VB.Net reports?? SQL Server locking

[Ggalla1779]

Hi all

I have a new client and want to mix up my usual deployment.

Normally use access database for reports....is there a way to do reports/ invoicing letters with data merged in VB.net??

Was also going to use SQL.....anyone found this path to be difficult? Am thinking off record locking

cheers

George

[Ggalla1779]

BTW Am using VB.Net 03

[szlamany]

By SQL you mean using something like SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server Express?

What are you concerned about locking for reports?

How will you be getting the recordset for the report?

[Ggalla1779]

Yes deffo using SQL Server Express...small company wanting it.

Am have never used .Net03 reports...is there reporting feature?? Like wot Access can do?

In Access would just generate Query/ recordset...was going to use dataset and find replace with Name, Address etc etc

In Fact if VB.Net doesnt have reporting companant could I use word to create invoices and then fill details and save Invoice out........

[Merrion]

In my limted experience the best reporting component to use in Visual Studio .NET is Crystal Reports, but this is not nearly as easy to use and WYSIWYG as Access reports.

[szlamany]

How many reports are you going to be producing - rough estimate...

Will the users want to modify these themselves?

Are they willing to purchase Crystal - and learn it?

[Ggalla1779]

Its a small company wuld not expect the users to do anything but print reports or look back for historic reasons.

Not met with client to go over whole spec yet but would reckon 1 Invoice report, credit note, summary of services report.

Possibly other reports about staff or availablity of staff.

That kinda thing...I can do this in Access but want to do this 1 in VB.net and SQL Server Express

[szlamany]

We don't like Crystal here in my shop.

We believe that printing to the printer directly is the best method - we store our "print requirements" in a table in the DB so we know what page position, etc, to print items on.

For the number of reports you need I would recommend that.

I've not used the PRINTER object in .Net yet - so I cannot help from that point.

Also - there is a REPORTING SERVICE in MS SQL 2005 - have you looked into that?

[kleinma]

I do both what szlamany says (build my own reports from scratch using printdocuments, and using crystal reports)

They are both good for their own reasons, and I pick which one based on the criteria of the report itself.

Crystal can both go out and grab the data from a database via a query, or you can pass in a .NET dataset for the report to use as its datasource.

Honestly crystal is very good, but it has 2 downsides.

1) it seems to be a pain to deploy for a lot of people (I personally did not have this problem, but I have heard lots of people have)

2) You can only design the report at design time, you can't view it with data until you run the app and view it in the report viewer control. If you had the full version of CR, this would not be the case. My guess is they left this ability out of the free .NET version as a selling point for the full version.

[Ggalla1779]

ok Lets say I fire on with the free crystal reports and pass it dataset. How would I let the client view report? Just drop CR widget onto form?

I dont mind the design time limitation as so long as dataset is filled right (ouch!!) and report looks ok then it shouldnt be too bad.

How would I deploy cr bit when I roll it out to cliebnt...or would .net just recognise I am using it and pass all the right bits

[kleinma]

you can view this page on CR's website and get the mergemodules needed to deploy. there is also a PDF found there with info on how to do this, if you read it over you should have no problems.

http://support.businessobjects.com/f...modules.asp#04

as far as the client viewing the report, yes, all you would do is create a form with the CRViewer control on it (and a tiny bit of code)

Here you will find 118 samples in a zip file of VB and C# using CR for .NET
http://www.businessobjects.com/produ...et/default.asp

[Ggalla1779]

kleinma...thanks very much for that...wot u like only 118 code samples...I am in heaven!!!

cheers George

[Merrion]

Of course if you decide to eschew the Crystal Reports world can i recommend (or blow my own trumpet with regard to) the DataGridprinter and StructuredPrintUtilities code - one or t'other should suit your needs...

[kleinma]

I have not used it yet, but doesn't SQL Server 2005 also have some sort of reporting built into it? or is that a different type of reporting (not actual data reports)

[szlamany]

I have not used it yet, but doesn't SQL Server 2005 also have some sort of reporting built into it? or is that a different type of reporting (not actual data reports)

I mentioned that back in post #8, but I have not used it and don't think it's available in EXPRESS (not 100% sure of that though).

[kleinma]

Sooner or later I will need to jump over to SQL 2005. I am currently still using SQL 2000 for all my database needs

[szlamany]

We've got 2005 installed on our server here - but none of my customers have it yet - so it's just a tease for me!

[kleinma]

Yeah I have it via the MSDN, I even have SQL 2005 Express installed on my dev box, but I haven't had a need to use it just yet

I heard you can write .NET code in it though.. which is pretty interesting