Hi,

I would like to know, what is the best practice of reporting using SF?

My report could be DevEx XtraReport, or just on screen. Should I use BO, or access DataLayer directly?



Thank you

Since you will not be updating the data through your report, you could use the DataSources collection directly to retrieve your values and even use a typed data set at design-time to build the report.  However, you can also use a business object to build the report by creating a new class that inherits BusinessBindingSource and set the BusinessObject property within the constructor of the new class.  This initializes that BBS class to use that business object type, and you can then drop one on the report and have access to all of the fields on the BO at design-time.

Hi Chaps,

Very new user. Looking at reporting options, I have DevExpress Xtrareports, however if I try and drop one my business objects on an xtrareport I get the message

The object that the business object has been dropped on must implement
MicroFour.StrataFrame.UI.Windows.Forms.IContainerControl.

Now, I have seen a post elsewhere about creating a class, inheriting the BusinessBindingSource, when I tried this, I was not allowed to drop the object on the xtrareport, so I am definitely missing something or doing something wrong. I am considering that xtrareports is not an ideal companion to Strataframe.

I have also looked at an alternative reporting solution, Report Sharp-Shooter, recommended elsewhere on this forum, but again, when I tried to use the reportmanager component, it could see the objects on my form as databindings, but when I actually tried to design a report I could not get a datasource to appear.

So, right now I am a bit stonewalled, any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks in advance

At my workplace, we exclusively use DevExpress XtraReports in our application.  Like it was said above, the Datasources our Reports use are Classes that inherit the BusinessBindingSource.  Something like

And these can be dropped on the DevExpress Reports without problem.  I have at times gotten the error about implementing the IContainer, and simply closing the report and re-opening it, has allowed me to continue.

Robin Giltner

Hi Robin,

We also plan on using XtraReports exclusively but haven't got into that part of our project yet. The only work we have done was, in the early days, to just confirm that moving from Crystal Reports to XtraReports was an option given we wanted to stay, as much as possible, within the DevExpress/StrataFrame toolsets. Previously we used VB6 and Crystal.

That being said any tips/tricks you are willing and able to share would be very much appreciated.

Cheers, Peter

We didn't have a lot of trouble using the DevExpress XtraReports, the only hard part we had was creating Master-Detail-Detail-Detail-Detail reports.  But once we figured out how to nest detail reports and manipulate the business objects in the datasources for each DetailReport on it's parent Datasource RowChanged event, we were in business.

Robin Giltner

We have started using Report-Shooter from Perpetuum Software.  When we made a decision on our reporting engine, we tested all major (and some not so major) report engines.  This included XtraReports, Active Reports, Data Dynamics RDL Reporting, Telerik, .NETs RDL reporting, and others.  Report-Shooter in the end was a very easy to implement and solid solution providing easy integration into an application as well as a very easy environment in which to tie in a StrataFrame BO.  This month we will post a sample as well as more information regarding Report-Shooter.  Below are some features that really sealed the deal:

• Master Report Support
• Extremely Extensible Object Model
• Run-time designer components
• Easy Dynamic Report Creation
• Easy Database Integration
• Easy-To-Use Designer (Our end-users can use the same editor to modify a template as we did to create the report template)
• Easy StrataFrame BBS Data-Source Integration (We will provide samples on how to do this...it is VERY easy!)
• Fast!!!!!
• 100% customizble interface for preview and designer components (Use SF ThemedToolsStrips, etc. if you choose to have a seamless appearence)

We will post more information about this report engine towards the end of the month.  But we have been using it for a while now and the more we use it the more we like it....very nice product.

Here is their site: www.perpetuumsoftware.com

Hi Robin,

Thanks for the response - it all sounds painless.

Trent - I will look at the samples with interest - what we found very attractive about the DevExpress approach was leverage of skills developed using other DX components.

Cheers, Peter

I am at a point where I am considering to move to Report Shooter.

I found the post very helpful however your reference activereports appear to be the RDL version. How do you compare the integration of SF with ActiveReports.Net 3.0? My product uses the report designer and it is a little tough for the user to build reports.

Do you find attaching to the business objects easier to accomplish using report shooter?

Also, are you still planning to release samples?

By the way, the prices is much lower. 

Michael

We looked at ActiveReports.NET in great depth as this was the engine we were probably going to go with until we found Report-Shooter.  It tied into the same data sources as Report-Shooter very well using a BBS...however, it is much more complicated to get the entire report engine for your application off of the ground.  It is a very good report-engine though, it just did not have all of the bells and whistles that Report-Shooter did...especially for the price!

Absolutely.  We actually created a data source that inherits the BusinessBindingSource then it automatically exposes and attaches the BO.  Using this approach you can also include child records as collections (properties exposing another BBS data source).  So this has turned out to be a very good solution for us.

Yes.  We have just been extremely busy as I am sure that you can relate.  We do plan on creating a reporting sample showing how to create the data sources as well as use Report Shooter.