Report Viewer Comparison

Transcription

1 Report Viewer Comparison Overview Contents BusinessObjects Enterprise and Crystal Reports Server allow viewing and exporting of reports over the web using two types of viewers: zeroclient and thin client Since each type of viewer provides a different set of benefits and features, administrators and developers should select the viewer that best fits their needs ZERO-CLIENT VIEWERS 2 THIN CLIENT VIEWERS2 COMPARISON OF ZERO-CLIENT AND THIN-CLIENT VIEWERS2 DESCRIPTION OF THE DIFFERENT VIEWERS 3 DHTML Report Page Viewer3 DHTML Interactive Viewer3 Report Parts Viewer 3 DHTML Report Grid Viewer4 ActiveX Viewer 4 Java Applet Viewer 4 FINDING MORE INFORMATION 4 5/23/ :56:00 AM Copyright 2005 Business Objects All rights reserved Page 1

2 Zero-client Viewers Thin Client Viewers Zero-client viewers do not require client-side software to be installed or downloaded Instead these viewers display the reports as DHTML The following zero-client viewers are available for integration into Java, NET, and COM web applications: DHTML Report Page Viewer DHTML Interactive Viewer(Not available in NET) Report Parts Viewer DHTML Grid Viewer(Not available in NET) Thin Client Viewers require components to be downloaded and installed on the clients computers These client viewers offer better report fidelity but can require more administrative overhead Two thin client viewers are available and can be linked into any type of web application with access to Business Objects Enterprise or Crystal Reports Server system The thin client viewers available are the ActiveX viewer and the Java Applet Viewer Comparison of Zero-client and Thin-client Viewers Zero-client Thin-client Install Needed No Customization Options Highly Limited Embeddable in NET, Java, or ASP web applications Report Formatting options Limited to options supported natively by browser see below Can stop report from loading No once started Embeddable SDK objects No Output identical to that in Crystal Reports? Close Nearly identical 5/23/ :56:00 AM Copyright 2005 Business Objects All rights reserved Page 2

3 Description of the Different Viewers DHTML Report Page Viewer The Report Page Viewer is the most widely used viewer because it meets most of the common requirements It is an ideal choice if your company s security policies require that client computers be locked down, if you require a viewer with low administrative overhead, and/or if you are viewing report instances scheduled by the Job Server or ondemand reports using the Page Server The Report Page Viewer is extremely secure because no plug-ins or applets are installed This viewer is also highly customizable For example, you can modify toolbars, events, and group trees Since DHTML does not support all of the same formatting options as the Crystal Reports Designer, there are some limitations to keep in mind The Report Page Viewer supports the same formatting options as those supported by your browser For example, this viewer does not allow for underlined fonts or dashed borders The DHTML viewer provides two methods of printing reports Reports can be exported to and then printed in Adobe Acrobat or printed using an embedded ActiveX print control that sends the job directly to the printer In the NET SDK the DHTML Viewer is implemented as the WebForm Viewer DHTML Interactive Viewer Like the Report Page Viewer, the DHTML Interactive Viewer does not require you to download or install a plug-in or applet The Interactive Viewer inherits all of the properties and functionality of the Report Page Viewer with the addition of enhanced search and filtering capabilities The Interactive Viewer should always be used when modifying reports at run-time with the Report Application Server (RAS) Note that when using this viewer, the report is processed on the RAS server, even if you do not modify the report at run-time This viewer is not available in the NET SDK Report Parts Viewer Useful for displaying reports in PDAs, portals, and dashboards, the Report Parts Viewer allows you to display specific parts of the report Instead of viewing the entire report, you can configure the Parts Viewer to display specific parts such as charts, graphs, or maps These parts can be configured in the Designer or at run-time to allow drilling down from one part to another or on a graph The Parts Viewer does not come with any toolbar features such as printing or zooming 5/23/ :56:00 AM Copyright 2005 Business Objects All rights reserved Page 3

4 DHTML Report Grid Viewer The DHTML Report Grid Viewer, like the Interactive Viewer, inherits features like the toolbar and group tree from the Report Page Viewer The Grid Viewer enables you to view report data in a grid format that is independent of the original format of the source data As with the Parts Viewer, the Grid Viewer requires the RAS server to run the reports This viewer is only available in the Java and COM SDKs ActiveX Viewer The major advantages of the ActiveX Viewer are its display and printing capabilities Because the ActiveX Viewer uses client-side DLLs, it is able to display and print reports almost exactly like they appear in the Crystal Reports Designer Unlike the zero-client viewers the ActiveX Viewer cannot be embedded in your web pages Instead you must use the Enterprise SDK to create a link to a predefined JSP or ASPX URL on a BusinessObjects Enterprise or Crystal Reports Server computer While this method is easier to include reports in your web applications, it does not allow for as much viewer customization The ActiveX Viewer is best suited for environments in which browser security is not a primary consideration Java Applet Viewer The Java Applet Viewer runs within a Java Virtual Machine and provides report viewing capability in a web browser When a request is made to view a report, the Java Applet Viewer is downloaded and run on the client computer Like the ActiveX Viewer, the Java Applet Viewer s viewing and printing capabilities are superior to that of the DHTML viewers Unlike the ActiveX Viewer, the Java Applet Viewer does not require that client-side DLLs be downloaded because it runs within the browser s virtual machine It is important to ensure that compatible virtual machines are installed on all of the client computers Finding More Information For more information and resources, refer to the product documentation and visit the support area of the web site at: 5/23/ :56:00 AM Copyright 2005 Business Objects All rights reserved Page 4

5 wwwbusinessobjectscom No part of the computer software or this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Business Objects The information in this document is subject to change without notice Business Objects does not warrant that this document is error free This software and documentation is commercial computer software under Federal Acquisition regulations, and is provided only under the Restricted Rights of the Federal Acquisition Regulations applicable to commercial computer software provided at private expense The use, duplication, or disclosure by the US Government is subject to restrictions set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at The Business Objects product and technology are protected by US patent numbers 5,555,403; 6,247,008; 6,578,027; 6,490,593; and 6,289,352 The Business Objects logo, the Business Objects tagline, BusinessObjects, BusinessObjects Broadcast Agent, BusinessQuery, Crystal Analysis, Crystal Analysis Holos, Crystal Applications, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Info, Crystal Reports, Rapid Mart, and WebIntelligence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects SA in the United States and/or other countries Various product and service names referenced herein may be trademarks of Business Objects SA All other company, product, or brand names mentioned herein, may be the trademarks of their respective owners Specifications subject to change without notice Not responsible for errors or omissions Copyright 2005 Business Objects SA All rights reserved 5/23/ :56:00 AM Copyright 2005 Business Objects All rights reserved Page 5