Not sure if this is the correct place to ask, so if not, please direct me accordingly.
I would like to know what the best process would be to change VBA generated excel reports into SSRS reports.
A bit of background, I work for a client who have been generating weekly, monthly and ad-hoc MS Excel reports via VBA macros. Currently, it was a manual process where they need to specify the report to run by calling a VBA macro function directly within MS Access. This macro would then run through all its underlying macro functions in order to generate the MS Excel report based on predefined configurations.
Since macros have become unsupported from Office 2007 (I think), the client is obligated to completely move away from this way of reporting to a fully automated process.
So, how would I go about interpreting the existing macros and generating the SSRS report accordingly?
If the reports are from Microsoft Access, you can try importing the Access reports into SSRS with the Import Reports from the Solution Explorer window.
You'll probably need to make changes and set the datasources to your new location. I haven't actually done this so I can't say how successful it is.
You can then use the Report Server's subscriptions to run the reports.
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms156375(v=sql.105).aspx
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There's a legacy VB6 application at my company that allows reports to be emailed to clients. Basically, a requisition number is entered, and after QC to make sure it's valid, the appropriate Crystal Reports template is called, exported to PDF, and emailed to the correct contact. I've been asked to research the feasibility of converting this from the current manual task (enter the requisition number and click the "Email Report" button) to a SQL Agent job, most likely an SSIS package. Duplicating the SQL that currently validates the requisitions is no problem, but I don't know how to get SSIS to call the Crystal Reports template (or if it's even possible), or how to then export it to PDF to be emailed.
The Crystal Reports templates are highly customized and have their own SQL queries that use the requisition number as the parameter. There are several templates for each client, so there are many templates existing (literally hundreds), and recreating all that customization isn't feasible. That's why I need to use the existing Crystal Reports instead of another option. We are using SQL Server 2008 R2 and Crystal reports 10. I have no ability to change this.
Is it possible to invoke a Crystal Reports template from SSIS and then export it to PDF, and if so, how? Any advice or links to resources will be very welcome!
Is there a way to do a dynamic ole insert of a pdf file into a crystal
report based on a value coming from a SQL database?
For example, I have an application in .net, back-ended by a SQL 2008 database.
The app. has a reporting subsystem which uses Crystal Reports to allow
users to run pre-written reports (from stored procedures) by entering
various inputs such as date ranges, etc.
What I want to do is allow the user to enter, say, an account number
which will then be passed to a stored procedure. The procedure will
get the path to the correct PDF file and pass that to a Crystal
Report. How do I get the PDF path to the OLE Object insert??
Is this making any sense??
Thanks for any help in advance.
do you have to use pdf? the idea of adding a pdf to a crystal report makes me feel dirty all over... If possible I would use rpt files as subreports. (note the reason it makes me pale quite so much is that I come from a *nix background and still think pdf should only be used for printing)
I am currently working on a MS Access 2003 mdb file. This mdb file will be converted to an mde file before being published.
How do I go about enabling the reports function of MS Access after conversion? Is there a alternative (open source or free software) to the reporting in MS Access? Any suggestions?
Assuming you mean getting users to creat their own reports in the same FE MDE? This isn't possible as you can't open a form or report in design view in an MDE.
We suggest you give the power user a separate MDB linked to BE database. Along with some starter queries and tell them to "have fun". Providing occasional support on queries, explaining, for example, the difference between the joins.
Also I give my clients an Export to Excel button which copies the reports recordset to Excel. I do not attempt to use the report itself into Excel as that generally looks terrible.
Another issue is to consider why users want to create reports. I frequently get clients requesting two different reports on the same data, one with details, one just a summary. You can actually make that a single report and hide the detail section to get the summary report.
Also, many clients consider a report with different data but the same layout to be a different report, and what they really need is the ability to filter the report output according to their needs.
In my experience, both of these take care of 90% of the scenarios where users think they need to create reports.
I'm having trouble figuring this out.
I stopped ALL of local SQL Services, e.g. SQL Server, SQL Agent, Reporting Services. Then using Report Builder 2.0 to create a report connecting to a remote SQL Server (No SSRS running) out in the farm. When I click on "Run" button, for some odd reasons, it still render the report.
I thought you must have SSRS running in the first place. Is SQL Reporting Services even required for Report Builder?
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When Reporting Services runs a report, it creates a data file of the data used in the report and, if nothing changes, it uses that data the next time the report runs instead of hitting the server again. You could be seeing the cached data.
Look where the report is kept. There will be a report file, say MyReport.rdl and also the data, MyReport.rdl.data. You could delete that data file otherwise simply changing the report parameters (if you have some) will generally cause the report to disregard the cached data and make a trip to the server again.
I'm answering my own question. Here's my observation after some googling and experimenting.
Report Builder is using a stand alone report control to render report. Visual Studio.NET is probably using the same thing when preview a report. SSRS is required when developers need to incorporate web-based reporting solution, e.g. ASP.NET, as well as to manage reports.
What's really bothering me is that to author reports in VS.NET, I must be using Business Intelligence Projects. In order to do that, I must install SQL Server 2005/2008 with SSRS. Why is so when SSRS is not even required in a LOCAL environment?
I have MS Access reports that needs to be displayed in a crystal report in .net windows application. Is there any way to do it or some alternatives?
I am not sure about the right approach to complete this, can anybody help here?
Hum, I don’t think this is possible. I not aware that access reports can be converted or transferred to crystal reports anyway.
Remember, access reports have event code, and even can have code run in the report for EACH line of detail that displays. In other works, not only are access reports amazing, but they are fully programmable with VBA code embedded INSIDE of the report.
Because of this issue, you need ms-access running and loaded for those reports to work correctly (the VBA is required, and functions, and also that of sql queries..of which a report can be based on SEVERAL data sources and several tables all at the SAME TIME).
Even more worry is that there is not any kind of code or report converter here from ms-access to crystal reports. So, you never could in any way easy way transfer reports from ms-access to crystal reports.
You could attempt to embed ms-access as a com object, but all kinds of problems like page numbering etc. can’t really be controlled here if the report is to appear inside of the crystal report.
I STRONLY recommend that if you need some reports in crystal reports, then have the appropriate reports built in crystal and you avoid this whole mess. And, you avoid having ms-access in the mix. Or, dump crystal, and only use ms-access here.
Attempting to embed word, excel, pdf, or other com objects such as ms-access inside of some crystal report is formula for VERY unreliable applications. This is likely not possible, but even if it was, I would not let loose an application of this type. Heck, embedding pdf’s in a access report can’t even reliable work (they break after some stupid pdf update gets issued automatic). This type of mixed up systems near guarantee break when one or the other system has some automatic update occurring!
You start mixing up several applications and it will cost you buckets support trying to keep that mess running.
If you MUST take different reports from several different systems, then send out all the reports to pdf, and then use some pdf tools to combine them into one final pdf document.
Don’t try t mix reporting systems at the application level. It not reliable even if this was possible..