Comments on: Commercial Reporting Framework Comparisons http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/ All about Matt Penner - blog, work experience, project portfolio, skills, etc Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:09:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Matt Penner http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/comment-page-1/#comment-269 Matt Penner Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:27:52 +0000 http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/#comment-269 Hi Andy, Thanks for the great suggestions. About once a year I get a project that needs some type of reporting. The next time I get one I'll take a look at the products you mentioned. Hi Andy,
Thanks for the great suggestions.

About once a year I get a project that needs some type of reporting. The next time I get one I’ll take a look at the products you mentioned.

]]> By: Andy http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/comment-page-1/#comment-268 Andy Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:44:56 +0000 http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/#comment-268 Matt, there are two other report designers you should consider evaluating: XtraReports and Telerik Reporting. Both will have their quirks, but both also are comparable to ActiveReports at a better price point. As for distribution, CR wants you to use their enterprise package for $1100 per named user, but we think we've created a better solution that works with CR, AR, and a bunch of other report designers. Check us out at www.versareports.com. Matt, there are two other report designers you should consider evaluating: XtraReports and Telerik Reporting. Both will have their quirks, but both also are comparable to ActiveReports at a better price point.

As for distribution, CR wants you to use their enterprise package for $1100 per named user, but we think we’ve created a better solution that works with CR, AR, and a bunch of other report designers. Check us out at http://www.versareports.com.

]]> By: admin http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/comment-page-1/#comment-18 admin Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:10:52 +0000 http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/#comment-18 Hey Kevin, Glad to hear the information was useful to you. Microsoft has really improved the reporting and analysis tools so I would definitely recommend SQL 2008 over 2005. Microsoft does offer a free evaluation edition so you can try this out and have the potential users play with the ad-hoc reporting. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to really mess with SSRS 2008 but the ad-hoc reporting in 2005 was definitely basic. While Business Objects InfoView was a real bad experience they may have other tools that are more user friendly or my vendor possibly did not set it up properly. BO definitely has more experience with reporting and data analysis so one would think their product would offer more features. Good luck! Stop on by as the project unfolds and let me know how it goes! Hey Kevin,
Glad to hear the information was useful to you. Microsoft has really improved the reporting and analysis tools so I would definitely recommend SQL 2008 over 2005. Microsoft does offer a free evaluation edition so you can try this out and have the potential users play with the ad-hoc reporting.

Like I said, I haven’t had a chance to really mess with SSRS 2008 but the ad-hoc reporting in 2005 was definitely basic. While Business Objects InfoView was a real bad experience they may have other tools that are more user friendly or my vendor possibly did not set it up properly. BO definitely has more experience with reporting and data analysis so one would think their product would offer more features.

Good luck!

Stop on by as the project unfolds and let me know how it goes!

]]> By: Kevin Ryall http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/comment-page-1/#comment-17 Kevin Ryall Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:50:48 +0000 http://mattpenner.info/2008/12/03/commercial-reporting-framework-comparisons/#comment-17 Thanks for that very informative post Matt (I found it from the Code Project article) – it is particularly relevant for me at the moment, and there is a surprising lack of ‘real’ information about SSRS. I’m currently investigating using Reporting Services (2005 for now, but maybe 2008 instead?) for the reporting and analysis side of a new project. I’m also talking to Microsoft consultants about Analysis Services, Performance Point Server and Sharepoint / Excel Services as part of the same project, but I’m primarily interested in the straight reporting functionality. An essential feature is reports that can be customised or (possibly) written from scratch by business analysts so ad-hoc end user reporting functionality that is easy to use is critical. The alternative is Business Objects (which I understand is actually Crystal Reports) – the SAP developers want to try this now that it has been acquired by SAP. I’m not keen on it because I used Crystal years ago (I forget which version – whatever was around in 2004/05) and found it to be expensive, unnecessarily complex, limited in all sorts of unexpected ways, and very buggy. Maybe the later versions are better, but I’d have to see it to believe it… I don’t think Active Reports or similar products are a runner this time – I think it will have to be a full ‘enterprise’ suite to get approval because management want this project to serve as a template for all future reporting. We previously used a tool called Component One Reports (mainly because we had it as part of their product suite) and, while it got the job done, it has numerous ‘quirks’ and is fairly buggy. I really want to move to something more widely used – something we can find real examples and solutions for online. While SSRS is presumably fairly ‘mainstream’ at this point, the lack of substantive information about it is a concern. Anyway, sorry for rambling on at such length – I was just happy to find someone with real experience of these products blogging about it. Thanks again for the posting this amount of detail – it is very helpful. Kevin Thanks for that very informative post Matt (I found it from the Code Project article) – it is particularly relevant for me at the moment, and there is a surprising lack of ‘real’ information about SSRS.

I’m currently investigating using Reporting Services (2005 for now, but maybe 2008 instead?) for the reporting and analysis side of a new project. I’m also talking to Microsoft consultants about Analysis Services, Performance Point Server and Sharepoint / Excel Services as part of the same project, but I’m primarily interested in the straight reporting functionality. An essential feature is reports that can be customised or (possibly) written from scratch by business analysts so ad-hoc end user reporting functionality that is easy to use is critical.

The alternative is Business Objects (which I understand is actually Crystal Reports) – the SAP developers want to try this now that it has been acquired by SAP. I’m not keen on it because I used Crystal years ago (I forget which version – whatever was around in 2004/05) and found it to be expensive, unnecessarily complex, limited in all sorts of unexpected ways, and very buggy. Maybe the later versions are better, but I’d have to see it to believe it…

I don’t think Active Reports or similar products are a runner this time – I think it will have to be a full ‘enterprise’ suite to get approval because management want this project to serve as a template for all future reporting. We previously used a tool called Component One Reports (mainly because we had it as part of their product suite) and, while it got the job done, it has numerous ‘quirks’ and is fairly buggy. I really want to move to something more widely used – something we can find real examples and solutions for online. While SSRS is presumably fairly ‘mainstream’ at this point, the lack of substantive information about it is a concern.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on at such length – I was just happy to find someone with real experience of these products blogging about it. Thanks again for the posting this amount of detail – it is very helpful.

Kevin

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