Business Report Software: Where To Start Your Evaluation

Where Do You Start?
When evaluating business report software, most users end up falling into one of two camps: those leaning toward using Crystal reporting software, and those leaning away. Quickly figuring out which category you belong to can save you a lot of time and energy, and that's why I recommend you start your search with a look at SAP's popular report writer.


What Features Do You Need
Crystal Reports is a powerful reporting tool. You can create a wide range of report formats, it works with data in a vast range of databases, and developers can take advantage of features such as Thin Client deployment, repositories for reusable codes, and tight integration with development environments.

Who Uses The Software?
But popularity doesn't equal superiority. Part of the reason Crystal is so well-known is that it first came bundled with Microsoft Visual Studio. Developers have been using this reporting software for nearly two decades. So while business report software reviews almost always mention the leader in market share, don't make the mistake of thinking that's necessarily an endorsement for use in YOUR business environment.


Other Considerations
Be sure to consider:
•    Complexity. Do you want non-technical users to be able to use the reporting software? Crystal can be daunting to the non-developer because of its sheer size and interface.
•    Learning curve. Is a large learning curve an impediment to using new software in your organization? Because of the complexity mentioned above, Crystal tends to engender a steeper learning curve for all but experienced developers.
•    Flexibility. Does your company need to be able to design reports without requiring elements to be placed into headers, footers and the body section? Crystal has significant depth of features but can be somewhat difficult to use in terms of design, formatting and fine-tuning a report.


Now What?
If you answered yes to all the above questions, you should probably – at first – skip the in-depth evaluation of Crystal and instead take a look at some of the other reporting solutions out there such as Windward Reports, JasperReports and Actuate.

What business report software do you use?