System.TypeInitialization error when trying to generate report from customer computer.

[former_member735868]

I am developping a software in C#, using Visual Studio Community 2017.

When I work on my computer, all is working fine, and I am generating the PDFs using my reports fine.

Then I was trying to launch my software from another computer, where I just have Crystal Reports Viewer installed, then I met System.TypeInitialization error message (after copying necessary .dll in folder).

I did compilate in 64x, and Crystal Reports libraries are 64 bits.

I am wondering, do I need to install some other distributives? Or is it that each of my customers need to buy a licence of Crystal reports, in order to be able to generate some PDFs?

[DellSC]

I changed your tag to "SAP Crystal Reports, version for Visual Studio" because your question is about using the .NET SDK. The "SAP Crystal Reports" tag is for questions about report design.

[former_member11696 · Accepted solution]

Contact CIC team they can get you in contact with OEM Sales.

Your partner is wrong, they need to purchase a single copy per install, it's clear in the Licensing Doc.

Only time it's free is if it's use internally only, but still need to purchase a single copy of CRD

If they have doubts they can contact our Legal team to clarify.

[former_member735868 · Accepted solution]

Hi Williams, just got an answer from sapdigitaldeals@sap.com (What is CIC Team?)

They half answered, as they tell me to get CR Server, what I need to do for a web application (in my case it is local one).

They gave me a link to Configuration tool : this just says me to get CR for VS (https://www.sapstore.com/crystalconfigure).

Then finally, there is a new document "Retirement of the SAP Distribution Reselling Model and SAP PartnerEdge Open Ecosystem Sell Specialization". The rules changed from 2020. I don't know if you have access, if needed I can put it on my server so you could download it (here I cannot share it).

I replied them again, as it seems they didn't understand the question (my english is it that bad?).

[former_member11696]

The short answer is for each deployment either by you or your customers they are obligated to purchase a copy of Crystal Reports.

So you buy 1 copy for the initial sale, if they deploy again of public use they need to purchase 1 per sale.

If they are using it internally ONLY then no purchase required by them.

Sales should be able to sort it out for you, send them the link to the CR for VS I posted. That way ourr legal department won't follow up...

[former_member735868]

Ok, so buying one licence for each customer may be enough. What I meant is I sell my software with X licences (so need to buy X CR licenses?), usually I make only one install, then they just copy files on as many computers as they want.(for internal use only). Then I will wait an answer from sales (still waiting). I will wait a week again because customer is waiting for it too.If I cannot get clear answer I will change solution, even if I need to make PDFs myself in code (I have only 3 reports), because I cannot believe it is possible to get such a bad customer service, I am very disappointed to be honnest, believed SAP was more serious company. Except you and Christy, I couldn't have a single answer, they always redirect me to somebody else... So it's hard to take a decision, as I told you, my colleagues all say me they do it for free (Maybe in France it is different rules?). Anyway, thanks for your answers, hope I could find an issue soon.

[former_member735868]

And regarding your link (I read it many times already), I don't embed any report, they are in separate folder (I created them with my CR2020 license), free to read/modify. The customer has 2 choices : Or he uses CR Viewer (that is free if I understood), or they export the report to a PDF through a button in my software. In fact the code is very short.

[former_member11696]

What I said was don't install the MSI packages on YOUR development PC, it is require for deploying as Dell noted.

It's not free, you are reading the wrong licensing Document, that's for CR DEsigner and BOE products.

The correct one is here:

https://wiki.scn.sap.com/wiki/display/BOBJ/Crystal+Reports%2C+Developer+for+Visual+Studio+Downloads

Crystal Reports for Visual Studio Licensing

On Page 4 is what you follow, you need to purchase a copy of Crystal Reports Designer per install or sale of your software.

It's up to you to buy CR, not the user.

Don

[DellSC]

Did you install the Crystal for VS runtime on the client computer or just copy over the assemblies as part of your application install?

