SYSPRO Reporting Services (SRS) is a mandatory module that ships as part of the core SYSPRO product range. A complete version of Crystal Reports is embedded in SRS so you can use either SYSPRO Business Objects or Crystal drivers as data sources.
A key benefit of using the e.net Business Objects to target a data source directly (instead of Crystal Reports standalone) is that the business objects provide report business logic and security.
The interaction between Crystal Reports and the SYSPRO Business Objects occurs as follows:
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Requests are made via the client workstation to SYSPRO Business Objects installed on the SYSPRO application server.
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The SYSPRO Business Object executes on the SYSPRO application server, collecting data from the database and processing it before returning the result to the client workstation as an XML file.
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The XML string is then bound to the Crystal Reports template on the client workstation and presented in a predefined or user-defined format.
| Component | Licensing notes |
|---|---|
| Business objects | These are used to interrogate the SYSPRO database. All the required business objects are bundled into SRS, so there is no need to license them individually. |
| SRS Runtime | This component does not require additional licensing. It allows operators to run standard reports, change report themes, distribute reports, schedule reports and archive reports. |
| Crystal Designer |
You automatically receive at least one report designer seat, depending on the number of SYSPRO licenses purchased. The report designer is not licensed on a concurrent user basis (i.e. report designer seats are allocated to specific operators). Additional seats can be purchased, in which case your SYSPRO license will be altered to include the correct number of seats. You will need to import the new license to replace your current license. You can view details about the number of report designer seats using the System Setup and Company Maintenance programs. |
Menus, forms and report templates can be saved by role, operator, group and company.
SYSPRO Reporting Services performs a series of checks to determine which SRS menu, form or customized report is displayed for a specific operator.
The program checks the \Base\ReportingCustomized folder for a customized file. The checking order of precedence is by role, by operator, by group, by company and then system-wide.
If no customized files are located then the program loads the default menu, form or report defined in the ..\Base\ReportingServices folder.
If an operator belongs to a primary role against which no customized file is defined, the program continues to the next check (i.e. against the operator).
Access to SRS activities and individual SRS reports can be configured by role (Role Management) providing that the Role layout design option is enabled against the operator (Operator Maintenance).
Each role is linked to a unique 3-character primary key identifier that is saved in the \WORK\ADMRLE.DAT file. SYSPRO Reporting Services uses this primary key to create a unique file name when you save a menu, form or report template against a specific role.
If the System administrator option is enabled against an operator group (Operator Group Maintenance), then the group has access to all the programs and reports.
This screen is displayed when you select Setup Options from the Setup menu.
| Field | Description | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Options | |||||||||
| Always archive documents to | If the Archive report
option is enabled against the report, then a copy of the
report is archived to the SYSPRO application
server.
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| Always archive report | Reports are archived by default. The Archive report option on the Output Options tab of any SRS report defaults to being enabled. | ||||||||
| Disable archive report |
Disables the Archive report option on the Output Options tab of all SRS reports for all operators. All SRS reports will then apply the archive settings defined within the SRS Options window. |
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| Theme options | |||||||||
| Default theme | Defines a default theme for your SRS reports. The option selected here is displayed as the default at the Report Theme option on the Output Options tab of all SRS reports. | ||||||||
| Disable theme selection | Prevents operators from selecting a different report theme from the Output Options tab of an SRS report. | ||||||||
| Output options | |||||||||
| Always save report options | Saves report options against SRS reports by default.
The Save report options option on the Output Options tab of any SRS report is selected by default. |
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| Disable save report options | Denies operators access to the Save report options option on the Output Options tab of all SRS reports. | ||||||||
| Default to saved report options | |||||||||
| Default printing paper size | Define the default paper size you want to use when
printing the currently highlighted report for your operator
code. This is useful in environments where multiple printers are used, enabling individual operators to set the paper size required for the specific printer to which they print.
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The SRS Runtime is included in the Crystal Designer, so you do not need to install the SRS Runtime on a client workstation where you have installed the Crystal Designer.
However, if you first installed the SRS Runtime and now need to upgrade to use the designer, then you need to uninstall the SRS Runtime before installing the Crystal Designer.
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Your version of Crystal should be updated to at least SP 6 and FP 6.3. This would have been done as part of the SYSPRO 7 installation if you installed or upgraded to SYSPRO 7.
Should you require information about how to do this, please consult your SYSPRO reseller support.
