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SAP Crystal Reports pros and cons

Vendor: SAP
4.1 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

SAP Crystal Reports is easy to use, requiring only a simple click to generate reports.
SAP Crystal Reports offers a vast array of features available earlier than in previous versions.
SAP Crystal Reports enhances reporting by impacting flexibility and customization with dynamic parameters.
SAP Crystal Reports saves significant time by automating routine tasks, reducing manual effort.
SAP Crystal Reports provides a diverse range of functions utilized across various systems and needs.

CONS

Improvements could be made to analytics capabilities.
SAP Crystal Reports faces compatibility issues with third-party products.
The financing aspect of SAP Crystal Reports needs enhancement.
Better support for dynamic connectors is necessary for SAP Crystal Reports.
SAP Crystal Reports lacks customer support.
 

SAP Crystal Reports Pros review quotes

it_user6606 - PeerSpot reviewer
BI Expert at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
May 21, 2013
Creative formula construction is just one of the many tools in Crystal Reports that allows this tool to be so flexible and robust.
it_user5802 - PeerSpot reviewer
BI Expert at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Feb 19, 2014
Our reports are no longer just a static product, as our users can actually interact with the reports and we can generate a single enterprise wide report where users simply navigate to see only what is pertinent to them.
it_user163092 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Reporting Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Dec 18, 2014
Pixel perfect static reporting.
Learn what your peers think about SAP Crystal Reports. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user173745 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyst at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
May 19, 2015
Using Crystal Reports means all this manual work is eliminated.
it_user185778 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist - Crystal Reports / SQL Server at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Jan 26, 2015
One key improvement has been the elimination of tedious and redundant work.
it_user142782 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analytics and Integration at a wellness & fitness company with 501-1,000 employees
Apr 17, 2016
The way it allows formatting, that is, the ability to organize the display and fields as we like, are the key elements for us.
it_user167046 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager - Healh IT Systems, HIPAA and Compliance - Meaningful Use Analyst at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Apr 18, 2016
Report Wizards and Sample Reports are very useful for us, and I'd say they're the most valuable features as well.
it_user161895 - PeerSpot reviewer
Database Expert at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
May 5, 2016
Enterprise is simply the best report delivery product on the market.
it_user140493 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
May 5, 2016
One of the most valuable features is the ability to precisely place data fields and labels on the report canvas either in Design Mode or Preview Mode.
Syed Fahad Anwar - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal System Developer at DiwanDubai
Mar 5, 2017
We develop many management reports using Crystal Reports; it has reduced the development cost and effort, and provides feature rich reports.
 

SAP Crystal Reports Cons review quotes

it_user6606 - PeerSpot reviewer
BI Expert at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
May 21, 2013
All the options - These same options that allow Crystal Reports to be so customizable and really achieve the report your customers desire can be a burden.
it_user5802 - PeerSpot reviewer
BI Expert at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Feb 19, 2014
Business objects service packs are as notoriously bad as Microsoft new products.
it_user163092 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Reporting Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Dec 18, 2014
Bought and sold many times and newer product releases do not seem to offer much improvement.
Learn what your peers think about SAP Crystal Reports. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user173745 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyst at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
May 19, 2015
Some features are difficult to use for beginning users, such as shared variables.
it_user185778 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Specialist - Crystal Reports / SQL Server at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Jan 26, 2015
When we first started using Crystal Reports 2008, we had multiple stability issues. It seemed like at least once a day (usually more than that), it would crash on us.
it_user142782 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analytics and Integration at a wellness & fitness company with 501-1,000 employees
Apr 17, 2016
Some of the graphic displays are dodgy.
it_user167046 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager - Healh IT Systems, HIPAA and Compliance - Meaningful Use Analyst at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
Apr 18, 2016
For me, the biggest area for improvement would definitely be the sample reports and wizards with more options and themes you can use to create more report styles.
it_user161895 - PeerSpot reviewer
Database Expert at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
May 5, 2016
I would like to see improvement in charts and metadata extraction.
it_user140493 - PeerSpot reviewer
Developer at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
May 5, 2016
However, the majority of technical support is in another country which can cause problems scheduling a contact time and can hamper verbal communication.
Syed Fahad Anwar - PeerSpot reviewer
Principal System Developer at DiwanDubai
Mar 5, 2017
It needs better support for child reports.