crystal report in coldfusion MX

[ben7]

I am just starting to use crystal report in Coldfusion MX, my crystal report is pre-defined
<cfreport
report="directory/crstlrpt.rpt"
datasource = "ds_name"
username="user"
password="password">
but when browse it, nothing happening, i would be very appreciated if any one out there can help me.

[LL]

Try creating a simple report first and make sure you have the data source created in the ColdFusion Administrator
http://livedocs.adobe.com/coldfusion/7/htmldocs/00001476.htm may help you get started

[database_monkey]

The first question is what version of crystal are you using. If you are using an enterprise version of crystal, there are other options. If you are using any standard version beyond 8.5 the cfreport tag will not work. I have versions 8.5, 9, 10 and XI and only 8.5 works. I tried for days to integrate the newer versions of crystal with coldfusion and I finally gave up. I posted topics over at diamond.business-objects.com asking how to integrate the two and they were deleted. Dunno.

Also, if you are using crystal reports, they use ODBC datasources not coldfusion data sources.

[ben7]

thank you for your reply, we have crystal report 8.0 and 8.5, for now, and not planning to go any higher.
so cfreport tag will work for 8.0 or 8.5?
the crystal report i created is using odbc data source, not coldfusion.
is the following code right? or do i need to do something else, thanks again for your reply
<cfreport
report="directory/crstlrpt.rpt"
datasource = "ds_name"
username="user"
password="password">

[database_monkey]

cfreport should work with both of those versions and your code snippet looks good. I just tried doing a quick test and I'm actually getting the same results as you; a blank page.

I did a view source on the page and there is nothing in the generated html page about a report object. If you are using crystal enterprise, URL reporting would be the best bet.

Unfortunately, I don't have a quick answer for you about the blank page. I'll try some things on my side but I don't have anything definitive for you. Sorry!

[database_monkey]

I've been looking over the documentation for cfreport and apparently it uses an executable cfcrystal.exe. I have access to an old 6.1 CF server and it works fine. However, when I take the test page to my 7.02 CF server, it doesn't work. The cfcrystal.exe file does not exist on my 7.02 server either so I'm wondering about the validity of this tag on the new platform.

On a side note, the rendered page on 6.1 is not displayed inside of an activeX control so you may run into printing issues. If you are using crystal enterprise, I would recommend using URL reporting instead.

[ben7]

thank you for your reseach, so it looks like to use crystal report in coldfusion MX, we need to get the crystal enterprise... it costs a lot more than the standard version...

[database_monkey]

Well, I hate to suggest that you spend the extra money on enterprise when the cfreport tag should work. I don't know if you can even buy 8.5 enterprise either.

You might want to check with a local coldfusion user's group to see if anyone there knows. I'll do the same here and see if I can't find an answer.

Do you have a timeframe for your project?

[ben7]

yes, there is a timeframe, by september this year.
i will check with my boss to see if we could get the enterprise.
and i will check with the local group users
thank you, you been very helpful.