Is there a way to connect a crystal report to multiple databases?
My database (SQL Server) is periodically archived and sometimes, I need to access data from an older "partition"/archive, let's call them DB109 and DB110. I need to produce one report with data from both DB109 and DB110. They have the same structure, same query, etc.
Is there a way to run the report for both DBs without running them separately and ending up with multiple files?
It seems like you could probably make two subreports, with one linking to one db and the other linking to the second. Add a parameter on whether to run the first, second, or both. And then conditionally display the subreports based on the parameter.
A second option would be to have a linked server in your main database to your archive database, and then write a procedure that pulls from both (perhaps also based on a parameter). Then use that procedure as your Crystal source.
Related
I have a bunch of reports that are using the same shared data source, however we are not wanting to run the same reports off of data on another server. I would like to avoid having to copy all the reports to another instance of SSRS and have the data source be dynamically driven by a parameter.
Is this possible with a shared data source?
Also we are using SQL Server 2012.
Thank you
You can use expressions to build datasource connections but ONLY if the connection is embedded in the report, shared datasources can NOT be dynamic in the same way.
One way around this, but it's messy and not very safe, is to use linked servers and then include the server name in the table references. To do this you would have to use dynamic sql - not pretty if you have large dataset queries.
I am not sure if this is even the right site for this but I'll ask anyways.
Does anybody know a program that can create a PDF with data from a database with a complex SQL statement? When an employee finishes a request for a customer, I want that the program is triggered by the new entry in a database table and fills out a pre built PDF with data that it pulls from a database.
It needs to be a complex program that can process big SQL statements.
The only thing you can do to run custom code in SQL Server is to create a CRL Stored Procedure and a trigger to start PDF processing in your specific use case. You can write a class library that connects to the database you are triggered from using a specific keyword in the connection string. You can pass in the key you need to use to select the whole dataset you need to fill the PDF as a SP parameter.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms131094.aspx
In the class library you can reference third part libraries to interact with an editable PDF and fill the flieds you need with the data retrieved from the database. I suggest you to have a look about security concerns releted to CLR use in SQL Server. Basically your code runs within the SQLServer.exe process, sharing resources and access privileges.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms131071.aspx
SSRS can produce PDF. See if that table insert trigger can call a CLR that in turn will execute the report that can even be attached to an email.
The report can be as complex as you need, so long the report SP can populate the data based on the newly inserted row.
For stability, let's not have a trigger, but the insert process itself should be done in an SP, in which that insertion SP shall call the CLR.
Further, instead of using CLR, we can use SSRS Data-Driven Subscription. When making the Subscription, we can make it as a one time scheduled Job. The SP can invoke this 'expired' Job from SQL Server Agent by using sp_start_job.
I have a stored procedure that I am going to run every weekend, it produces a result set that I need to export into an Excel file.
For the above problem I want to automate this process, so I am going to create a SQL Job and I am going to run this stored procedure every weekend so that that generated Excel file is sent to my reporter.
For this I need steps to export the result set data to an Excel file.
And also is it possible to send that Excel file to the specific mail while running the job itself?
So, you might try your luck on https://dba.stackexchange.com/, but in my experience a SQL Agent job running a stored procedure could be coaxed to return CSV or XML - and those could end up in Excel, but there are missing links. I think the missing links would involve programming and potentially 3rd party tools to avoid using Excel's COM API.
I'd strongly recommend your pursuing SQL Server Reporting Services. It is included free with your edition of SQL and includes the ability to
run reports on a schedule (subscriptions),
format the results as an Excel file
distribute the results via email
You'd take your query and use it as the data source for a "report" and use the report wizard to create a very simple table with the results.
Avoid page headers (or footers) that span columns - this will keep the excel output cleaner.
References
Stack Overflow: reporting-services-export-to-excel-with-multiple-worksheets
Technet: Reporting Services
I am using SSRS 2008 to create a report. Is it possible to create a report from multiple data sources?
Thanks.
With SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 R2 you can use the lookup functions to lookup a piece of data from a second dataset:
http://blog.datainspirations.com/2010/03/19/sql-server-2008-r2-reporting-services-look-up-look-down-look-all-around-part-i/
Very handy.
From older versions of SSRS, you can create a subreport that occupies a cell in a table: the subreport can be called with a different parameter for every row, effectively "joining" to the second dataset.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms160348.aspx
Yes, you can use multiple Data Sources. Although you can't join the data. For instance, you can't have a table with fields from both Data Sources. BUT you can have a Data Source from Oracle and a Data Source from MS SQL. You can use a List to group things together.
