crs functional overview

8/9/2019 Crs Functional Overview

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WHITE PAPER

A h : Blair Wheadon

C n b :Julie Ingram

A d ence: IT

ExECutivE SummAryCrystal Reports Server is a complete reporting solution rom BusinessObjects, an SAP company, that helps small- to mid-sized organizations create,manage, and deliver reports via the Web or embedded in enterprise applications.

Powered by the proven and trusted BusinessObjects Enterprise so twarebusiness intelligence (BI) plat orm, it provides a power ul services-orientedarchitecture that is ideal or reporting.

A technical overview o Crystal Reports Server 2008, this paper outlinesthe products overall components, services, and capabilities, which aredesigned to address the complete reporting process rom report integrationwith portals and enterprise applications, to report management and delivery, todata access and report design. Documentation available with Crystal ReportsServer provides additional installation and system management in ormation.

Note: Crystal Reports Server 2008 does not support the IIS (.NET) versiono In oView and CMC Web application; it supports only Java applicationservers such as Tomcat. For the detailed list o supported Java applicationservers, see the plat orm support document or Crystal Reports Server 2008at http://support.businessobjects.com/documentation/supported_plat orms .

Support or IIS (.NET) will return in a uture version o Crystal Reports Server 2008.

CryStAl rEportS SErvEr 2008Functional Overview

CONTENTS1 Executive Summary2 Functional Overview

13 Functional Architecture14 User Interaction Tier

4 Report Viewers or Viewing, Print-ing, and Exporting5 Microso t O ce Integration with

BusinessObjects Live O ce 17 Web and Application Services 18 Management Tools

10 Plat orm Services14 Repor t Creation15 Data Services17 Metadata

18 Conclusion29 About Business Objects,

an SAP company
http://www.businessobjects.com/http://www.businessobjects.com/


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Crystal Reports Server is powered by the proven services-oriented architectureo BusinessObjects Enterprise. BusinessObjects Enterprise is a complete BIplat orm that provides specialized end-user tools, including Crystal Reports,BusinessObjects Web Intelligence , OLAP Intelligence, BusinessObjects

Per ormance Manager, and BusinessObjects Dashboard Builder. BusinessObjectsEnterprise also includes data integration capabilities rom BusinessObjects DataIntegrator, which is architected using modern Web standards with an industrystandard communication ramework to tie all components and services together.

Crystal Reports Server harnesses the reporting services and components othe BusinessObjects Enterprise architecture to o er small and medium-sizedbusinesses a proven reporting solution. It addresses the complete reportingprocess rom data access and report design, to report management anddelivery, to report integration with portals and enterprise applications.

FuNCtioNAl ovErviEW

B s ness objec s. Crystal Reports Server 2008


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FuNCtioNAl ArCHitECturECrystal Reports Server is composed o separate yet interconnected componentsand services optimized or speci c tasks. These components and services include:

User interaction tier or end-user report viewing and interaction

Web and application services or customized report integration with portalsand applications

Web-based management tools or administration o Crystal Reports Serverservices and objects

Plat orm services or report publishing, security, and processing

Report creation tool or authoring your Crystal reports

Data services or comprehensive and fexible data access

Figure 1: Crystal Reports Server Functional Architecture



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uSEr iNtErACtioN tiErin v ew Na ga e and o gan za n

In oView is a complete, production-ready web portal that enables end users toaccess, view, and interact with Crystal reports (.rpt).

Report consumers use the In oView website to easily nd the reports they need.Users can navigate using an integrated search acility as well as with a oldernavigation tree. They can also schedule their own reports to re resh on a regularbasis, and manage their history list o previously scheduled reports.

rEport viEWErS For viEWiNG, priNtiNG, AND ExportiNGWithin In oView, you can select your pre erred viewer rom a choice o thin andzero-client report viewers: DHTML, Active X viewer, and Java Applet. These viewersprovide end users with simple report viewing and interaction capabilities, includingreport re reshing, printing, exporting, and searching. In oView and the report viewersare simple, straight orward, and des igned to be used by your end users withminimal training. An o fine viewer is also included or disconnected report viewingand interaction.

