Introduction (Crystal Reports)

This document describes the use of the Bizweaver Crystal Reports tool.

The following pages contain additional information that may be helpful with the development of Bizweaver workflows using the Crystal Reports tool.

• Using Variables
• File Operations

You must have a Crystal Reports source file (.RPT) to use this tool.

The source (.RPT) files need to reside on the same server as Bizweaver. We have found that the Crystal Reports runtime engine, which actually generates the reports, does not function well when the report is on another server and is accessed via a network share.

The Crystal Reports tool is used to execute a previously developed Crystal Report within a workflow. The resulting output can then be saved to disk, printed, or used for other purposes such as an attachment for email distribution.

The configuration of the Crystal Reports tool is illustrated by the examples that follow

The following example illustrates a simple workflow to generate a Crystal Report, saved to disk and printed. Typical production examples will be more complicated. An example of a report that uses parameters is found later in this document.

• Enter a unique Name.
  • See rules above.
• Enter an optional Description.
• Report Source Path identifies the Crystal Report source file to be executed.
• Output Options and Parameters are described below.
• Login Information defines the target server and database where your data is found, as well as the logon credentials.
  • Select the target DB Type from the drop-down; either SQL or HANA.

Output options are selected via the appropriate checkbox.

At least one option must be selected but both can be selected as well.

The Print option generates the report and sends it to the printer selected from the drop-down list. The number of copies can also be selected.

1. The Save to disk option generates the report and saves it to disk in PDF format. Click the [ …] button for a standard Windows “save as” dialog.
   1. See the document “Bizweaver – Using Variables” for techniques for naming files using VBScript and variables.
2. Parameters in the Crystal Report are defined here. See Example 2 below for more information.
3. Server, Database, Username, and Password are used to connect to the desired database needed to execute the report.

Many Crystal Reports will use parameters to define the information to be reported. When a parameter is detected in the report it is listed in the Parameters section of the tool.

The value assigned to each parameter could be a static value, a Bizweaver Step Variable, a value from a Bizweaver User variable, or, as in this case, a value from a previous SQL step. Press F4 while in the “Parameter Value” field to display the list of available variables.

In this example the parameter in the Crystal Report is “CardType.” In the image above a variable in the workflow is used to provide the value for the parameter. The following image shows the same parameter provided as a static value.

When you create PDF files as output you will usually need to do something with the file. The three main options are to leave the file in place, move the file to a different folder, or delete the file.

Moving or deleting the file is done with the File Operations tool. Information about using this tool is found here.