Operation Manual

Designing Optimized Web Reports
Scale with BusinessObjects Enterprise
8
Crystal Reports User’s Guide 133
Key strategies for optimizing web reports
• As your company grows, Crystal Reports and BusinessObjects
Enterprise can grow along with you. For details, see “Scale with
BusinessObjects Enterprise” on page 133.
• For tips and considerations on how to create fast, interactive reports, see
“Making the right design choices” on page 135.
• For information about getting the most out of your existing database, see
“Streamlining your reporting environment” on page 141.
• To minimize data transfer and enhance report performance, see “Using
enhanced record selection formulas” on page 144.
• To decrease the processing and data transfer times of grouped, sorted,
or totalled reports, see “Improving grouping, sorting, and totaling” on
page 151.
In general, report performance issues are similar, no matter how you distribute
your reports. By following these strategies, you’ll notice significant improvements
not only in multi-user web environments, but also in single-user situations.
Scale with BusinessObjects Enterprise
BusinessObjects Enterprise provides a flexible and efficient way to deliver
your reports over the web or to integrate them into custom web applications.
The Report Application Server (RAS) provides a rich set of server-based
reporting services that let you tightly integrate reporting into your custom web
applications. RAS provides a base set of BusinessObjects Enterprise
services, focused on report processing, application integration, and run-time
report modification.
You can extend your application even further using the advanced services
available in other editions of BusinessObjects Enterprise. These include:
• Security
BusinessObjects Enterprise provides granular group, user, and data-level
security to help you protect sensitive reports and deliver a more
personalized end-user experience.
• Scheduling
BusinessObjects Enterprise incorporates a flexible time- and event-
based scheduling system to allow you to process large reports during off
hours and to avoid unnecessary database hits. (The Report Application
Server provides on-demand reporting, so every viewing request results in
a separate query on your database.)