Exporting is a common end-user requirement. Crystal Reports Server supports avariety o exporting ormats, including PDF, Excel, XML, and RTF. End users canchoose to export a complete report or a speci c page.

Figure 2: The InfoView Portal Is Included in Crystal Reports Server



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miCroSoFt oFFiCE iNtEGrAtioN WitHBuSiNESSoBJECtS livE oFFiCE

BusinessObjects Live O ce lets you embed re reshable, veri ed corporate data managed by Crystal Reports Server into your Microso t O ce documents.

With Live O ce, your O ce documents display data rom the same trusted reportsyou manage in Crystal Reports Server. When everyone uses the same correct sourceo in ormation, you dont spend time disputing the validity o the data. Instead,everyone ocuses on making quicker, more meaning ul decisions. With Live O ce,youre con dent the data you access is timely, consistent, and accurate. Use LiveO ce to access live data re reshed rom accurate reports. Modi y data lters and

ormulas as needed, while retaining all existing ormatting and calculations. Then,automatically re resh a single data item or all the data in your document all romwithin Microso t O ce.

Live O ce supports the version o Microso t O ce you use today, including O ce2003, XP, and 2007.

Live O ce is architected to use Web services to eliminate rewall con gurationhassles and reduce client-side ootprint. It consists o a client-side component thatintegrates with Microso t Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This client-side componentuses Web services to communicate with Crystal Reports Server. The Java WebComponent Adapter, included in the server-side installation, communicates withthe client. Live O ce takes advantage o both the report security and data securitythat Crystal Reports Server provides. Users must login to Crystal Reports Serverthrough the Live O ce client to ensure they are presented a list o reports that theyhave rights to see. When re reshing data, data-level security is also applied, ensuringusers see the data they have the rights to see.



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Figure 4: Navigating Crystal Reports Server Content From WithinMicrosoft PowerPoint

Figure 3: Filtering Crystal Reports Data From Within Microsoft Excel



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WEB AND AppliCAtioN SErviCESCrystal Reports Server includes comprehensive so tware development kits (SDKs)and portal integration kits to enable fexible integration with existing Web environments.

De e e in e aces

Crystal Reports Server comprises a power ul set o reporting services, exposedthrough an extensive set o SDKs. All end-user inter aces are built on top o theseSDKs, ensuring that developers can access all aspects o the system. Theseobject models encapsulate all the calls needed to:

Extract content listings rom the system

Control content processing and delivery

View content

Interact with content

Administer the systemAll the sample applications included with Crystal Reports Server use this well-documented object model.

J2EE Se ces

Crystal Reports Server provides tight integration with Java plat orms via native Javaand Web services SDKs. These kits are made up o robust reporting components,sample applications, and documentation. Developers can install these components onWeb application plat orms, including BEA WebLogic, IBM WebSphere, Apache,Oracle 10g Application Server, or Sun ONE application server. The SDKs providea high-level application programming inter ace (API) to control every aspect oCrystal Reports Server using the development language you pre er.

The components process requests rom the users in the presentation tier and thencommunicate these requests to the appropriate service in the plat orm tier. Thedeveloper services include support or report viewing and logic to understand anddirect Web requests to the appropriate Crystal Reports Server plat orm service.Crystal Reports Server uses a Java SDK to run the system with a third-partyapplication server, which acts as the gateway between the Web server and the resto Crystal Reports Server. The application server is responsible or processing requests

rom your browser, sending certain requests to the Web component adapter, andusing the SDK to interpret components in Java Server Pages (.jsp les).



