Can SAP Crystal Reports Viewer 2013 be programmed using MS Access?

[Former Member]

Hello, I have been researching this online but have found it difficult to get a definitive answer.

Can SAP Crystal Reports Viewer 2013 be programmed using MS Access? One comment suggests that:

CR does not support VBA scripts any more because there is no ActiveX report engine component now...... have to use a third party tool .

Does this apply to the Viewer as well? Are there any (free) recommended 3rd party tools to achieve this?

The context is: I have multiple crystal reports that are exported from SAP and dumped into a network location. Each needs to be converted to excel before being imported into an access database. I have Crystal Reports viewer and I'd like to programme it (using access VBA) to open each report and save it as excel in a new network location. I have downloaded two library references for use in Access that I thought were relevant (crviewer.dll & craxdrt.dl). However, this is not something that I've been able to achieve.

Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

[former_member703003]

I know this is quite old, but have you heard whether the Viewer can be launched from Access VBA?

[ido_millet · Accepted solution]

Please move to either the Legacy developer of Cr for VS forums.

While you can indeed create your own code to do this, there are a few 3rd-party viewers (see list here: Crystal Reports Viewers, Schedulers and Related Products) that provide a command line API, so your VBA code can easily ask the viewer to export the report to Excel. There are also 3rd-party Crystal Reports desktop schedulers (Crystal Reports Viewers, Schedulers and Related Products) with command line APIs and at least one of them can also export directly to a table in your MS Access database and either append or replace records in an existing table.

[former_member183750]

Before moving to the Legacy forum, I'd like to point out a few things and define a number of terms;

SAP Crystal Reports Viewer 2013 (v. 14.x)

This is a viewer available for free from here:

SAP Crystal Reports Designer 2013 (v. 14.x)

This you use to design and view reports. An eval can be downloaded from here:

Neither of the above includes any SDK.

SAP Crystal Reports, Developer Version for Visual Studio .NET (v. 13.x)

This is essentially the .NET SDK for SAP Crystal Reports 2013. Note that there is no ActiveX SDK.

"ActiveX SDK"

What is typically referred to as ActiveX (in the CR world anyhow) used to be covered by the Report Designer Component (RDC) SDK. This SDK was retired in CR XI R2 (11.5).

So. The upshot of all of this is that if you want to use a VB script / ActiveX SDK, you will need to obtain CR XI R2. This version of CR was retired a number of years back, so I am not sure if you can still purchase it from SAP. Give SAP sales a dingle and see: 866-681-3435 or 1-800-677-7271

(Worldwide Office Locations | SAP)

One other options for obtaining CR XI R2 is Amazon or Ebay, etc. I occasionally see older versions of CR for sales there.

- Ludek

Senior Support Engineer AGS Product Support, Global Support Center Canada

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[Former Member]

Thank you Ido and Ludek for your detailed answers. Have looked at some of the 3rd party viewers that you mention and I reckon that they might be able to achieve what I want (schedule the export of reports in .xls) without having to introduce VBA.

Will move this post to a different forum, like you suggest.

[Former Member]

I have an install program I wrote back in 2005 or so that will install the run time RDC files needed. I worked with Business Objects and Progress software in developing install, and we use it today were I am now employed. It allows our progress software to start a report and pass parameters to the report, like field values or a filter. If anyone is interested, you can send me an email at  <email removed by SCN Moderator>  and I will send a copy no charge. It is really too bad that a big company like SAP cannot come up with a newer version of this, as who the H... wants to have to put these values is each time/ We use it to create custom order guides for our customers with pictures and everything, with all the information being pulled and passed from or SX ERP system. -Dennis-

Message was edited by: Ludek Uher

[former_member183750]

Hi Denis

You may want to add information as to what version of CR your install actually uses.

Also, re: It is really too bad that a big company like SAP cannot come up with a newer version of this..

This has been discussed ad infinitum / ad nauseam on these forums, with pretty good explanations. Essentially it boils down an argument re.; why are we using cars as opposed to horse and buggy?

I have removed your email address from your post as this against the

Anyone wanting to contact you can Direct Message you by hovering their mouse over your name. From there you can choose to communicate any way you want. Or in your profile you can expose your email too.

- Ludek