In response to the question, "What data can I use when building reports in the RDC?", the answer is, "You have virtually no limitations." The RDC has been designed to use virtually any data source with minimal work on your part.
The Report Designer Component supports data access through Data Access Objects (DAO), Remote Data Objects (RDO), and ActiveX Data Objects (ADO). Through these three access methods, you can connect to most ISAM, ODBC, and SQL data sources available to Windows applications. In addition, you can create DAO Recordsets, RDO Resultsets, or ADO Recordsets in Visual Basic, then replace the data source used by a report at runtime by calling the SetDataSource method of the RDC runtime Report object.
The Report Designer Component also provides the ability to design reports based on Data Definition files, text files that define the fields, and field types of a database without actually serving as a source of data. Using Data Definition files, you can design a report without depending on the existence of a database at design time, then dynamically create the data at runtime and assign it to the Report object of the Report Designer Component.
If you have installed the full Crystal Reports product, you also have the ability to use the Report Designer Component to connect to any data source that Crystal Reports can connect to. In such a case, the Report Designer Component implements the Crystal Reports user interface that you are already familiar with, so you can quickly connect to any existing data.
Finally, the Report Designer Component also supports Data Environments in Visual Studio 6.0.
Probably the best way to cover all of the data sources is to take a brief look at the Data Explorer dialog box. This dialog box appears when you select Add Database to Report or Set Location, and it lists data source options in a hierarchical tree view.
Visit the Library on the Seagate Software web site to get documentation and knowledge base articles about data access.
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