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Web Se ces

Crystal Reports Server includes a comprehensive Web services SDK that allowsdevelopers to integrate documents directly into applications using industrystandard technology. It consists o a series o Web-based unctions that useJ2EE plat orms.Business Objects Web services make it easier and aster to integrate CrystalReports Server and other Business Objects technology with other Web-basedapplications. It also acilitates the deployment o Crystal Reports Server andBusinessObjects Enterprise with customized applications. Business Objects Webservices are available or document display, re resh, and providing drill unctionalityto end users. For developers, the Web services provider is deployed on the serverside with Crystal Reports Server or BusinessObjects Enterprise services. Fordevelopers, the API enables the creation o customized Web sites, applications,or Web services that access the services in Crystal Reports Server.

p a in eg a n K s

Crystal Reports Server supports integration into industry-leading portal serverenvironments by delivering components with similar unctionality to the out-o -the-box, end-user portal In oView. Prebuilt portal integration kits or BEA, IBM, andOracle portals are available or use with Crystal Reports Server. These portalintegration kits use portal standards such as JSR-168 and Web parts, and areavailable in the Business Objects download center at www.businessobjects.com/products/downloadcenter/xi.asp .

mANAGEmENt toolSTo support decentralized management unctions, Crystal Reports Server includesa Web portal or tasks such as password management, report scheduling, anduser-access control. You can customize and automate management tasks using the

Crystal Reports Server SDKs.Cen a manage en C ns e

For total system control rom a single Web inter ace, managing such a broad set oend-user interaction requirements, as well as security and access rights, requiresa power ul yet easy-to-use administration environment. Crystal Reports Serverincludes the central management console (CMC) a 100% Web-based environment

or centralized system management, deployment, and con guration. The CMCprovides fexible, power ul, and granular control o the environment or tasks that

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include setting up user roles, security access, server administration, passwordmanagement, and more. It also allows administrators to easily access and con gurethe system, while controlling the overall access rights, applications, and end-userviewing experience.

IT management and administration bene t rom the central repository or all Crystalreports, olders, and user pro les, and access to security entitlement databases oruser, role, and document security.

Figure 5: Central Management Console

Cen a C nfg a n manage

The central con guration manager (CCM) is designed exclusively or the servermanagement and con guration o the Crystal Reports Server services. This toolallows you to start, stop, enable, and disable servers. It also allows you to view andcon gure advanced server settings.



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plAtForm SErviCESBased on the proven plat orm services o BusinessObjects Enterprise, CrystalReports Server represents the services where actual data processing, documentprocessing, and end-user access takes place. The plat orm is segmented into a

series o specialized services or di erent tasks and is linked by a highly optimizedcommunication ramework. For Crystal Reports Server, these services all run on asingle server.

The communication ramework handles the movement o in ormation between theplat orm services and SDKs, and provides end-user in ormation access, delivery,and interaction. You can access individual services via the provided Java andWeb services SDKs, so there is no need to directly access or con gure thecommunication ramework.

The plat orm enables end users to view and interact with in ormation inside andoutside the rewall. It allows interactive report viewing, discussion threads orcollaborative decision-making, and integrated scheduling and distribution o Crystalreports based on events, business calendars, or intervals.

Add ng re s C s a re s Se e

Crystal Reports Server is designed to support batch publishing o Crystal reports tothe Web. Using a desktop publishing wizard, your administrators and end users canpublish multiple Crystal reports to Crystal Reports Server. The wizard also lets youcon gure report processing schedules, security, parameters, and database logons.

Figure 6: The Publishing Wizard

B s ness objec s. Crystal Reports Server 2008 10


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Sec

Crystal Reports Server can secure access to reports, olders in which they arestored, and the actual data that is visible within the reports. Building on a hierarchicalobject-level security model, Crystal Reports Server supports security rights at boththe older and object level, and supports ull inheritance at the user and group level.Similarly, the product supports aggregation through a fexible, group-user membershipmodel. Data level security is provided by the Business Views semantic layer thatprovides the innovative View Time Security eature, which secures report data even

or scheduled reports.

You can integrate with many third-party security entitlement databases such asLDAP, Kerberos, eTrust (Netegrity) Siteminder, and Windows NT/Active Directory and use the in ormation to control user-access rights. The Crystal Reports Serversecurity system maps to these security systems directly. For example, when a useris added to an LDAP group, he or she is automatically added to that same groupwithin the Crystal Reports Server system. When using Microso t operating systems,Active Directory and Microso t SQL Server, Crystal Reports Server enables single-sign on through to the database or your end users.

