise (BOE) platform.

6 Introduction to Crystal Reports 2/2 Crystal Reports is: The reporting standard Highly formatted, pixel perfect report design Checks, invoices, forms, statements, lists, etc. Complete data access including Universe queries Complete SDK for creation, modification and delivery Part of complete BI solution: BusinessObjects Enterprise SAP 2009 / Page 6

7 Features - Flexibility Build any style of document: Cross tabs Forms Sub reports Conditional Reports Mailing Labels

8 Features - Rapid Document Development Quick report development using: Report Templates Design Wizards Experts Formatting Grouping Section

9 Features - Design Report templates Highlight data exceptions Alerts works with scheduling Save export settings with report Audit report usage via BOE platform View report performance details Dynamic Cascading Parameters Embed into Office documents with LiveOffice add-on

10 Features - Calculations 240 functions for calculations, including: Median, Mode, Standard Deviation, etc. Forms Sub reports Conditional Reports, Mailing Labels Custom Functions Create and store custom functions and calculations within the repository to share with other report designers

11 Features - Report Consumer Options 1/2 Drill from Charts, Maps, Data Export Options: PDF Excel Word RTF Text HTML CSV CLICK

12 Features - Report Consumer Options 2/2 On-Report Parameter Panel Optional Parameters On-report Sort & Filter Flash Integration

13 Crystal Reports Design Features Standard Reporting Requirements Grouping, drill down, group tree navigation, formulas, filters, parameter prompts, charts, maps, extensive formula library Report Design Wizard Steps you through report design and then allows you to continue editing the report in preview or design tab Dynamic Cascading Parameters Instead of prompting users with large list of US cities, prompt for State and then County and then the filtered list of cities Dynamic parameter list-of-values (lov) Schedule and cache parameter lov to avoid database traffic Custom Functions Create and store custom functions and calculations within the repository to share with other report designers

14 Crystal Reports Developer Features Custom Add-ins Create your own custom add-in for Crystal Reports Shows up under CR Add-in menu.net API User Function Libraries (UFL) Extend function library of Crystal Reports COM dll (used with C++, VB,.NET) based API that allows you to develop and add custom functions to CR formula editor Call external exe s and processes from report NIX Java UFLs support TBA Complete SDK for report modification and delivery

15 OEM Integration Complete SDK for report modification and delivery RCAPI now available with Crystal Reports 2008.NET SDK I.e. Remove fields, add a filter, apply formatting. Custom Add-ins Create your own custom add-in for Crystal Reports Shows up under CR Add-in menu Implement custom workflows to meet business requirements i.e. apply report formatting, export to multiple formats at once, etc..net API Integration Quick Integration - Insert report URL s into existing application portal. Seamless Integration Use SDK s for tighter integration, add report viewing, creation & modification, scheduling, management and more. SAP 2009 / Page 15

16 When to Use Crystal Reports Ideal for Complex, highly-formatted report design Creating canned report templates High volume report distribution (Publications) Tight application integration Offline/online report viewing Not Ideal for Out-of-the-box web-based design environment Ad-hoc query & analysis Self-serve reporting SAP 2009 / Page 16

17 SAP 2009 / Page 17 Self Service Reporting with WEB INTELLIGENCE

18 Introduction to Web Intelligence Introduced by Business Objects in 1997 Web-based & desktop client design tool Integrated part of the BusinessObjects Enterprise (BOE) platform SAP 2009 / Page 18

19 Features Self Service Reporting Get answers to unpredictable questions Ideal for Business Users & Analysts Intuitive drag & drop interface View Results

20 Features Flexible Design Flexible design & layout options Free Form Placements Format, change tables & charts, add a filter, sort, order, swap axis etc. Change table to chart Add a filter Quickly Sort Data

21 Features Calculations & Formulas Built-in Calculations Create custom formulas SAP 2009 / Page 21

22 Features Interactive Analysis Drill-down into the report using drop-down or directly on the report Intuitive selfguided analysis Chart & Data Drill-down SAP 2009 / Page 22

23 Features - Alerts Create alerts to highlight exceptions Options to customize alert Create an Alert SAP 2009 / Page 23

24 Features Create Hyperlink Link reports to corporate intranet, or pass parameter context to other reports. Pass click context of query filters, through sites, to pre-fill online forms.

25 Features Track Data Changes View changes when data is refreshed or at different levels of aggregation Determine root cause through drilling and tracking data changes Drag & Drop Category object to see details Green background = up Red background = down Blue bold = New to the DW Strike out = Left DW since last refresh (note: Trousers row would have appeared) SAP 2009 / Page 25

26 OEM Integration Report Engine SDK Use to view, modify and create Webi documents..net (RENET) and Java (REBEAN) SDK s Extension Points Use to customize the Webi applet. Customize look and feel, functionality, toolbars and menus, embed workflows. Indirect Integration - use the applet as back-end and put your own UI on top. Direct Integration Java based desktop apps, Swing etc. Also works in ASP, JSP or DHTML pages. Integration Quick Integration - Insert report URL s into existing application portal. Seamless Integration Use SDK s for tighter integration, add report viewing, creation & modification, scheduling, management and more. SAP 2009 / Page 26

27 Web Intelligence Design Panels Java Report Panel (Advanced) Requires JRE installed on client desktop More sophisticated tool Ex. Merge dimensions, create alerts HTML Panel (Interactive) Zero-client, nothing needs to be installed on client desktop Simple interface, more right-click options Webi Rich-Client Online & Offline Desktop Application No servers required Another option Interactive Viewer Allows user to do basic formatting to template Cannot change query SAP 2009 / Page 27

28 When to Use Web Intelligence Ideal for Web-based design environment Ad-hoc query & analysis Creating canned report templates Offline/online report design and viewing Not Ideal for Highly-formatted operational reports High volume report distribution (Publications) Tight application integration SAP 2009 / Page 28

29 Comparing Crystal Reports and Web Intelligence SELECTING THE REPORTING TOOL SAP 2009 / Page 29

30 Selecting the Right Reporting Tool Crystal Reports Webi Report Author IT, Developer BU, Analyst Report Consumer Information Consumers Information Analysts Design Tool Win32 Desktop Client Web-based & desktop Formatting Typical Use Precise, pixel-perfect formatting Operational reporting Pre-built report templates High-volume publishing Predictable questions Basic formatting Ad-hoc query & analysis Self-serve reporting Unpredictable questions SAP 2009 / Page 30

31 Summary Crystal Reports Used by professional report designers for pixel perfect and heavily formatted report design Distributed to end users with simple report consuming needs and limited interactivity Web Intelligence Used by report designers and data analysts for basic formatted report design and ad hoc query and analysis Distributed to analysts that analyze data by asking multiple questions and getting multiple answers dynamically with just one report

32 Q&A QUESTIONS? SAP 2009 / Page 32

33 Additional Resources Crystal Reports Features & Functions ns/index.epx Web Intelligence Features & Functions ence/featuresfunctions/index.epx Business Objects Community: Crystal Reports Business Objects Community: Webi SDK Developer Library and API Reference SDK Tutorials and Code Samples SAP 2009 / Page 33

34 Thank you! SAP 2009 / Page 34

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