Navigating the world of business intelligence tools can feel like a daunting task. Among these, SAP Crystal Reports stands as a popular choice for generating comprehensive and easy-to-understand reports from any data source.
Here’s a quick price breakdown:
- SAP Crystal Reports 2020 – full product $495 user
- SAP Crystal Reports 2020 – upgrade $295 user
- SAP Crystal Server 2020 Named User License $869 1 user
- SAP Crystal Server 2020 Concurrent Access License $8,744 5 seat
- SAP Crystal Reports Viewer 2020 Free User
This blog post will break down everything you need to know about this tool, its features, comparisons with competitors and most importantly—pricing. Let’s empower your business intelligence efforts!
Key Takeaways
- SAP Crystal Reports is a popular reporting tool for analyzing data and making informed decisions.
- It offers different versions, including the newest version 2020 and the still effective 2016 model. Both versions are available for free download and trial.
- Customers have given positive feedback on its capabilities, including its ability to create pixel – perfect reports from any data source.
- When compared with competitors like List & Label, SAP Crystal Reports stands out in terms of reporting features, application development options, big data capabilities, dashboard functionality, and overall business intelligence offerings.
- SAP Crystal Reports is a powerful reporting tool that helps businesses analyze data and make informed decisions.
- You can try out different versions of the software for free before purchasing it.
- Customers appreciate its ability to generate professional reports from any data source.
- Compared to competitors like List & Label, SAP Crystal Reports offers comprehensive features for business intelligence needs.
What is SAP Crystal Reports?
SAP Crystal Reports is a powerful reporting tool that allows businesses to analyze data, create pixel-perfect reports, and make informed decisions. It comes in different versions and offers free downloads and trial versions for users to try out its features.
Customers have given positive feedback on its capabilities and usability.
Different versions and their availability
SAP Crystal Reports comes in many flavors.
- Crystal Reports 2020 is the newest version, best for up-to-date use.
- You can also find the 2016 model, which still works well.
- Both versions are ready for 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
- There is a chance to test the software with a free trial.
- You can download these versions at any time.
Free download and trial versions
You can download SAP Crystal Reports for free to try it out and see if it meets your business intelligence needs. The software offers trial versions that allow you to explore its features and capabilities without any cost.
This gives you the opportunity to test how it works with your data sources, create reports, analyze data, and visualize insights. It’s a great way to see if SAP Crystal Reports is the right reporting tool for your business before making a purchasing decision.
So go ahead and give it a try – download the free version today!
Customer feedback and reviews
Customers have been giving positive feedback and reviews about SAP Crystal Reports. They appreciate its ability to create pixel-perfect and multipage reports from any data source. The self-service access to reports, dashboards, and data exploration within a secure BI infrastructure is also highly valued.
Users find the software easy to use and efficient in analyzing data for better decision-making. In addition, there are various versions available for free download and trial, allowing potential users to test out the software before committing to a purchase.
Overall, customers are satisfied with the features and capabilities of SAP Crystal Reports for their business intelligence needs.
Comparison with other reporting tools
SAP Crystal Reports stands out among reporting tools for its comprehensive features and capabilities, offering a range of options that set it apart from competitors like List & Label and SAP BusinessObjects.
List & Label vs SAP Crystal Reports
When it comes to business intelligence reporting tools, two powerful options are List & Label and SAP Crystal Reports. Here’s how they stack up against each other:
| Criteria | List & Label | SAP Crystal Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Reporting Features | Offers robust, customizable reporting options. | Provides richly formatted, pixel-perfect, multipage reports from any data source. |
| Application Development Features | Offers a broad range of development options for different applications. | Allows for app development and self-service access to reports, dashboards, and data. |
| Big Data Features | Supports big data but may not offer as much scalability and integration as some users might need. | Supports big data integration and provides a secure BI infrastructure. |
| Dashboard Features | Provides dashboard functionality but may require more customization. | Offers robust, customizable dashboards for easy data visualization and analysis. |
| Data Analysis and Visualization Features | Offers basic data analysis and visualization features. | Supports advanced data analysis and visualization including statistical analysis. |
| Business Intelligence Features | Offers BI features but lacks the breadth and depth of SAP’s offering. | Comprehensive BI offering, including reporting solutions like SAP Crystal solutions. |
| Availability & Compatibility | Compatible with various systems, including both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. | Available for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, and can be downloaded, including the 2016 version for creating reports. |
| Pricing | Costs can vary depending on the package and options chosen. | Pricing varies depending on the licensing options chosen, providing flexible pricing plans. |
Therefore, both List & Label and SAP Crystal Reports have their unique strengths in business intelligence and reporting. Your choice depends on your specific business needs and budget.
Alternatives and competitors
Here are some alternatives and competitors to SAP Crystal Reports:
- Oracle Apex: A tool that can replace legacy Crystal Reports and Peoplesoft BI Publisher. It offers comprehensive business management, including accounting, financials, purchasing, inventory, sales, and more.
