Converting Reports from Crystal to SSRS for Standardization
By Tom Nonmacher
In today's fast-paced technology-driven world, businesses often find themselves in the process of system migration or upgrading. One such common scenario is the transition from Crystal Reports to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). This conversion is typically driven by the desire to standardize reporting solutions across an organization, and SSRS, backed by the powerful SQL Server technology, is a popular choice. This blog post aims to guide you through the process of converting your reports from Crystal to SSRS using technologies such as SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2014, MySQL 5.6, DB2 10.5, and Azure SQL.
Before starting the conversion process, it's critical to conduct a thorough assessment of your current Crystal Reports. This initial assessment should identify the number of reports, their complexity, and the data sources they use. Often, Crystal Reports are built on various data sources like MySQL, DB2, or Azure SQL. Understanding these dependencies will help you plan the conversion more effectively.
First, let's consider a report that uses a MySQL 5.6 database as a data source. The SQL query used in Crystal Reports can be directly used in your SSRS report. Here is an example, formatted according to the requirements:
SELECT OrderID, CustomerID, EmployeeID
FROM Orders
WHERE OrderDate BETWEEN '2000-01-01' AND '2000-12-31';
Next, let's move on to a report based on SQL Server, either SQL Server 2012 or SQL Server 2014. Again, the SQL query used in Crystal Reports can be directly used in SSRS. Consider the following example:
SELECT ProductID, ProductName, UnitPrice
FROM Products
WHERE Discontinued = 0;
Moving on to DB2 10.5, the conversion process remains straightforward. The SQL used in Crystal Reports can be migrated directly to SSRS. Here's an example:
SELECT EMPNO, LASTNAME, JOB
FROM EMPLOYEE
WHERE HIREDATE > '2000-01-01';
Lastly, let's consider the scenario where Crystal Reports are using Azure SQL as a data source. Once again, the SQL can be directly used in SSRS. Here's an example:
SELECT CustomerID, ContactName, ContactTitle
FROM Customers
WHERE Country = 'USA';
Beyond the SQL queries, another significant part of the conversion process is migrating the report design. This includes the layout, formatting, and visualization elements like charts and tables. SSRS comes with a powerful report designer tool that can help you recreate your Crystal Reports. It's important to note that while SSRS provides a rich set of features, there may be some design elements in Crystal Reports that do not have a direct equivalent in SSRS. In such cases, you may need to find a workaround or change the design slightly.
In conclusion, the process of converting reports from Crystal to SSRS involves careful planning and execution. By understanding the data sources and SQL queries used in your Crystal Reports, you can smoothly transition to SSRS. With SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2014, MySQL 5.6, DB2 10.5, and Azure SQL, you have a wide range of technologies to support your data reporting needs. Happy migrating!