crystal vs webi

[Former Member]

Hi,

I posted this question in Crystal forum, but no reply. Does Crystal support micro-cube, where we could merge results of two queries (merge dimensions) ?

Also, could someone give me a case where crystal is better than webi when data source is not SAP ERP? Some marketing material seems to give the impression that crystal is better at formatting reports than webi (pixel-perfect?)

Thanks.

[former_member793810]

Yes you can merge two queries in Crystal - Main query and sub query.

You can also do formatting at WebI level but it is highly recommended that you should use Crystal for formatted reports.

WebI is used for ad-hoc reporting. WebI is intuitive and allows users to drag and drop objects/measures to create a report quickly. Business Logic can also be applied in the universe, so reports can be quickly developed. Further fields are defined in business terms, as opposed to database terms, so the report developer only needs to understand their business and not the details of the structure of the database.

WebI reports is the better solution when the report needs to be developed quickly and will be developed by a Business User.

Crystal Reports has an advantage when the presentation and formatting of the report is of the highest concern. Crystal allows for pixel perfect, high fidelity reports, and allows the report developer more control of the presentation and data access. Crystal reports take a bit longer to develop, and require a higher understanding of database design and logic.

Crystal Reports is the better solution when the report presentation is of the highest concern, and the report can be developed by an IT Developer of Business Power User.

Bashir Awan

[Former Member]

Thanks. Does crystal support the notion of micro-cube like webi? main query and sub query are good, but they are still two object models, sure you could go from one to another, but that's not the same as merging dimensions where you are effectively building a single object model on the fly. Query 1 from oracle returns A, B, C, Query 2 from SAP returns A, X, Y. Could you display following things in one table: A, B, X, (C+Y) ? If so, that's good news. Does crystall offer off-line capability?

As far as formatting, could you give a concrete example on formatting where webi can't do what Crystal does? I'm tryinng to decide if webi could do what we need.

[former_member793810]

You can save Crystal with Data this lets you see data off line.

In WebI you can join dimension even if one is from Oracle and other is from SAP but both should have one common field.

We use crystal for distribution too. We create a report with required formatting and then download in different format (PDF etc) and distribute while in WebI this option is not helpful.

Keep one thing in mind that WebI reports are adhoc and user creates them on fly. If they remove and add columns then formatting is gone. WebI can only be used as sustitute of Crystal when end user has limited access and he is not allowed to do any edit to the report.

Bashir Awan