Generally, you'll want to use linked servers if you can and do the work in your query.
You can present data from multiple data sources in a single report, merging datasets from different sources however, is not possible, unless you use some technique to merge this data from the database side, i.e. using a stored procedure. Also if your stored procedure returns multiple result sets, you have to do things like adding them into a table and returning the combined data as a single result, its not terribly difficult, but to your originally stated question, you can use multiple data sources in a report quite easily.
I have an Access 2003 project in which all data is stored in SQL Server 2008. I am using ADO to view/update data via forms that are completely unbound. For example, a form has several textboxes and combo boxes on it. When the form is loaded I use ADO to make a call to a stored procedure on SQL SQL, it returns a recordset and I populate the controls, via VBA, with the data from the recordset. I like this approach because only the VBA is stored within Access. No data (well actually connection strings are stored in Access, but that is it!).
My problem is what to do when it comes to reports. I want to create reports that are based off of views created within SQL Server, however I would like to avoid, if possible, static linking to the views directly from within Access. Is it possible to set the recordsource of a report dynamically at run-time to be the results of a SQL Server view? If it is, how does one go about designing the report id Access does not contain any data?
More info ... The reason I want to avoid linking to the view in Access is the environment in which the Access application could be run changes (Production, Development, Test). Currently whenever I make any calls to the database stored procedures, I look up the connection string (Active Directory based so no passwords are stored) in the only table that is stored in Access .
Thanks for any assistance.
First of all let's be clear: you don't have an Access 2003 "project." You have an Access 2003 database.
An actual Access Data Project cannot have local tables, and uses a SQL Server as the back end. When you view Tables you see the ones that exist on the server, and under Queries you see the views, functions, and stored procedures that exist on the server. You can use the "Upsize Wizard" to turn an Access database into an Access data project (or probably better, just create a new ADP (Access Data Project) and import all the forms, reports, macros, and modules.
Here are my ideas:
Convert the database to an actual Access Data Project and then just use regular old queries as if they were addressed to the local database. You can even bind forms to stored procedures and they can be updatable. To deal with Production, Development, and Test, you just change the connection string in the GUI or you change it through code like so:
Application.CurrentProject.CloseConnection
Application.CurrentProject.OpenConnection NewConnString
If you want to read the connection string from a centralized database or from a text file on a share or from a common table you load in each environment (that has the connection information for every other environment), that is up to. I have one Access Data Project that has an toolbar with an Environment dropdown. When the environment is switched, a child database dropdown is then populated, and finally all open forms are notified by an event (though bound forms close when this occurs).
There's nothing wrong with using linked tables. Just write a procedure that loops through all the tables and updates them to point to the correct server when you want to change environments. The difference between "static" linking and "dynamic" linking is just a single VB procedure that rips through all the tables and relinks them--easy peasy.
Setting a report recordset dynamically at runtime is problematic. It MIGHT be possible in actual Access Data Projects, but definitely not in regular MDBs.
You CAN create pass-through queries in an Access MDB, but I'm not sure about passing parameters in. You'd probably have to set the query text dynamically with the parameters hard-coded and then run the report. This would be a problem for a multi-user database unless each person gets his own front-end to run from.
I recommend that you go with option 1 or 2. Option 1 seems simplest but there is some learning to do before you'll become facile with ADPs over MDBs. Let me know if you think you'll go down that route and I I'll share some of the gotchas with you. However, it's probably easier than what you're doing now which is everything manually. (Ouch!) The second option would be fastest for implementing right away and not throwing any wrenches into your current skill with MDBs.
UPDATE
So if you want to link tables, here's some code to get you started:
Sub TableRelink(MdbPath As String)
Dim Table As DAO.TableDef
Dim Tables As DAO.TableDefs
Set Tables = CurrentDb.TableDefs
For Each Table In Tables
If Table.SourceTableName <> "" Then 'If a linked table
Table.Connect = ";DATABASE=" & MdbPath 'Set the new source
Table.RefreshLink
End If
Next
End Sub
This code is for MDB files, but some digging will quickly give you the correct properties and values to use for SQL Server linked tables.
Another Thought
I just thought of another possible way to handle just the problem you're experiencing: Use a session-keyed "temp" table in Access. Create a local table that has all the columns the view returns, plus a GUID column. When the report is run, insert the contents of the view to the local table, keyed by a new GUID value. Set the recordsource of the report to SELECT * FROM MyViewTempTable WHERE GUID = '{GUID}'. Simple problem solved. On report_close, delete from the table. Perhaps put in a date also and delete after 10 days in case any rows get left behind.