We frequently get questions about the reporting functionality in
SalesLogix. So here is some information that should give you a pretty
good idea about how the reporting works and how it interfaces with the
SalesLogix database.
SalesLogix actually uses the Crystal Reports software to design and
output reports. So in terms of wanting to know the flexibility of the
reporting software, just look at the functionality of Crystal Reports
and that should tell you how easy/hard it is to design reports.
The first step is obviously to create the report in Crystal Reports.
In doing this, the most important thing to be aware of is to create an
OLEDB connection to the SalesLogix application server. Instead of
creating a report to directly connect to the SQL or other back end
database, you need to make sure that the SalesLogix OLEDB database
driver is used. This causes the report to run in the context of every
SalesLogix user and therefore causes the user's security to be enforced
so that they only see what they are supposed to see.
If you bypass this step and connect directly to the database, then
you run the risk of having a user have access to all the data in the
system.
SalesLogix Reporting
In order to load a report into SalesLogix, you need to have the admin tools to first pull the report into the SalesLogix environment. To do this, use the SalesLogix Architect tool to load the report into the SalesLogix database. Once added, it should show up like below tied to the family (category) that the report is in.
Once you have the report loaded via the admin tools, it is ready for
use. In the standard windows (LAN) client, the client software on the
users machine has the necessary crystal reports DLLs which run the
report.
On the web client however, things work a little differently. The
SalesLogix web client uses a web reporting engine from Crystal Reports.
The web reporting engine is usually installed on a separate web server.
Note that in this case the web server does all the hard work of running
the report as opposed to in the LAN client where the inpidual machines
are used to split up the reporting load because the reports run locally
on the user's machines.
With the web reporting, there is no real change in how the report is
designed and deployed, so no additional effort there. The SalesLogix web
client simply passes the request for a report to another webserver that
pulls up the report definition and data and then sends the final output
to the users machine via a browser.
Hopefully this gave you a pretty good idea about the various reporting components in SalesLogix and how they work together.