We are trying to investigate the reporting suite.

1. What is the difference between Reporting Services and Framework Services?

2. If we want to develop Crystal Reports, do we need Reporting Suite for the security aspect?

3. I had heard that Crystal Enterprise is not required as part of this - is that true?

4. Can we deploy Crystal Reports directly to Portal? Do we have to use Reporting Suite to deploy and if so, can it link to Portal?

Thanks for any help!!

Reporting Services (RS) is a web application that allows you to publish documents via the web and share them with your users. The is much more robust functionality when you use Crystal Reports. They have utilized the Crystal engine, now know as Crystal Reports Server XI Embedded (previously known as Report Application Server or RAS) to haddle this.

Framework Services (FS) is more like a portal (think IBM WebSphere or Microsoft SharePoint portal not Lawson Portal), that allows you to authenticate your users and set up "dashboards" of content for them and then secure that content by users or roles. FS is required inorder to use RS however RS isnt required to have FS.

Yes, if you want to deliver the report either via the web or bursted (emailed) youll need RS.

Yes is the short answer, however Crystal Report Server XI Embedded is the same engine that CE ran off of in previous versions. CE just had far more capabilities. Lawson has essentially taken the base CE engine and built thier own functionality.

You can set FS in the main content portion of Portal, so that when the user logs in the first thing they see if thier own dashboard, which you can then display reports.


hth
matt

Thank you for the reply - very helpful!

Instead of having the portlet show the reports in the main content of the Lawson Portal, is it possible to have a bookmark display the reports dashboard instead so that we make it simply part of their bookmark navigations? That would make it appear to be a little more integrated - and when they are in a standard Lawson form rather than go the the "home" page to get reports they would more naurally go to a bookmark...

That is possible, however, you may have some issues with Sign On Integration. But yes, Framework Services is a stand alone application with its own independant URL.