- MicroStrategy: Another competitor in the business intelligence market. Users can compare it with other alternatives to find the best tool for their needs.
Features and capabilities of SAP Crystal Reports
SAP Crystal Reports offers a wide range of features and capabilities, including powerful reporting tools, application development features, big data capabilities, interactive dashboards, comprehensive data analysis and visualization features, advanced statistical analysis functions, and robust business intelligence functionalities.
Reporting features
SAP Crystal Reports offers a range of powerful reporting features that can benefit your business intelligence efforts. Here are some key features to consider:
- Richly formatted reports: Create professional, pixel-perfect reports with advanced formatting options.
- Multipage reports: Design multi-page reports with ease, allowing you to present complex data in a structured and organized manner.
- Data source flexibility: Connect to various data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, and web services, to gather information for your reports.
- Easy adoption: SAP Crystal Reports has a user-friendly interface that allows for quick adoption by users of all skill levels.
- Global scale: With support for multiple languages and currencies, Crystal Reports enables global businesses to generate reports tailored to their specific needs.
- Integration with other tools: Seamlessly integrate Crystal Reports with other business intelligence tools like Power BI, Microsoft SQL Server, and Peoplesoft BI Publisher for enhanced data analysis capabilities.
- Interactive dashboards: Use interactive dashboards to visualize data trends and KPIs dynamically, enabling better decision-making.
- Customizable templates: Save time by using pre-built report templates or create your own customized templates for consistent reporting across the organization.
- Flexible scheduling and delivery options: Schedule automated report generation and distribution in various formats (e.g., PDF or Excel) to ensure timely access to critical information.
- Advanced analytics: Leverage built-in statistical analysis functions to gain deeper insights from your data, such as regression analysis or forecasting.
Application development features
SAP Crystal Reports offers powerful application development features that can enhance your business software:
- Easy integration: Crystal Reports can be seamlessly integrated into your existing applications, allowing you to generate reports directly from your software.
- Customizable templates: The software provides a wide range of customizable report templates, making it easy to create professional-looking reports that match your brand identity.
- Report scheduling: You can schedule automated report generation at specific times or intervals, saving you time and ensuring that you always have the latest data at your fingertips.
- Interactive reporting: Crystal Reports allows for interactive reporting, enabling end-users to interact with the reports and explore data through filters, sorting, and drill-down capabilities.
- Data visualization: The software offers a variety of charts, graphs, and visual elements that help you present data in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand format.
- Export options: You can export reports to various formats such as PDF, Excel, Word, HTML, and more, making it convenient to share information with others.
Big data features
SAP Crystal Reports offers various features that cater to big data analysis and reporting needs. Here are some key capabilities:
- Supports large datasets: Crystal Reports can handle big data volumes, allowing you to process and analyze massive amounts of information.
- Data integration: It enables you to easily connect to different data sources, including databases, spreadsheets, and web services, to consolidate and analyze information from multiple systems.
- Advanced querying: Crystal Reports provides robust querying capabilities, allowing you to perform complex calculations, filters, and aggregations on large datasets efficiently.
- Data visualization: With a wide range of charting options and customizable visuals, Crystal Reports helps you present your big data insights in a visually appealing and understandable manner.
- Interactivity: Crystal Reports allows users to interact with reports by drilling down into details or changing parameters dynamically for deeper analysis of big data.
- Export options: You can export your reports in various formats like PDF, Excel, or Word documents, making it easier to share your big data findings with others.
- Scheduled report generation: Crystal Reports allows you to schedule automated report generation based on predefined intervals or trigger events, saving time when dealing with recurring big data reporting tasks.
- Performance optimization: It offers optimization techniques such as caching and database indexing for improved query performance when dealing with large datasets.
Dashboard features
SAP Crystal Reports offers powerful dashboard features that enhance your business intelligence efforts. These features include:
- Interactive dashboards: Create interactive and customizable dashboards to visualize data in real-time.
- Data integration: Easily combine data from multiple sources into one dashboard for a comprehensive view of your business.
- Data visualization: Use charts, graphs, and other visual elements to present data in a clear and intuitive way.
- Drill-down capabilities: Dive deeper into your data by clicking on specific elements within the dashboard to uncover valuable insights.
- KPI tracking: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time through dynamic gauges, meters, and progress bars.
- Mobile accessibility: Access and interact with your dashboards on the go using mobile devices or tablets.
- Collaboration tools: Share your dashboards with team members or stakeholders for collaborative decision-making.
- Scheduled reporting: Set up automated reports to be delivered to stakeholders at regular intervals, ensuring everyone stays informed.
- Security measures: Keep your data secure with user authentication, role-based access control, and data encryption.
- Customization options: Customize the look and feel of your dashboards to align with your brand or specific requirements.
