HP Intelligent Management Center Standard Software Platform - Manual (Page 167)

Note:
If for some reason you need to keep a report in its original file format, use
the Save As command (instead of Save) and enter a new name for the
version 2008 report.
Choosing between live and saved data
When reporting over the Web, the choice to use live or saved data is one of
the most important decisions you'll make. Whichever choice you make,
however, Crystal Reports displays the first page as quickly as possible, so
you can see your report while the rest of the data is being processed.
Live data
Live reporting gives users real-time access to live data, straight from the
database server. Use live data to keep users up-to-date on constantly
changing data, so they can access information that's accurate to the second.
For instance, if the managers of a large distribution center need to keep track
of inventory shipped on a continual basis, then live reporting is the way to
give them the information they need.
Crystal Reports supports live reporting. However, you should first consider
whether or not you want all of your users hitting the database server on a
continual basis. If the data isn't rapidly or constantly changing, then all those
requests to the database do little more than increase network traffic and
consume server resources. In such cases, you may prefer to use reports
with saved data.
To ensure the efficiency of real-time reporting, read all of the suggestions in
this chapter. These topics, however, are of particular importance:
• Taking advantage of on-demand subreports
• Performing grouping on server
• Incorporating parameter fields into record selection formulas
Crystal Reports 2008 SP3 User's Guide 167
8 Designing Optimized Web Reports
Making the right design choices