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  • 1.  Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-18-2024 08:52
    Edited by Brett Zimmerman 06-18-2024 09:03

    Wondering if anyone has leveraged any of these tools/utilities for tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms:  kenhamady.com link from last year - RPT Management Utilities.  Outside of that, the only thing I'm aware of is the very basic Statistics tab (File menu > Summary Info).

    RPT Management Utilities     January 7, 2023

    Have you ever wanted to:
    1) Find all the reports that use a particular table, field or calculation?
    2) Compare two versions of a report to see what was changed?
    3) Make the same change to a group of reports?

      • The more reports you have, the more likely that you will face these challenges, and you can solve problems like these with the tools in this article. All of these tools can be found in the LINKS page of my site under RPT Management Utilities.
      • Below is a brief rundown on the core features of each product as well as what sets each product apart. I have also posted a more detailed feature matrix (xls) that shows some of the specifics for comparison, including prices.

      • In most cases I have not used these tools so I must rely on the vendor for information.  So if you plan to purchase one of these tools, you will want to confirm with the vendor that it will do what you want in a way that works for you.  I recommend that you use this review to narrow your search, and then use the free trial before making a decision.

      • First lets talk about what you can do for free.  There are two features in all versions of Crystal Reports that allow you to accomplish (in a rough way) the first of the three challenges mentioned above.



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    Brett Zimmerman
    Net at Work
    Greater Boston Area
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  • 2.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-18-2024 09:03

    Great question - maybe @Dan Burleson has some feedback 



    ------------------------------
    Wayne Schulz
    wayne@s-consult.com
    Schulz Consulting
    (860) 516-8990
    Moodus, CT
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-18-2024 09:05
      |   view attached

    feature matrix (xls) attached (per initial post at top)



    ------------------------------
    Brett Zimmerman
    Net at Work
    Greater Boston Area
    ------------------------------

    Attachment(s)

    xls
    reportmanagementutilities.xls   38 KB 1 version
    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-19-2024 03:19
    Edited by Dan Burleson 06-19-2024 03:20

    The tool I use most to compare reports, search for field, formula, or variable use, and diagnose a report's
    technique is the Export command to extract the Report Definition to text. Occasionally, I use
    UltraCompare by IDM Computer Solutions, Inc to compare the definitions and identify their differences.

    For tracking, I rename previous report versions with a date suffix (yyyymmdd) so that I know when reports
    were last changed (even if they were since re-saved). Then, I can use those dates to search Paperless Office or my Excel project recorder.

    Finally, and since 2007, I've used an Excel macro to easily record a journal of project description details with start/stop date/times and a total time spent, not just for billing, but for time management and a historical resource for every project. Weekly, this spreadsheet is imported into Sage as orders where the customer is usually a reseller and the Ship To is their customer. The line detail stores the journal entries as comments, multiple stop/start time/date entries as one large UDF, and an accrued time (usually overridden). It works fast like a chess clock. If I'm interrupted, one mouse click and I've stopped the timer from one reseller/client entry and re-started a timer on another. Some detail never makes it to an invoice and serves as project documentation that is found in Excel files with Copernic Desktop Search.



    ------------------------------
    Dan Burleson
    Software Consultant
    Connex Software
    Corvallis OR
    541-224-6642
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-19-2024 09:53

    Very interesting, thanks, @Dan Burleson!



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    Brett Zimmerman
    Net at Work
    Greater Boston Area
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-19-2024 11:18

    @Dan Burleson, do you happen to share or sell that time tracking Excel Macro?  Is there a way to see it in action and/or a way to test it out?  Thanks.



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    Brett Zimmerman
    Net at Work
    Greater Boston Area
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Tracking changes to Crystal reports/forms

    Posted 06-20-2024 02:57
    Edited by Dan Burleson 06-20-2024 03:20

    While not ready for "prime time" this short video (under 2 minutes) may give you some ideas what a tool like this can do.

    Note that as a consultant, my Sage 100 customers are typically partners/resellers and their Ship To's are their customers.

    YouTube-Connex Software Time Manager



    ------------------------------
    Dan Burleson
    Software Consultant
    Connex Software
    Corvallis OR
    541-224-6642
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


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