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I'm not sure which is the way to go for choosing a report type with my current setup. In the past I was using MS Server 2008 R2, MS SQL Server, MS.NET C# 3.5. Now I'm using something similar except my Database is IBM Informix and I'm using MS.NET C# 4.0.

I'd prefer to use RDLCs since I'm used to them, but I didn't wanna jump down that alley and debugging hell if they don't play well with Informix. In fact, I don't even wanna be limited to Crystal Reports vs RDLCs. I'm just curious what the best report type is to use my current setup. Oh, a free type if an alternative is suggested. Anyone else using Informix and reporting?

myermian
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2 Answers2

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Advance warning: I don't have any experience of reporting from Informix.

Given that you are using C#, RDLCs would be the obvious route to take. Alternatively, if you are concerned about compatibility issues and your business can afford to spend on a commercial solution, then the IBM Cognos BI suite would definitely be worth a look.

On the free reporting solutions side, the three best-known open source reporting systems are probably BIRT, Jaspersoft and Pentaho - there is a comparison of them here: http://www.innoventsolutions.com/open-source-reporting-comparison.html

  • I went with RDLC files and just used a Collection as the datasource and it worked great. I was used to creating RDL files and using a SQL Server datasource, but having a client-side file was just fine. I don't need dynamic report files, just dynamic data inside them. – myermian Oct 12 '10 at 12:46
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i-net Clear Reports

  • can read Crystal Reports templates
  • powerful and simple API
  • much more cost-efficient than Crystal Reports, and costs less than open source solutions if you count in support costs (which you should).
  • platform-independent because written in Java.
  • can export to HTML or also a nice Java applet with zoom, search, and highlighting capabilities...
  • if it has to be free, we also offer a completely free and fully functional report designer - you'd only have to pay if you need a running server.

full disclosure: I work for i-net software, so it's far to say this is a bit biased...but it is my opinion! :)

Epaga
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