We are developing a Java web application for internal use. Since we have some people at the company who are familiar with Crystal Reports, we'd like to have them write reports that we can display through our application. Crystal Reports Server seems like overkill for this project, but the JRChttp://devlibrary.businessobjects.com/BusinessObjectsXIR2/en/devsuite.htm#en/JRC_SDK/">JRC> sounded like a good fit.
I have been evaluating Crystal" target="_blank">http://www.businessobjects.com/products/reporting/crystalreports/developer/default.asp">Crystal Reports Developer and trying out the JRC" target="_blank">http://support.businessobjects.com/communityCS/FilesAndUpdates/crxi_r2_jrc_web_samples.zip.asp">JRC samples. The samples don't use the tag library. Instead, they show how to set session variables and redirect to a viewer JSP which contains a bunch of Java code to use the CrystalReportViewer.
The samples are so much more complex than the code created by Crystal Reports for Eclipse, which simply uses the tag library:
<%@ taglib uri="/crystal-tags-reportviewer.tld" prefix="crviewer" %>
<crviewer:viewer reportSourceType="reportingComponent" viewerName="myreport-viewer" reportSourceVar="myreport" isOwnPage="true">
<crviewer:report reportName="myreport.rpt" />
</crviewer:viewer>
I assume that I should be able to use the same tag library approach without using Crystal Reports for Eclipse, but I haven't seen any tutorials on it. I'm trying to understand whether I should purchase Crystal Reports for Eclipse instead of Crystal Reports Developer.
This is the difference, as I understand it:
Crystal Reports Developer gives you the stand-alone Crystal Reports Designer and the right to run the JRC on an internal server. It costs $595http://store.businessobjects.com/store/bobjects/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.40434600">$595>.
Crystal Reports for Eclipse Standard provides a free report designer built into Eclipse. It also includes the JRC for use on an internal server.
Crystal Reports for Eclipse Professional provides "a more powerful runtime engine" with the right to run it on one internal server. It costs $495http://store.businessobjects.com/store/bobjects/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.52068100">$495>. Is this the same JRC provided with Crystal Reports Developer?
If the "powerful" JRC is the same as Crystal Reports Developer's JRC, could I install Crystal Reports for Eclipse Standard to take advantage of the Eclipse integration and the built-in designer, but use the more powerful JRC from Crystal Reports Developer, which would also give me the stand-alone designer?