MS Access Report to Crystal Report in .net windows application?

Question

I have MS Access reports that needs to be displayed in a crystal report in .net windows application. Is there any way to do it or some alternatives?

I am not sure about the right approach to complete this, can anybody help here?

Answer 1

Hum, I don’t think this is possible. I not aware that access reports can be converted or transferred to crystal reports anyway.

Remember, access reports have event code, and even can have code run in the report for EACH line of detail that displays. In other works, not only are access reports amazing, but they are fully programmable with VBA code embedded INSIDE of the report.

Because of this issue, you need ms-access running and loaded for those reports to work correctly (the VBA is required, and functions, and also that of sql queries..of which a report can be based on SEVERAL data sources and several tables all at the SAME TIME).

Even more worry is that there is not any kind of code or report converter here from ms-access to crystal reports. So, you never could in any way easy way transfer reports from ms-access to crystal reports.

You could attempt to embed ms-access as a com object, but all kinds of problems like page numbering etc. can’t really be controlled here if the report is to appear inside of the crystal report.

I STRONLY recommend that if you need some reports in crystal reports, then have the appropriate reports built in crystal and you avoid this whole mess. And, you avoid having ms-access in the mix. Or, dump crystal, and only use ms-access here.

Attempting to embed word, excel, pdf, or other com objects such as ms-access inside of some crystal report is formula for VERY unreliable applications. This is likely not possible, but even if it was, I would not let loose an application of this type. Heck, embedding pdf’s in a access report can’t even reliable work (they break after some stupid pdf update gets issued automatic). This type of mixed up systems near guarantee break when one or the other system has some automatic update occurring!

You start mixing up several applications and it will cost you buckets support trying to keep that mess running.

If you MUST take different reports from several different systems, then send out all the reports to pdf, and then use some pdf tools to combine them into one final pdf document.

Don’t try t mix reporting systems at the application level. It not reliable even if this was possible..