remiWare

Report Scheduler for Crystal Reports, SSRS Reports and more.

Top 5 Reasons PDF Bursting Is Better Than SSRS Data-Driven Subscription

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As defined by Microsoft, this is what an SSRS Data-Driven subscription is:

A data-driven subscription provides a way to use dynamic subscription data that is retrieved from an external data source at run time. A data-driven subscription can also use static text and default values that you specify when the subscription is defined. You can use data-driven subscriptions to do the following:

– Distribute a report to a fluctuating list of subscribers. For example, you can use data-driven subscriptions to distribute a report throughout a large organization where subscribers vary from one month to the next, or use other criteria that determines group membership from an existing set of users.

– Filter the report output using report parameter values that are retrieved at run time.

– Vary report output formats and delivery options for each report delivery.

PDF Bursting is similar to data-driven subscriptions in what it achieves as the end result however it is completely different in how it goes about getting the job done.

PDF and Excel Bursting is better than SSRS Data-Driven subscription in many ways

Here are the top 5 reasons PDF Bursting, and by extension, Excel Bursting, is better than SSRS Data-Driven Subscriptions.

  1. Considerably Cheaper: In order to use SSRS Data-Driven subscriptions, you must be using SQL Server Reporting Services Enterprise Edition and the cost for that tier is at minimum $3717. It will cost more if want to host it on a server with more CPU cores. In contrast, remiCrystal with PDF/Excel Bursting costs only $999.
  2. More Efficient: If your report has to be data-driven for 1000 rows of data, in the SSRS scenario, the report will need to be run 1000 times and each time taking up database, processing and network resources. For PDF Bursting, the report is run only once and then using our algorithm split up and bursted into separate reports for delivery.
  3. Much Faster: As the SSRS Report is run only once for PDF Bursting, the entire process is unbelievably faster. When we compared running a data-driven subscription of 100 records with that for PDF Bursting, the latter was up to 230% faster.
  4. Access To In-Report Variables and Formulas: When using PDF Bursting in remiCrystal, all you need to do is add a special bursting tag that will be read by the the application at run time. You can therefore include any formula or variable into the bursting tag so that it can be accessible by remiCrystal without having to recreate it outside the report.
  5. Data Consistency: When running a data-driven subscription, the report’s data is fetched for every report run and what this means is that if you are using a very active transactional dabatase as the source, the results may differ between the first record and the 1000th. With PDF Bursting, the report is run only once and the data represents a real snapshot of that moment in time regardless of whether it is the first or 1000th record being processed.
  6. Bonus: Easier Maintenance: When dealing with SSRS Data-Driven subscriptions, you have to maintain 2 sets of data; one or more for the report itself and another for the data-driver. You must always always make sure that these 2 sets of data correlate at all times otherwise you could run into unforeseen issues. Making changes to the report also means that you have to consider its effect of the data-driver recordset. With PDF Bursting on the other hand, you only need to worry about the datasets in the report itself.

As you can see, PDF (and Excel Bursting) can save you and your organization money, time and resources in real meaningful ways. To get started and see what a difference it will make, download the free unlimited trial of remiCrystal today.

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Exciting Times Ahead for remiCrystal

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First of all, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing us as the solution provider for your report distribution needs. We value our partnership with you very much.

As we approach the end of the year, we think it is a good idea to share with you a few of the exciting updates that we are planning for remiCrystal in 2019.

Upgrade to Microsoft .NET Framework 4.x

Currently, remiCrystal runs on the Microsoft .NET Framework v3.5. This version of .NET is very mature and stable and has allowed remiCrystal to remain compatible with older operating systems such as Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
However, in order to continue to offer innovative new features, better security and faster performance, we are going to shift and base remiCrystal on Microsoft .NET Framework 4.x. This change will mean that future versions of remiCrystal will require Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 or above.

The first version of remiCrystal to be based on .NET 4.x will be version 5 and is slated to be released in Q1 2019.

Some of the features that will be enabled by this migration to .NET Framework 4.x include

  • higher level of password encryption for Zip and PDF files for better security
  • better parallel execution of reports and tasks will lead to faster performance
  • better UI responsiveness
  • better UX design 
  • higher application stability

remiCrystal Server Edition

One of the most distinguishing and innovative features of remiCrystal is that all the tasks are stored as individual self contained files (.rctx). These self-contained files are easy to manage since they can be treated like any other file on your PC and as they are all self-contained, there are reduced points of failure.

