Crystal Reports / Business Objects

Crystal Reports is the world's leading report design software and is now part of the BusinessObjects™ framework. We generally refer to the system as "Business Objects", although the well-known name for this software is the Crystal suite of software including Crystal Reports, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Express, Crystal Info etc.

Business Objects XI now delivers the world's leading suite of business intelligence software - helping you track performance, understand business drivers and manage your business.

Please keep in mind that when we talk of "reporting" we mean in the very widest sense. This includes enquiries, screen displays, output to spreadsheet and database formats etc.

How can Business Objects / Crystal Reports help you?

Are you struggling to provide clear, simple and up to date information targeted to individuals and groups of people in your business, to help them to make the informed and accurate decisions? Can your employees easily access to the information they need to make informed decisions and work efficiently? Do they have different versions of the truth, making it difficult to agree on the accurate information and make the right decisions ?

This is one reason why many businesses are choosing to standardise and integrate their Business Intelligence (BI) systems into the one co-ordinated Information Kiosk. The benefits include cost control and providing the information infrastructure every business needs to operate efficiently, effectively and successfully.

Business Objects XI will provide secure delivery of financial and business information to all users at an incredibly affordable cost. Business Objects XI redefines the way your business shares knowledge. Users can access the information they need in a way that is simple and easy to understand.

Business Objects XI will allow you to track key business metrics (KPIs) in real time, and therefore manage your operations effectively through better information transparency.

Crystal is not just a financial or accounting reporting tool. Your imagination is the limiting factor when it comes to the range of information and presentation methods you can report on using Crystal. You can generate graphs, enquiries, reports, spreadsheet, pivot tables, email output, PDF, information and email info packets - virtually any popular method of information delivery on any topic that is important to you. Some sample topics are:

• Accounting Information
• Client Relationship Management information
• Client retention
• Finance Information
• Human Resource Information
• Inventory
• Manufacturing
• Productivity
• Quality control
• Sales information

How Crystal / Business Objects can save you money

Every business has staff who need only need enquiry level access to retrieve information. They don't need to learn how to access core software systems. Using an Information Kiosk saves time, it's simpler, requires less training and reduces your software licencing costs.

Crystal Reports / Business Objects includes a free reporting intranet tool so that users can access the information you want them to know, by simply using an Internet browser. The current version of the system provides five user licences at zero cost.

By providing your staff with access to information using your Crystal Kiosk you reduce the number of user licences you need to purchase for your main systems (e.g. accounting systems, etc.). This reduces your initial costs in addition to reducing your system maintenance costs, overheads and training.

How can Communicat help you?

Communicat will provide implementation assistance to help you develop your information kiosk or enquiry portal. Tailoring our services around the needs of your business, we can offer:

• System design
• Report design eg. Sales reports
• Setting up information kiosks, including Key Performance Indicators
• Tailoring information kiosks to the needs of each individual or user groups
• Support
• Training

We can undertake the complete project or we can work collaboratively with you using a workshop approach. This means you can develop your own information enquiry system whilst we provide you with backup support.

What features does Business Objects provide?

• Reporting and Enquiry: You can deliver information in a clear and simple format, tailored to the needs of your individual users and groups within your company.
• Information kiosk: You can set up simple intranet kiosks to provide your staff with exactly the information they need, tailored with a very simple, quick and easy to read format.
• Query and Analysis: Query and analysis tools allow users to interact with business information and answer ad hoc questions themselves, without knowledge of the underlying data sources.
• Performance Management: Allows businesses to track and analyse key business metrics and goals via management dashboards, scorecards, analytics and alerting.
• Business Intelligence Platform: The BI platform provides a set of common services to simplify deployment and management of BI tools, reports and analytics.
• Information delivery: One the most brilliant aspects of the system is the delivery of information without the user needed to own or install any software. Users simply use their internet browser:
• Automatic scheduling of reports/enquiries: You can instruct the software to automatically run reports at scheduled times. This removes the need for users to run their reports manually; it happens automatically, reliably and on time.
• Email information delivery: Information and reports can be delivered to your users via email.
• Data Integration: Data integration products extract data from disparate sources, transform it and load it into data marts and warehouses.

More Information

View an online tour of Business Objects range of software. This tour requires Flash.