Data analysis and visualization features
Crystal Reports offers powerful data analysis and visualization features to help businesses make informed decisions:
- Interactive reports: Crystal Reports allows users to create interactive reports with drill-down capabilities, enabling them to analyze data at different levels of detail.
- Data filters: Users can apply filters to their reports to focus on specific subsets of data, making it easier to identify trends and patterns.
- Sorting and grouping: Crystal Reports allows users to sort and group data based on different criteria, helping them organize and analyze information more effectively.
- Charts and graphs: The software provides a range of chart types, including column charts, pie charts, line charts, and more. These visuals help users understand data trends quickly.
- Cross-tab reports: Users can create cross-tab reports that display summarized information in a compact format, making it easy to compare data across different categories.
- Subreports: Crystal Reports allows the inclusion of subreports within main reports, offering additional insights by incorporating related data from other sources.
- Data drill-down: Users can drill down into specific sections of their report to gain deeper insights or investigate anomalies in the data.
- Data alerts: Crystal Reports enables users to set up alerts based on specific conditions or thresholds, notifying them when certain criteria are met or exceeded.
- Geographic mapping: The software supports geographic mapping with built-in maps or custom shapes for visualizing location-based data.
- Export options: Crystal Reports provides various export options such as PDF, Excel, Word, HTML, and more, allowing users to share their findings with others easily.
Statistical analysis features
SAP Crystal Reports offers powerful statistical analysis features that can enhance your business intelligence efforts. Here are some key features:
- Regression analysis: Crystal Reports allows you to perform regression analysis to identify relationships and patterns in your data.
- Descriptive statistics: You can use Crystal Reports to calculate and display descriptive statistics, such as mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and variance.
- Hypothesis testing: Crystal Reports enables you to conduct hypothesis tests to determine the significance of relationships or differences between variables.
- ANOVA (analysis of variance): With Crystal Reports, you can perform ANOVA tests to compare means across multiple groups or categories.
- Correlation analysis: Crystal Reports allows you to calculate and visualize correlations between variables to identify potential relationships.
- Time series analysis: You can analyze time-dependent data using Crystal Reports’ time series analysis capabilities, including forecasting future trends.
- Cluster analysis: Crystal Reports supports cluster analysis, which helps group similar data points together based on their characteristics.
- Outlier detection: You can use Crystal Reports to identify outliers in your data, allowing you to investigate unusual observations or anomalies.
- Sampling techniques: Crystal Reports provides various sampling methods that allow you to select representative subsets of your data for analysis.
- Visualization options: Crystal Reports offers a range of visualization options for displaying statistical results, including charts, graphs, and tables.
Business intelligence features
SAP Crystal Reports offers a range of business intelligence features to empower your data analysis and decision-making. Here are some key features:
- Data analysis: Crystal Reports allows you to analyze data from multiple sources, including databases, spreadsheets, and more.
- Reporting tools: With Crystal Reports, you can create customized reports with charts, tables, and graphics to present your data in a visually appealing way.
- Data visualization: The software provides various visualization options, such as interactive dashboards and visualizations, to help you understand your data better.
- Data integration: Crystal Reports allows seamless integration with other business intelligence tools and platforms for comprehensive data analysis.
- Business analytics: You can use Crystal Reports to perform advanced analytics on your data, including predictive modeling and statistical analysis.
- Decision-making: Crystal Reports enables informed decision-making by providing accurate and timely insights into your business performance.
Pricing and licensing options
SAP Crystal Reports offers flexible pricing and licensing options to meet the needs of businesses. The cost of Crystal Reports varies depending on the specific licensing package chosen. Businesses can choose between perpetual licenses, which allow them to use the software indefinitely with a one-time payment, or subscription-based licenses, which require monthly or annual payments.
There are different editions available for Crystal Reports, each with its own features and capabilities. The pricing may vary depending on the edition selected, such as Crystal Server and SAP BusinessObjects. It’s important to consider your business requirements and budget when choosing the right version.
Additionally, SAP offers special academic pricing for educational institutions that want to incorporate Crystal Reports into their curriculum.
Overall, by providing various pricing options and editions tailored to different business needs, SAP aims to empower companies in harnessing the power of data analysis and reporting tools like Crystal Reports without breaking their budgets.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SAP Crystal Reports offers powerful features for business intelligence and data analysis. Its pricing options provide flexibility for businesses of all sizes. With its user-friendly interface and robust capabilities, SAP Crystal Reports empowers businesses to make informed decisions based on insightful data insights.
So why wait? Start maximizing your business intelligence efforts with SAP Crystal Reports today!
Hi, my name’s David. I started this pricing blog as a side project to help people figure out the best prices on common services. Whether you’re trying to figure out how much it costs to get scanning done at Staples or the expense to bleach short hair, more than likely I’ve blogged about it. Shoot me an email if you have any questions: david@mightyprice.com.