One feature that has been requested a lot by our users, is a way to have a central management application for all remiCrystal tasks. I am excited to tell you that we have began developing this central management application, remiCrystal Server, and plan to launch it in Q2 2019.
remiCrystal Server Edition will be a FREE add-on to all our existing Advanced Edition customers.

remiCrystal Server Edition

More Cloud Integrations

As you are probably already aware, the world of technology has shifted to a cloud-centric approach for almost everything. As more and more of our users utilize cloud services, we are going to be building more integrations into cloud services such as Slack, Google Sheets, Dropbox and more.

Thanks to you, the future of remiCrystal looks brighter than ever and I can’t wait to get all the exciting new features into your hands.

How to Move a remiCrystal Installation To A New Server

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remicrystal migrationHow to Move a remiCrystal Installation To A New Server

Moving remiCrystal to a new server is relatively straight forward affair.

  1. Copy Your remiCrystal Tasks
    As you are most likely aware, all the remiCrystal tasks are actually files with the extension .rctx and you can just copy them to your new server. To make the move more straight forward, we suggest storing them in the same location/path as the old server.
  2. Copy The Windows Tasks 
    To move the triggers from the old server, if you are using the v1 of the Windows Scheduler API (options > Advanced in remiCrystal) you can copy them from “C:\windows\tasks” from the old machine to the new one. If you are using v2 of the Windows Task Scheduler API, you should copy these from “C:\windows\System32\Tasks\remiCrystal” into the same folder on the new server. For newer operating systems like Windows 10 or above, follow the instructions here
  3. Move Your License
    Moving the license requires that you deactivate it on the old server and activate the new one. You can deactivate the license on the old machine by going to Start Menu > All Programs > remiWare > remiCrystal > Deactivate remiCrystal. This will give you a special code that you should email to us.
    You can then activate it on the new server by going to Start Menu > All Programs > remiWare > remiCrystal > Activate remiCrystal.
  4. Transfer Your Settings and Task History
    In order to keep your settings such as email configurations and task history, copy the following files and folders from “%programdata%\remiWare\remiCrystal\ to the new server

    • dataObjects.dbx
    • sentmail.dbx
    • settings.xml
    • ssrsaccounts.xml
    • Data Cache (folder)
    • History (folder)
    • Sent Emails (optional, folder)

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How To Schedule SSRS Reports to Email

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The ability to schedule SSRS reports to email can be a game changer for your business. Once your reports are scheduled, they are guaranteed to be delivered to the people that need the information when they require it.
Scheduling SSRS reports to run manually means that you don’t have to worry about forgetting to send the reports and that there is little to no chance for human error.

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How to Embed a Report in Your Emails

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A picture is worth a thousand words. A graphic can relay your information and be consumed by its audience in seconds instead of minutes. It is therefore important that your reports contain a mix of charts and more detailed information. Any reporting tool is measured by how well and how easy it is to create compelling analytical charts and graphs.

One of the challenges that users face when distribution reports, whether manually or automated, is to have the report embedded as the body of the email so that the recipient views the data as soon as they open it. remiCrystal allows you to pick which of your report in a remiCrystal task you can have embedded in your email as the message body. The report can be embedded either as plain text or as standard HTML where any images and links in your reports are preserved as part of the email.
Embedding your report into an email is a simple one step process.

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5 tips to Speed Up Your Crystal Reports

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We have all been there. Staring at the screen, watching the little counter, waiting as Crystal Reports takes its time exporting what should be a simple report to a file format of your choosing. Worse still, the report takes so long that when you schedule it to run, you have to schedule it to run in the middle of the night just so the data is ready when you walk into the office in the morning.

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 remiCrystal is Reliable

remiCrystal utilizes the Windows Task Scheduling system for all its automation. This means that your reports will be delivered as long as Windows is running. No ifs or buts.

 remiCrystal is Easy To Use

With remiCrystal, you do not have to spend money on training your staff on how to use the software. We believe that if you can use MS Word, then you can use remiCrystal.

 remiCrystal is Cost-Effective

When you purchase remiCrystal, you will begin to realize the return on investment immediately. You will save time money and human resources. Automating your processes will reduce errors in your reporting immensely.

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