Crystal Report on JDE Menu?

sheeba

Reputable Poster
Our legacy/current system allows us to select a particular/specific Crystal Report from the menu. The Users donot have to know Crystal to traverse through it and/or run and view any Crystal Report.

Please correct me if i am wrong -It appears we cannot do this with 8.12 TR 8.97. All we can do is add a task on the menu in JDE which is nothing but a link to Crystal Enterprise.

Please help me find answers to the below:

- Should all the users who want to run Crystal Reports on the Web need to know Crystal?
- We have some 100+ JDE users who use different Crystal reports - Would all the users need licenses?
- What about security and all that?
- Can't we place specific Crystal Pick Slip report on the JDE Crystal Sales Menu? (just as we would place JDE Pick Slip on the JDE Sales Menu)?

It seems like JDE 8.12 allows only access to Crystal Reports Enterprise and not to a specific Crystal Report. So then what does it mean when you say Integration of JDE with Crystal Reports?

Would appreciate if someone could add some sense into what i understand.

thanks
sheeba

Please help understand.
 
Larry/Justin/Don - Can you help me find answers to my questions pleez


Would appreciate any help.

thanks
sheeba
 
Sheeba,

I've been on vacation. As I privately emailed you we don't currently use a web version of Crystal. I'm pretty sure though that you can run a Enterprise Crystal report via a web link. You can add Web Links to a Task Explorer menu as a "Windows Executable". In place of a path/file name for a windows .exe instead put in the full URL for accessing your report (or the page to select the report from).


Hope that helps,
 
thanks for your response Larry.

here is what Oracle got back with

Question:
Q1. Should all the users who want to run Crystal Reports on the Web need to know Crystal?

Q2. We have some 100+ JDE users who use different reports - how will be handle this? Would all the users need licenses?

Q3. What about security and all that?

Q4. Can't we place specific Crystal Pick Slip report on the JDE Crystal Sales Menu? (just as we would place JDE Pick Slip on the JDE Sales Menu)?

Q5. It seems like JDE 8.12 allows only access to Crystal Reports Enterprise and not to a specific Crystal Report.


Answer:
A1. No. Crystal Reports is installed on the client and this is where the development of the report occurs. Business Objects Enterprise is a centralized place on the web that lets users run these reports that have been created. It does not take knowledge of Crystal Reports to run the report.

A2. Business Objects Enterprise is a central place on the web where all reports can be stored to be run. If they need to run the reports then they would need a sign on to Business Objects Enterprise. We include in the OEM installation 3 CALS/User sign on's to Business Objects Enterprise at no charge. If you would need additional sign on's then you would need to purchase those via Oracle.

A3. In the OEM version that we offer there is an integration piece that is installed that included a security plug in and a data adapter. The security you have setup on Enterprise One will go through to Crystal Reports and Business Objects Enterprise with the integration piece.

A4. No you can not point directly to a report. Crystal reports are created on a PC and then shared to the Business Objects Enterprise. Because of security you would don't be able to put a report that is stored on a persons pc and be able to access it from an E1 Menu. You can store the report on Business Objects Enterprise and then setup Single Sign on to Business Objects Enterprise and then access the report from there if it was saved to there.

A5. You would need to sign into Business Objects Enterprise first to access this report. Not setup to access a report saved on a pc directly.

So it appears Business Objects Enterprise and the required license is the answer - however with the URL idea you suggested, i am not sure if users would be able to access BO Enterprise without a license.

We are still exploring the different options - will let you all know what we end up doing.

thanks much for your responses.

regards
sheeba
 
thanks for your response Larry.

here is what Oracle got back with

Question:
Q1. Should all the users who want to run Crystal Reports on the Web need to know Crystal?

Q2. We have some 100+ JDE users who use different reports - how will be handle this? Would all the users need licenses?

Q3. What about security and all that?

Q4. Can't we place specific Crystal Pick Slip report on the JDE Crystal Sales Menu? (just as we would place JDE Pick Slip on the JDE Sales Menu)?

Q5. It seems like JDE 8.12 allows only access to Crystal Reports Enterprise and not to a specific Crystal Report.


Answer:
A1. No. Crystal Reports is installed on the client and this is where the development of the report occurs. Business Objects Enterprise is a centralized place on the web that lets users run these reports that have been created. It does not take knowledge of Crystal Reports to run the report.

A2. Business Objects Enterprise is a central place on the web where all reports can be stored to be run. If they need to run the reports then they would need a sign on to Business Objects Enterprise. We include in the OEM installation 3 CALS/User sign on's to Business Objects Enterprise at no charge. If you would need additional sign on's then you would need to purchase those via Oracle.