Figure 7: Central Management Console Authentication Window



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In addition, an integrated Crystal Reports Server security system is available orthose customers who do not currently use an entitlement database. The systemalso supports the ability to use more than one entitlement database in the sameimplementation. This is particularly important in cases where organizations need

to combine di erent audiences. For example, a system might maintain that internalusers access the environment using an NT authentication database, while businesspartner security in ormation is stored in an LDAP database.

S s e manage en

The central management server (CMS) is a key plat orm service responsible ormaintaining a database o in ormation about the Crystal Reports Server system.The CMS data includes in ormation on users and groups, security levels, andreports. This in ormation is used to en orce access rights to Crystal Reports Serverand the types o tasks users can per orm. The CMS also manages access to thesystems report repository database.

re s , S age, and re e a

Crystal Reports Server stores reports in a central system repository database.Although this repository database stores speci c in ormation about the objectspublished to it including users, security, groups, olders, and parameters itdoes not actually store physical copies o the reports. It contains pointers to thephysical reports, thereby making report retrieval aster. The system repositorydatabase is maintained either by using the provided MySQL databases, or by usinga SQL Server, Oracle, or DB2 database. The database structure can be automati-cally created when setting up the Crystal Reports Server system or con gured on adi erent database.

Sched ng and A e ng

The report job server provides scheduling capabilities or Crystal Reports. There

are many options available, including scheduling based on a speci ed time, arecurring schedule, or even a business calendar. Reports can also be scheduledto output in di erent ormats such as Crystal Reports, Excel, PDF, Word, and text allowing urther interaction. And you can schedule them to di erent destinationsincluding email, printer, or le server.

You can also combine report scheduling with user role-based security, allowing ITand end users to easily deliver the right in ormation to the people or groups thatneed it, regardless o whether the users are part o the system.



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The scheduler in Crystal Reports Server includes the ability to schedule reportsor automatic distribution to external locations, such as . tp servers, email distribution

lists, printers, and le servers. When used in conjunction with security, a singlereport can be run once and distributed with personalized data or speci c individuals

or groups.

Figure 8: Central Management Console Scheduling Window

p cess ng and Cach ng

Crystal Reports Server supports e cient report processing through the pageserver. The page server is primarily responsible or responding to page requests

by processing reports and generating them as needed. Only the requested pageis returned, not the entire report. This greatly enhances per ormance and reducesunnecessary network tra c or large reports.

Crystal Reports Server also supports active data sharing. Active data sharingmeans that in situations where di erent reports access the same data, the documentscan use that shared data and the requested report can be rendered without anadditional database hit, even though the other report itsel may be di erent. Thisresults in a signi cant per ormance improvement across the entire system, includingthe database. A major bene t o active data sharing is that as the load and usageincreases, more data is cached, and the system runs more e ciently.



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The Crystal Reports Server cache server is responsible or handling all report-viewing requests. The cache server checks whether or not it can ul ll a requestwith a cached report page. I it cannot, then it asks the Page Server to generatethe page.

C ab a nThreaded discussions a ully integrated eature o the In oView environment enableusers to create and maintain comments on any Crystal report accessible in CrystalReports Server. The system manages all threaded discussion in ormation and storesit in the repository. Discussion threads can also be made public or private.

rEport CrEAtioNCrystal Reports Server lets you view, share, and manage the reports designedin Crystal Reports. This power ul reporting tool is built to address diverse data

ormatting and presentation requirements. For novice report designers, CrystalReports includes intuitive wizards, templates, and experts to simpli y commonreporting tasks. For more advanced users, Crystal Reports includes ne-grainedcontrol over most eatures including ormulas, conditional ormatting, and objectpositioning to address speci c customization requirements. It also includesthe power ul Editable Preview eature, which allows report designers to edittheir report template with data retrieved rom the database. (Please note: CrystalReports 2008 is not included in Crystal Reports Server 2008.)

Dynamic, cascading prompts enable end users to select parameter values rom adynamic list populated at run time rom a data source. This ensures end users arepresented options that are always valid.

The parameter panel means that parameter values can be set without re reshingdata. Report consumers can easily see the parameters displayed in the panel,change them, and have the new values applied directly to the saved data in the

report. Sort and lter eatures are another solution to reduce the report count andIT and development support costs.

