Question & Answer
Question
What is new with the use of Crystal Reports in IBM Rational ClearQuest 7.1?
Cause
This technote provides answers to common questions regarding Crystal Reports with ClearQuest. Beginning in ClearQuest 7.1, there are changes to the way existing data-push reports are supported. In addition, Crystal Reports users can leverage the flexibility of the data-pull reporting model using the ClearQuest Reporting Driver.
Answer
What versions of Crystal Reports are supported
Is Crystal Reports runtime part of ClearQuest?
How do I install Crystal Reports runtime drivers?
What are the licensing terms for downloading Crystal Reports runtimes?
How do I configure Crystal Reports for data-push?
How do I configure Crystal Reports for data-pull?
Can I use Crystal Reports sub-reports?
Can I migrate from data-push to data-pull? How?
Do I need to purchase a Crystal Reports license?
What is Report Server for Crystal Reports ?
How do I run Crystal Reports using the ClearQuest v7.1 Web Client? What's new?
Can I use the ClearQuest for Eclipse client to launch reports on non-Windows platforms?
What versions of Crystal Reports are supported?
See technote 1216371 for information on Crystal Reports support.
Is Crystal Reports runtime packaged with ClearQuest?
No. The Crystal Reports runtime is not automatically installed with ClearQuest.
How do I install Crystal Reports runtime drivers?
Required Crystal Reports runtime components are available to ClearQuest users as separate downloads from the Business Objects web site. The ClearQuest Information Center contains information about the various Crystal Reports requirements and install options.
- For executing reports on the client, installation of the Crystal Reports Report Designer Component (RDC) is required.
- Configuration of the Report Server for Crystal Reports requires the Crystal Reports Java Reporting Component (JRC).
What are the licensing terms for downloading Crystal Reports runtimes?
Business Objects licenses the RDC to ClearQuest client customers. Users will need to register with Business Objects in order to download the runtimes. Read the full license agreement on the Business Objects download site.
The Crystal Reports Java Reporting component (JRC) can be redistributed within your organization. The JRC uses a concurrent processing license (CPL) model enabling the Report Server for Crystal Reports to support 3 concurrent requests. Additional requests are queued until one of the three concurrent requests completes.
How do I configure Crystal Reports for data-push?
After installing the Report Designer Component (RDC) on the client machine, Crystal Reports can be run from the ClearQuest Windows client or the ClearQuest for Eclipse client with no additional configuration.
The Crystal Reports Java Reporting Component (JRC) is required to complete the configuration of the Report Server for Crystal Reports component. The ClearQuest Information Center online help contains detailed information about the required configuration tasks.
Note: For the ClearQuest Eclipse RCP client, if you do not want to install the RDC on every workstation, you can utilize Remote Execution with the Report Server for Crystal Reports. See the Configuring the Eclipse clients to run Crystal Reports reports on the server topic in the Information Center for more information.
How do I configure Crystal Reports for data-pull?
Crystal Reports can be used to create ClearQuest data-pull reports using the ClearQuest Reporting Driver. In Crystal Reports, the ClearQuest Reporting Driver is configured as a JDBC data source. The Java archive files that comprise the ClearQuest Reporting Driver must be included in the Java classpath for Crystal Reports. The required modifications to the Crystal Reports configuration file crconfig.xml are described in the ClearQuest Information Center online help.
Can I use Crystal Reports sub-reports?
Sub-reports can be used in reports constructed using the data-pull model. However, ClearQuest data-push reports do not support this capability.
Can I migrate from data-push to data-pull? How?
Yes. A migration utility is provided as a separate download to help convert Crystal data-push reports to Crystal data-pull reports. Also, the migration tool includes documentation containing step by step instructions for those who wish to manually migrate their reports to data-pull. (4021266)
Can I continue to use ClearQuest with Crystal Reports as I used it in prior versions of ClearQuest (i.e data push)? What are the limitations?
Yes. The Crystal Reports runtime must be downloaded and installed separately.
Do I need to purchase a Crystal Reports license?
Rational ClearQuest customers can download the required Crystal Reports runtime executable from a website created specifically for licensed ClearQuest users. See the Rational ClearQuest online help for download details and usage terms. For maintaining Crystal Reports report formats and creating new report formats, it is necessary to purchase a supported version of Crystal Reports.
If I have a report format created with prior versions of Crystal Reports, will it be supported in v7.1? How?
Yes. The options for running existing Crystal Reports varies based on the client being used, and may require purchasing Crystal Reports Designer.
- Users of the ClearQuest for Windows client can continue to run Crystal Reports by downloading and installing the Crystal Reports Report Designer Component (RDC). See the ClearQuest Information Center online help for download details and usage terms.
- Users of the ClearQuest Web client can continue to run Crystal Reports using the Report Server for Crystal Reports component that is included with ClearQuest.
- Users of the ClearQuest for Eclipse client have two different options for running their existing ClearQuest reports:
- Download and install the Crystal Reports Report Designer Component (RDC). This will provide the same behavior that is available in ClearQuest releases prior to 7.1. See the ClearQuest Information Center online help for details about downloading the RDC.
- Run reports on the Report Server for Crystal Reports. Using this option, ClearQuest for Eclipse users provide the report server URL in the Reporting tab of the ClearQuest for Eclipse Preferences. When reports are launched, ClearQuest for Eclipse launches the report execution request on the Report Server for Crystal Reports, and the rendered results are displayed in the Crystal Reports viewer.
What is Report Server for Crystal Reports?
Note: The Report Server for Crystal Reports is an optional ClearQuest server component that can be used to render ClearQuest reports
The Report Server for Crystal Reports supports execution of reports constructed with Crystal Reports version 10 or higher. Report formats constructed using earlier versions of Crystal Reports must be re-saved using a more recent version of the Crystal Reports designer.
On Windows servers, the Report Server for Crystal Reports can be used to run traditional ClearQuest data-push reports as well as data-pull reports built with the ClearQuest Reporting Driver. On UNIX servers, only data-pull reports are supported.
How do I run Crystal Reports using the ClearQuest v7.1 Web Client? What's new?
ClearQuest reports can be launched from the ClearQuest web client. The web client invokes the Report Server for Crystal Reports to render the report. Configuration of the v7.1 web client is similar to the configuration for v7.0.1. The administrator uses the ClearQuest Web Site Administration dialog to provide an appropriate URL for the ClearQuest Report Server for Crystal Reports. The architecture for delivering Crystal Reports has changed; however, the user experience from the ClearQuest Web client is consistent with previous releases.
Can I use the ClearQuest for Eclipse client to launch reports on non-Windows platforms?
Yes. ClearQuest for Eclipse clients can be configured to use the Report Server for Crystal Reports on all supported ClearQuest client platforms. Note: When reports are launched from the ClearQuest client on non-Windows platforms, the report output is displayed in an external web browser.
Can we add another question:
Is the RDC component required for authoring data-push reports? No it is not, but it is best practice because you want to test your report formats and run reports.
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Modified date:
16 June 2018
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