Comparing Architectures Across Business Objects Reporting Solutions

  • Article

Four Business Objects reporting solutions are available:

  • Crystal Reports for Visual Studio
  • Crystal Reports Developer
  • Unmanaged Report Application Server (RAS)
  • Crystal Reports Server or BusinessObjects Enterprise

For more information about each Business Objects reporting solution, see What is Crystal Reports for Visual Studio?, What is Crystal Reports?, or Upgrade Options.

A primary architectural differentiator between each Business Objects reporting solution is how each one places and implements the report engine.

What is the Report Engine?

The report engine is at the core of each Business Objects reporting solution. It processes all user requests, and it outputs report information.

The maximum throughput for processing simultaneous user requests varies between solutions. It is set in some solutions by either architectural designs or by licensing limits.

The other core parts in each Business Objects reporting solution are as follows:

  • The report definition (.rpt) file.
  • The data source.
  • The report viewer.
  • The SDK.
  • An Enterprise framework (found in Crystal Reports Server or BusinessObjects Enterprise).

How does the Report Engine interact with other core parts?

The report engine uses the report definition (.rpt) file as the template. Then it retrieves the data from the data source and uses the report definition to render the currently requested report, which it then passes to the report viewer. Information received from the viewer, or coded with the interface SDK, triggers further processing from the report engine that performs further actions on the report.

How is the Report Engine configured differently across different Business Objects reporting solutions?

  • Report engine is embedded.

    In Crystal Reports for Visual Studio, the report engine is embedded in the application.

    This embedded report engine is limited to a maximum of three simultaneous user requests. This is not an arbitrary licensing limit; it is a limitation of the embedded report engine architecture.

  • Report engine is extracted into a separate report server process.

    In the solution that uses the unmanaged Report Application Server (RAS), the report engine is extracted into a separate server process. That server process can run on the same machine or be placed on separate physical hardware, to increase performance by offloading processing from your application server. An unmanaged RAS server is no longer available as an upgrade option. It is recommended that you upgrade to Crystal Reports Server instead. For more information, see Upgrade Options.

    The Crystal Reports Advanced Developer edition provided a performance-governed version of the unmanaged Report Application Server (RAS), which is suitable for smaller deployments with less complex reports and fewer user interaction requirements. This product is no longer available.

    Or, it was possible to license the unmanaged Report Application Server (RAS) on a processor basis, where it takes full advantage of your hardware. This product is no longer available.

  • The separate report server process is encapsulated into a complete Enterprise architecture.

    In the Crystal Reports Server or BusinessObjects Enterprise solution, an entire Enterprise architecture is added, which encapsulates the separate report server process (RAS). The managed Report Application Server (RAS) becomes only one server, among many other servers in the Enterprise architecture. This architecture provides a rich set of additional features, such as scheduling, load balancing, fail-over, and both vertical and horizontal scalability.