Importing Xcelsius-generated Shockwave Flash (SWF) les into your report provideswhat-i scenario models and helps end users visualize the potential outcome obusiness decisions. (Please note: Xcelsius design tool is not included in CrystalReports Server.)



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Figure 9: Crystal Reports Showing a Report with an Embedded SWF, the Parameter Panel,and the Repository Explorer

The Crystal Reports Server repository provides a secure, central location to storecommon report elements, including custom unctions, SQL commands, dynamiccascading prompts, and bitmaps. You can share these components across multiplereports and update them rom a single location. Repository objects are managed inthe plat orm tier or secure object sharing and updating.

DAtA SErviCESThe Crystal Reports report designer provides a variety o fexible data connectivityoptions. By using Business Views, an optional metalayer that masks thecomplexities associated with data access, you can extend report creation tasksto report designers with less knowledge o the underlying data source.



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Da a D e s and C nnec

Crystal Reports Server includes more than 35 data drivers or direct connectivity torelational, XML, online analytical processing (OLAP), and in-memory data. Reportauthors can choose rom native, ODBC, OLE DB, and JDBC connectivity to databases,

les, logs, enterprise applications, or program elements. Report authors can alsochoose to write their own SQL commands. Data rom multiple sources can also be

joined and synchronized or use in one report.

Figure 10: Comprehensive Data Source Access in Crystal Reports



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mEtADAtABusiness Views simpli es data connectivity by creating an abstraction layer overcomplicated data sources. This accelerates report design and by simpli yingdata access.

However, Business Views is more than an abstraction layer it also provides a power uldata security eature called View Time Security. This eature assures that end users seeonly the data they have the rights to see, even when the report is scheduled.

Figure 11: The Business Views Manager Metadata Layer Is Included in Crystal Reports Server



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Available or deployment on either a Windows or Linux operating system, CrystalReports Server is a complete reporting solution that helps small to mid-sizedorganizations create, manage, and deliver reports via the Web or through Microso tO ce. It is built using the proven, trusted BusinessObjects Enterprise plat orm,

providing a power ul services-oriented architecture that is ideal or reporting. Plus,it includes Crystal Reports XI and BusinessObjects Live O ce or integration withMicroso t Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Regardless o the reporting challenge,small and medium-sized organizations can bene t rom using Crystal Reports toaddress the complete reporting process, and convert your data into valuable in or-mation wherever your users choose to work.

CoNCluSioN



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As an independent business unit within SAP, Business Objects trans orms the waythe world works by connecting people, in ormation, and businesses. Together withone o the industrys strongest and most diverse partner networks, the companydelivers business per ormance optimization to customers worldwide across all

major industries, including nancial services, retail, consumer-packaged goods,healthcare, and public sector. With open, heterogeneous applications in the areaso governance, risk, and compliance; enterprise per ormance management; andbusiness intelligence; and through global consulting and education services,Business Objects enables organizations o all sizes around the globe to close theloop between business strategy and execution.

Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Cali ., and Paris, France.The companys stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris(ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More in ormation about BusinessObjects can be ound at www.businessobjects.com .

ABout BuSiNESS oBJECtS,AN SAp CompANy

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businessobjects.com

2008 Business Objects. All rights reserved. Business Objects owns the ollowing U.S. patents, which may cover products that are o ered and licensed by Business Objects: 5,555,403; 5,857,205;6,289,352; 6,247,008; 6,490,593; 6,578,027; 6,831,668; 6,768,986; 6,772,409; 6,882,998; 7,139,766; 7,299,419; 7,194,465; 7,222,130; 7,181,440 and 7,181,435. Business Objects and the BusinessObjects logo, BusinessObjects, Business Objects Crystal Vision, Business Process On Demand, BusinessQuery, Crystal Analysis, Crystal Applications, Crystal Decisions, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Insider,Crystal Reports, Desktop Intelligence, Inxight, the Inxight Logo, LinguistX, Star Tree, Table Lens, ThingFinder, Timewall, Let there be light, Meti y, NSite, Rapid Marts, RapidMarts, the Spectrum Design, Web

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