A3. In the OEM version that we offer there is an integration piece that is installed that included a security plug in and a data adapter. The security you have setup on Enterprise One will go through to Crystal Reports and Business Objects Enterprise with the integration piece.

A4. No you can not point directly to a report. Crystal reports are created on a PC and then shared to the Business Objects Enterprise. Because of security you would don't be able to put a report that is stored on a persons pc and be able to access it from an E1 Menu. You can store the report on Business Objects Enterprise and then setup Single Sign on to Business Objects Enterprise and then access the report from there if it was saved to there.

A5. You would need to sign into Business Objects Enterprise first to access this report. Not setup to access a report saved on a pc directly.

So it appears Business Objects Enterprise and the required license is the answer - however with the URL idea you suggested, i am not sure if users would be able to access BO Enterprise without a license.

We are still exploring the different options - will let you all know what we end up doing.

thanks much for your responses.

regards
sheeba
 
Sheeba,

Here's MY answers to your Questions:

#1: No. Only the people who will design/create new reports will need to know Crystal and get Training.

#2: You only need enough Concurrent Access Licenses (CALs) for the number of users that would simultaneously be VIEWING reports. Not 100+ licenses. Start with only a few licenses (say 10 or 15) and add more as needed.

#3: There are multiple ways to deal with security - it all depends on what you need to secure and how much headache you want to deal with. FYI Oracle's E1 data/security integration piece is a dog by all reports I've seen. Reports that would need to access large volumes of data would run very slowly.

#4: To my knowledge Oracle has not put any Crystal specific integration pieces into E1 to let you launch Crystal reports from E1, potentially passing parameters from the data on the E1 screen. To accomplish this you would need to develop your own integration (which is doable).

Budget will be a big factor in this. How much are you willing to spend for CALs on BO Enterprise? Concurrent Access Licenses are sold in Packs of 5. List Price for 5 is $7,500. 20 CALs is $30,000. Then of course there's server costs, maintenance, . . .

We're a small company (300+ employees, around 120 concurrent E1 users, 150+ users of Crystal reports) and the runtime licenses above is what has stopped us to-date from going the Business Objects Web route. The FAT Client runtime is FREE! So all we have had to do so far is buy a few report developer licenses and create our own viewing program for end users to select/run reports (using the Crystal developer APIs/tools). We've also created a integration method between E1 Apps and Crystal so that, for instance, a user in Customer Service Inquiry can click on a Form/Row Exit and launch a Crystal report that Displays an Order Analysis on the selected order. The caveat is that all this only works on Fat Client - for the web we have to redo our home-grown integration tools AND purchase BO Enterprise or Crystal Reports Server or a 3rd party solution. We'll be doing all that in the 2008/2009 timeframe.

As I'm sure you are aware anything is possible given time/money/talent.
Your wants are doable - we did it on the fat client already - but you will need someone to build this integration piece for you - I don't think Oracle will.

Good Luck
 
hey - thanks.

It was interesting to learn about the Viewing Program you developed.

Yes we are going all web!!! And it appears we will need only 10 or 15 CAL licenses at this point.

However, i also read somewhere that Crystal Enterprise support will be phased out of JDE in the years to come - now that BO was bought over by SAP.

So we will however need to plan ahead to see how to access crystal otherwise. As it is clear that JDE only allows access to BO Enterprise via the JDE Menu with licensing.

thanks much for your reply.

will keep you posted.

thanks
sheeba
 
Hi Sheeba,

I just read your thread and wanted to share that if you are using Business Objects Enterprise XI (OEM from Oracle or direct from Business Objects) you can setup hyperlinks to specific reports from your JD Edwards menus. The report must be saved in the Business Objects Enterprise environment. By default when you select the hyperlink to the report (Pick Slip for example) you will be prompted to login to Business Objects Enterprise. If you want to bypass the login, you will have to configure single signon which can be a bit complicated depending on whether or not you are using the Java or .Net version of Business Objects Enterprise Infoview Portal. The Pick Slip report will need to have a database login and password hardcoded when it is stored on Enterprise. We use this hyperlinking technique quite often, if you would like more details regarding it, feel free to email me at [email protected].

Hope this helps!

Adam
 
Thanks Adam. Appreciate you sharing the info.

Yep - will keep you all posted of what we decide to do.

thanks much for your email id as well .

sheeba
 
hi,

I if want want to see whether there is Integration between Crystal Report 10 and E1 is that, you will required to use your E1 login detail to login when linking your Report to the E1 Business Views which you cannot see on a DB level.

Zac
 
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