The only way to get this to work is to install the runtime while logged in with Administrator privileges. The internals of the Crystal for VS SDK are based on COM. In order for the SDK to work, those COM objects have to be registered and a bunch of Registry settings are created - this doesn't happen if you just copy over the assemblies or if you install the runtime without having Admin rights.

-Dell

[former_member11696]

That License was for Crystal Reports Designer, that's why there is alink on the SDK WIKI for Licensing for the SDK.

The important part is this:

Requires the application developer to acquire a copy of Crystal Report for each 3rdparty deployment (installation)or an OEM contract.Requiresan OEM contract

So it's not per user it's per install of your application

CR viewer can be embedded in your app, the Embeddable Report Designer that's in Visual Studio cannot be deployed. If you edit a report in VS it opens a basic version of the designer, that can't be deployed.

[former_member735868]

Ok, strange, because my partners waranteed me it is not necessary, themselves they installed many customers without buying any additional license. Then if customer needs to edit reports themselves, they buy themselves a license of CR. They just copy the Redist.(and it's difficult to say how many installs there will be as customers just copy files to install themselves).

What is the redist for then? Cause the answer I also got from my colleagues, is that this is the reason why you made a free redist, no need to install CR2020 just for using reports.
regarding CR Viewer, I din't integrate it (you also told me, if I didn't missundersand again, that WPF Viewer doesn't work).

Is there a mail where I could contact and get official answer regarding licensing please, because on the chat, they told me to contact at this address "support.cis@sap.com", then they answered me to use webform on site, so I made a "SAP store support request", and waiting for an answer. I would have questions about pricing, OEM...

Thanks again for your answers.

[former_member735868]

Hi Don,

Yes in fact, I just today understood your last message. Honestly I get crazy in understanding all details as I couldn't reach somebody by email. When I bought CR2020 licence, commercial told me I wouldn't need to buy license for customers, that's why I bought one for myself. Then last week I got an answer from sapdigitaldeals@sap.com that gave me the link about licensing (the one you say it is wrong licensing document). I don't completely understand the terms in your document but as I understood what you wrote, I need to buy one CR2020 licence for each new customer? And what if customer uses my software on 20 computers? I need to buy 20 CR licenses? Even if customer doesn't need to make reports, just using the reports I made? Or are there some kind of "packs"? Because my last company used to sell hundreds of licenses, but end customer never owned any license (I am sure because I always did the reports for them). It's very important to me, because I have for now only 3 reports, and that's a bit expensive to buy 20 licenses just for that.

Thanks for your answers

Siegfried VEGA

P.S : reading again your link on licenses, CR Designer isn't it for who want to edit reports? What I need is just the customer to export PDFs from the reports I created. As you mentioned in last post, the CR Viewer cannot be enbedded in software (WPF), so I create .rpt files, then customer just need to click on a button to make the report and export to PDF. (excuse if I repeat myself, but I wantto be sure to understand that point).

[former_member735868]

Hi Christy, thanks for your answer. For now I didn't install anything on customer's computer because on last post, your colleague told me not to install MSI (https://answers.sap.com/questions/13532298/could-not-find-file-or-assembly-log4netdll-error-w.html) but after reading again, I think he meant not to install MSI on my computer, I am making tests on my second computer, where only CR Viewer is installed.

I just read again your colleague's answer, and CR licensing page : https://www.crystalreports.com/faq/#lp-pom-block-1000).

I will try to summarize what I understand, if you could please confirm that, or correct me if I didn't understand :

In my case, customer doesn't need to edit reports (I understand if they want to edit/create reports, they need to buy a license), they need through my WPF application to click on a button, then my application reads the report, refresh data then export PDF file.

- If they just need to use CR librariries to export PDF through my application, they only need to install MSI package (CRRuntime_64bits_13_0_31.msi for 64 bits). I can give them the runtime together with my software, as this is free for them.

- If they want to be able to edit reports themselves, so they just need to buy CR2020 license.

Thanks