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Ensure that you have enabled the Report designer option against an operator that needs to use Crystal Designer to:
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Design customized report templates based on standard reports.
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Design new reports using your own data sources in Crystal Reports (including business objects or any supported Crystal driver).
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Design customized reports based on the GL Financial Report Writer.
![[Note]](images/note.png)
You cannot enable the Report designer option against an operator if you have selected the Allow concurrent use of this operator option.
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The SYSPRO Reporting Services service program (which runs on the application server) is called SRSMES.EXE. It listens for server requests when a client workstation connects to SYSPRO.
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The processing sequence occurs as follows:
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A SYSPRO client workstation connects to SYSPRO.
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SYSPROService.EXE is listening for the request on the network and starts a new SYSPRO process (SYSPRO.EXE) for that client workstation on the application server.
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The operator opens the SYSPRO Reporting Services program (or runs a SYSPRO Reporting Services report from the SYSPRO main menu on the client workstation).
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SYSPROService.EXE picks up the incoming request and instead of launching SYSPRO.EXE, it launches SRSMES.EXE on the application server.
An SRSMES.EXE process is opened on the application server for every report the operator opens from the SYSPRO main menu on the client workstation. If the operator opens the SYSPRO Reporting Services program, then an SRSMES.EXE process is opened on the application server. If the operator now runs multiple reports from the SRS menu within the SYSPRO Reporting Services program, then new SRSMES.EXE processes are not opened on the application server.
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A SysproReportingServices.exe process is opened on the client workstation for every report the operator opens from the SYSPRO main menu.
If the operator opens the SYSPRO Reporting Services program, then a SysproReportingServices.exe process is opened on the application server. If the operator now runs multiple reports from the SRS menu within the SYSPRO Reporting Services program, then new SysproReportingServices.exe processes are not opened on the client workstation.
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The SRSMES.EXE processes on the application server manage all the client/server requests for SYSPRO Reporting Services. If the SYSPRO Reporting Services program is still open on the client workstation and the client connection is abnormally terminated (e.g. a power failure) then the SRSMES.EXE process continues listening for that user's requests. This may cause a runaway process on the application server.
When using SYSPRO Communication Services, server-side processes that do not have client-side processes are tidied up automatically.
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Multiple instances of SYSPRO Reporting Services can be loaded on the same workstation. Each instance of SRS continues to run using the credentials that were passed to it when that instance was launched.
Operator access to the following activities within this program can be restricted. You configure this using the Operator Maintenance program.
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| SRS Allow maintenance of SRS menu | Controls whether an operator can modify the SRS menu in any way. |
| SRS Allow maintenance of SRS forms | Controls whether an operator can create or maintain a report form. |
| SRS Allow maintenance of SRS themes | Controls whether an operator can create or maintain report themes. |
| SRS Allow purging of SRS archived items | Controls whether an operator can purge archived SRS reports. |
| SRS View operator group archived items | Controls whether an operator can view all archived reports. If the SRS View all archived items activity is disabled, then the operator can only view archived reports generated by members of the operator group to which the operator belongs. If neither option is enabled, then the operator can only view archived reports that they have created themselves. |
| SRS View all archived items | Controls whether an operator can view archived reports, regardless of whether the SRS View operator group archived items activity is enabled. |
| SRS Allow report scheduling | Controls whether an operator can create, edit and deleting report schedules. |
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A unique temporary folder is created on the client workstation each time you run an SRS report.
This folder is created within the temporary folder used by SYSPRO Reporting Services to hold all the files used in generating the report.
A Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) is generated and used as a unique name for this temporary folder.
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The temporary folder on a workstation could be for example C:\Users\{user_name}\AppData\Local\Temp\f2dcd915-5e65-4cba-b424-596892d32a3b. You can also run %TEMP% in Windows to open the temporary folder on the workstation.
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When you run a user-defined report, then usually only the .rpt files are created in the temporary folder.
The folders and files in the temporary folder on the client workstation should be automatically deleted the next time you run SYSPRO Reporting Services and if the folders are older than 24 hours.
These folders are not deleted as soon as you exit SYSPRO Reporting Services, because there may be a java.exe process that is still running in the background that may be locking all the *.rpt files.
The folders that will be deleted are saved in the SRS operator preference file in the \Base\ReportingCustomized\Preferences folder on the SYSPRO application server.
If these folders and files are not automatically removed, then you can delete them manually, or add a Windows Task Scheduler task to delete these folders and files on a regular basis.
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