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.