Publishing and Distributing Reports

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to publish and share reports.

Crystal Reports in the SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform

You can share your finished reports with others through the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform (also known as BusinessObjects Enterprise). You can publish reports to folders on the BI platform simply by choosing Enterprise in the Save As dialog box in Crystal Reports (authentication required). After publishing, you can still access and modify a report from Crystal Reports. In addition, you can view, refresh, and schedule reports in the BI Launch Pad, the browser-based user portal to the BI platform. For more information in the BI platform, refer to SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform | SAP Help Portal

Reports in the BI Launch Pad

Reports that have been saved to the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform can be accessed using the BI Launch Pad, the user web portal for the BI platform. Access requires user authentication. Rights granted by the administrator determine which content a user can access, and what tasks they can perform (for example, view, refresh, schedule). The content management features of the BI platform enables your organization to store and share Crystal Reports, as well as other types of objects, conveniently and securely.

Scheduling and Viewing Crystal Reports in the BI Launch Pad

Scheduling Reports

Scheduling reports in the BI Launch Pad involves decisions about:

  • Recurrence (when the report should run). For example, on the last day of each month.

  • Destination (where the instance should be sent or stored). For example, to the inbox of a colleague.

  • Format (what file type; same options as export). For example, in portable document format (PDF).

Viewing Reports in the BI Launch Pad

You can interact with published reports directly in the BI Launch Pad without the Crystal Reports designer. You can view reports (either previously scheduled instances or "on-demand"). You can also refresh and export report data.

The image displays a screenshot of the SAP report management interface, featuring a hierarchical folder structure on the left panel with categories like Public Folders expanded to show Report Samples, while the right panel lists report titles such as Demonstration, Feature Samples, and Financial along with their types, descriptions, and last updated timestamps, and a context menu is open next to the Share a Report.rpt file offering options like View, Schedule, and Delete, reflecting a functional setting for organizing and managing reports in a professional software environment.

You can organize reports in either public or personal (user-specific) folders. With appropriate permissions (rights), other users can interact with reports that you have saved in the public folders.

Note

SAP BusinessObjects BI platform and Crystal Reports are licensed separately.

Exporting Reports

You can share finished reports with others by exporting the report content to many popular formats.

The image displays an Export dialog box from a software application where the user is selecting the file format as PDF from a dropdown menu, and the Destination dropdown is expanded, highlighting options such as Disk file, Application, Exchange Folder, Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino Mail, and MAPI, with control buttons OK, Cancel, and Help on the right side.

The exporting process requires you to specify a format and a destination. The format determines the file type, and the destination determines where the output file is stored.

Common Export Formats

Here are some of the more common export formats available in Crystal Reports:

  • Adobe Acrobat (PDF)

  • Microsoft Excel (XLSX)

  • Rich Text Format (RTF)

Each format has specific settings. For more information about all the available formats, refer to Export format types | SAP Help Portal. When you export a report into other formats, some of the formatting that appears in your report might change or be ignored. It is recommended that you review the exported file for consistency and appearance before distributing it to others.

Share a Report

In this exercise, you will share a report.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Summary

  • Crystal Reports can be shared and published to folders on the SAP BusinessObjects BI platform, accessible through the BI Launch Pad with user authentication.
  • Within the BI Launch Pad, reports can be scheduled to run at specific times and output in various formats such as PDF or Excel.
  • Users can view, refresh, and export report data directly from the BI Launch Pad, with access rights controlled by administrators.

Learning

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