Choosing between live and saved data

When reporting over the Web, the choice to use live or saved data is one of the most important decisions you'll make. Whichever choice you make, however, Crystal Reports displays the first page as quickly as possible, so you can see your report while the rest of the data is being processed.

Live data

Live reporting gives users real-time access to live data, straight from the database server. Use live data to keep users up-to-date on constantly changing data, so they can access information that's accurate to the second. For instance, if the managers of a large distribution center need to keep track of inventory shipped on a continual basis, then live reporting is the way to give them the information they need.

In conjunction with Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Reports supports live reporting. However, you should first consider whether or not you want all of your users hitting the database server on a continual basis. If the data isn't rapidly or constantly changing, then all those requests to the database do little more than increase network traffic and consume server resources. In such cases, you may prefer to use reports with saved data.

To ensure the efficiency of real-time reporting, read all of the suggestions in this chapter. These topics, however, are of particular importance:

Saved data

Reports with saved data are useful for dealing with data that isn't continually updated. When users navigate through reports with saved data, and drill down for details on columns or charts, they don't access the database server directly; instead, they access the saved data. Consequently, reports with saved data not only minimize data transfer over the network, but also lighten the database server's workload.

You can schedule these reports within Crystal Enterprise, so they automatically refresh from the database on a predetermined basis. For example, if your sales database is only updated once a day, or once a week, then you can run the report on a similar schedule and save it with data. Sales representatives then always have access to current sales data, but they aren't hitting the database every time they open a report. Alternatively, you can refresh reports with saved data on an as-needed basis.

If you do use reports with saved data, incorporate the other suggestions in this section to make sure your reports are designed for optimum performance.

To save a report with data, first make sure the Save Data with Report option is selected on the File menu; then Save your report.



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