CRYSTAL Report License and VS2010 Professional

Question

In the past, I used to create reports in XI crystal reports and in older versions for .Net (2008) applications, and I never looked at the Crystal report tool that comes with VS2008.

- What is the difference in the draft Crystal Report XI Software and Crystal Report in Visual Studio 2008/2010?

We are developing a web application for .Net 2010 and are thinking about using a crystal report for designing, viewing and printing reports. The application will be published on the server (64-bit), and more than 250 users will have access to this application.

- Do we need to buy 250 licenses or only one license for CR-XI or later (version not for Visual Studio)?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the crystal report that comes with Visual Studio from purchasing a license?

Answer 1

After some research and conversations with one of the technical guys at SAP, I now understand the license terms and conditions.

Crystal Report Version for VS2010

Visual Studio 2010 does not ship with Crystal Report, as it was in VS2008. Visual Studio 2011 Crystal Report 2011 can be downloaded from the SAP website and can be used for free. There is no license cost for this if it is used for internal applications inside .Net (cannot be used with third-party programs)

http://www.businessobjects.com/jump/xi/crvs2010/default.asp

Here is a link to license information;

http://scn.sap.com/people/blair.wheadon/blog/2010/04/19/crystal-reports-for-visual-studio-2010-licensing

Is there any difference in the development of b / w reports CR2011 and the free version of CR for VS2010

I was told that there is no difference in b / w Crystal Report 2011 and Crystal report for the free version of .Net 2010, but I would download it and return to this question later, because I doubt that it will be the same as the development of reports in CR 2011 (latest version).

My company has only one Crystal report designer, and we plan to use a crystal report for internal applications. Do I need to buy one license or do I need a viewing license?

From the point of view of licensing for viewers: The application is intended exclusively for internal users, so there is no cost (if you need to resell it, please contact me) While reports are built into your application, users can view them for free. If someone needs to buy Crystal Report 2011 separately for internal applications only, then this requires only one user license.

Crystal Report Server

If your users need more:

- access reports that collect data from various sources,
-Read reports and receive them in your inbox at specific times

-Access Dashboards
-Access reports or dashboards from your mobile device
-Selected reports in existing Excel spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations
-Etc

Then you will need to purchase Crystal Report Server.

Answer 2

Firstly, here is a blog entry that shows how VS versions fit all Crystal versions (I was provided with the SAP rep I was talking to):

http://www.blakepell.com/2012-04-18-crystal-reports-ide-to-crystal-reports-dotnet-sdk-version

Now I understand that the VS version creates a full-fledged Crystal report that can be used with .Net objects, the full version of Crystal, or Crystal Reports Server. The VS IDE is a heavily stripped-down version of Crystal's missing bells and whistles (and sometimes all the options that can be frustrating, but then again, if you don't need these options, then that doesn't matter).

When licensing, I am not an expert, but if you write your own server-side code for deploying reports, I think you just need licenses for client copies (VS version is clearly free, although I believe that it should be registered as a free license requirement). We bought full copies of the IDE where I work, because it was easy to work with, and saving time was for us. Crystal offers a reliable server solution, but you have to pay for it. If you use .Net elements to deploy and / or write your own code, I don't think there is a cost. SAP has decent phone support, you can call them and check this information.