Crystal Reports to IFS DB connection

I’m not a Crystal Reports expert, but in
https://docs.ifs.com/techdocs/23r2/070_remote_deploy/400_installation_options/005_operational_reporting/110_configure_crystal_web_service/010_setup_cws/
the IFSINFO user is used against Oracle database from Crystal Reports.
(the page looks like a component to display CR reports in IFS, but that would be a good guess for the user)

IFSINFO is also used in for example BI solutions to do read-only fetches from the Oracle database.
It has access to IFS Information Sources through Access Views that you can configure through IFS.

SamiL,

as am sure I could use some builtin IFS% accounts you will understand that this will not be an ideal way to do anything in a database for accountability and security reasons to name a couple...

coming from apps9 where there were oracle users and permissions were granted thru the application interface...this is no longer the case in cloud “remote” so what is IFS’ substitute for this? odata? REST? IAM? how do we make the db connection from crystal?

@gabdarielc ,

Please see this post

Let me know if you need more info

Regards

Pankaj

paguin, how is that relevant to my question? please explain?

I am not getting any errors or have any issues with crystal webservices or quick reports

I assume you mean how to connect the Crystal Reports designer tool (it’s been years since I touched that) to the database. As mentioned by SamiL, there is still and Oracle database account for the user IFSINFO, which has read access to all IFS database views etc., but I guess it depends on whether you’re happy to share that between developers or not.  

Aussie, I dont think IFSINFO has access to all views (at least not on my setup) mind you I am not hosted in the cloud so maybe that is different if the db is hosted in the cloud

but also, the idea that I will have an account with read access to all views just plain scares the crap out of me and I am sure that this is not IFS’ best practice (I hope not)

In the end looks like the answer to my question is not as simple as I hoped it to be I am surprised that no one else is bothered by this

I guess for now, I will have to go with my own solution on this one.

Beta

Hi Dariel,

I’m not shure if you still have this problem?

I would like to share my opinion about “Using whatever frontend (here Crystal) with IFS data”.
Also please consider, it is my opinion and even though I worked for IFS many years ago and love to do BI projects on the IFS Application ERP system I’m product and vendor independent!!!

For more than 25 years I’m doing BI-solutions and still I’m a big fan of the ETL “principle”.
Yes, you can directly connect tools with a ERP system or - more in general - with a “source”.
Lately MS PowerBI came with a lot of wonderful predefined interfaces and a huge team of developers.
Nevertheless there is one point you cannot argue with.
Everytime a user connects with “live data” he/she gets “live data”. :-)
I remember a time when we implemented a BI-solution in Basel / switzerland.
The company had Navision this time, has IFS now and goes into cloud next weekend.
The former CFO, later CEO told me: “Michael, the moment we started using the BI-solution (with dayly cubes) we stopped a regular “discussion”: Who has the most actual report?
No matter what frontend we use, we all have the same “point of truth”.”
 

So, if you want to use IFS QuickReports, direct acces with e.g. Crystal be aware of this point.

Second:
The more you add “functionality” (tables, fields, etc) the more you face a performance issue.
It must not be a problem but can be one.

Solution:
Use the ETL to fetch data from ORACLE to (I prefer) a MS SQL DataWareHouse/DWH database.
a) by using predefined FACT_ and DIM_ structures provided by IFS. (and the SSIS packages)
b) by using “raw table material” (and linked server settings for direct ORACLE acces from MS SQL)

We’ve done it this way and build the FACT_ and DIM_ structures in the DWH and create our own cubes.

Don’t get me wrong. The BI-solution from IFS is HUGE and with a very good price/function ratio.

But over the last 25 years I learned one thing:
If you provide a user with a complex scenario (hundreds of measures, attributes, etc) most of them will not admit “I don’t understand” but “escape” in “silly questions”, procrastination and so on.
The projects where we started with a small and simple model first and tried to get user acceptance as quick as possible were the best.
Then the users automatically ask “for more” and - because we know what to provide - we can deliver that in “no time”.

One last point:
I did a project in switzerland 5 or 6 years ago. The customer used MS Reporting Services reports.
It was a nightmare!!!
After opening 2 (!) of way over 600 reports I told my project manager:
“Throw it away!”
Because of the lack of documentation and the nearly 100% probality that similiar reports use different kind of logic the amout of time to go deeper into this “system” was way beyond 6 months!
So we created a new ETL solution with fresh DWH structure, fresh cubes and told the users:
“You are free to use what we provide. Please feedback what lacks. Experiment with own formulas (in Excel or PowerBI to name 2) but give that idea back to us. We are going to implement that within(!) the ELT process, so anybody (not only you) can use this idea!”

Result:
Go with “the seven priciples” and “Beginn with the end in mind”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People

Because I’m doing “end-of-live-care” now this priciple is even more importent to me than the time I read Coveys book the first time.

All the best to you and your families!
Have a wonderful christmas time.
Michael