Two major reporting vendors in a constant race.
For the past couple of months, I have been working on reporting projects for a few clients in British Columbia. One of the clients is using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) as the reporting platform for all organizational reports, including custom built Microsoft Dynamics AX. Another client is using Crystal Reports (CR) as their core Business Intelligence application.
Both SSRS and CR are business intelligence applications that take data from data sources of varied formats and generate reports providing decision support information. The reports can be interactive Web reports, tabular, graphical, free-form on-screen or print reports. For example, data can be accessed from Oracle and SQL databases, Excel Spreadsheets and local file systems, and reports generated in Excel, PDF, DOC or executed right in the browser.
I have encountered many debates regarding the comparative advantages and disadvantages of SSRS and CR. The debate has been complicated by two major factors. Firstly, many of the complaints relate to earlier versions which might not be present in the latest ones. Secondly, the applications are used in varied environments for varied purposes and some might find SSRS more suited to their requirements while others might find CR the right choice.
One general objection is that CR is problematic to work with, being immense and slow. This can be the result of the peculiar challenges its development team faced within the context of ownership changes, and that too with a product designed for a very different environment.
SSRS, on the other hand provides a far more pleasing experience. However, there are complaints about it not being able to meet finer formatting requirements. Born in an earlier era, CR is more likely to come with more low-level features that enable detailed requirements.
Most users might find SSRS a better choice, which is more suited to modern environments and requirements, especially when paired with the Microsoft stack (SharePoint). On the performance front also, SSRS is likely to score much higher in most environments. On the other hand, CR has been in existence for a longer period and more people are likely to be familiar with it. And those who are finicky with the smaller details might prefer the low-level features of CR.
Day by day I am observing that the market is migrating towards SSRS. Overall, SSRS is a better choice for the modern user who is more concerned with performance and ease of use. SSRS is a server based report generation and scheduling software system that considerably reduces the time required to generate and send business intelligence reports. With SSRS one can also tailor reports to organizational needs. With customizable report templates at hand, business managers and executives can easily take full advantage of SSRS. The reports can also be published and accessed on demand. With its familiar, widely used Microsoft Office Excel interface the SSRS can be comfortably used by new employees in an organization without extensive training.
OptimusAnalytics offers both Crystal and SSRS report development. To learn more about our reporting experiences and solutions, contact me directly at rupmeet.singh@optimusinfo.com
