How to Install the BI Platform 4.0 .NET SDK on a Development System with Visual Studio 2010

[Former Member]

I want to get properties from reports stored on Crystal Reports 2011 Report Application Server

I have installed CrystalClient2001 version 4.0, but in Visual Studio 2008 Pro, adding references to every CrystalDecisions/BusinessObjects library on the .NET tab, I still have no

ReportAppFactory or ReportClientDocument.

Where are those classes defined?  Do I have to specify a particular version of .net as my target when I'm building?

Thanks

[Adam_Stone · Accepted solution]

What exactly is "CrystalClient2001 version 4.0"?  I've never heard of anything called that before.  There should be an option as part of the Crystal Reports Server 2011 install to install the .NET SDK.  The assemblies for this version should be 14.0.x.x.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

EDIT: Adam, this is incorrect.  SDK was distributed with Crystal Server 2008 but is not with 2011, according to what I think is a canned answer from SAP support

-The .NET SDK is not included in the Setup package of SAP Crystal
Reports Server 2011, as it was in Crystal Reports Server 2008.
-For SAP Crystal Reports Server 2011 the .NET SDK is a separate
install on the SAP Service Marketplace.
Please refer to the below attached SAP KB article on how to install
crystal report server 2011 SDK.

This is a different package than the one I referenced before.  It has "Restributable" as part of the title in the splash screen. 

So I downloaded that and now in c:\windows\assembly I have version 14 of stuff in Crystal.ReportApplicationServer.

But in visual studio 2008, with web apps, console apps, version 3.5 of the framework, still no go, I can't see those dog gone reportapplicationserver assemblies to references them. 

It is alway interesting, trying to do stuff with Crystal.  I'm sure for IT at places like GM and Barclay's and CreditSuisse it's no big deal, but boy, it's frustrating for anyone who has to deal with it occasionally.  I think I am going to propose a sitcom to HBO where some hapless developers have to get the properties of a crystal report programmatically, and their three years of hilarious misadventures.

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

I just sent this into SAP customer care, but they are helpful sometimes and sometimes not, maybe someone here will see something they don't see:

Per previous ticket today, I downloaded and ran the "redistributable" SDK, 51041052_1.ZIP, per SAP knowledgebase "1661786 - How to install the SAP Crystal Reports Server 2011 .NET SDK on the development machine"

When I ran the installer, sure enough, it ran okay.  And if I use windows explorer, I now have C:\windows\assembly\crystaldecisions.reportappserver.*  So the right DLLs made it to the GAC, yay!  After about 40 hours of [my company's] salary $ we figured out the right installer for the piece that didn't come with the $20,000 server software, fantastic!  But still no go.  I can't refer to it from Visual studio.  Tried V2 2008 framework 3.5, downloaded VS 2010, used framework 4.0, still nothing.  Can you give me any help?  I imagine somehow or other I can find the real path to the dlls and reference them but I imagine something else is wrong.  This is installed on Windows XP.  Any idea what I should do to make the assemblies show up in .net tab?

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

See if the following will help:

KB - 1648533 - How to install the SAP BusinessObjects BI Platform 4.0 .NET SDK on a development or p...

Wiki - How to Install the BI Platform 4.0 .NET SDK on a Production, Staging or Test Server

- Ludek

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[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks, one of the ones you sent for the wiki had a link to the page I really wanted:

How to Install the BI Platform 4.0 .NET SDK on a Development System with Visual Studio 2010

Which has a helpful explanation that the MS installer doesn't work on Windows machines, and you have to copy files yourself.  There's a batch file on that page that copies the files the installer fails to copy. 

I appreciate you're reading this, and thanks to Adam and Jason, but you must understand how ludicrous this is - the installers have not worked since 2010?  And SAP keeps making them the same way?  And Customer Care, when they tell people to download the installers, don't tell them that the installers don't completely install the product, so they should go to a wiki, get a batch file, and then finish the installation?  I am sure you guys probably try to escalate this, but what a swamp this is! Can't you at least add the issue to the FAQ?

Anyway, thanks again, I guess if you had seen my questino the first day I posted it woulndn't ahve been so frustrating.

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Hello Levin

Your frustration is understood - I had the same and thus created the wiki, etc. It's the best I can do...

Please note that the SDK has only been available for about 6 months (e.g.; BI4 initially did not ship the SDK and it was only added later). In any case the SDK install, etc., be much improved in the new SP  / FP for BI4.

Oh, BTW, Customer Care is just that. Not technical support . They are great people to work with, but they are not technical support as such. Being a BI customer, your contract should have phone support built in and creating phone incidents or asking on these forums will be the way to go.

Once again, many apologies for the frustrations and happy coding,

- Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

In the next episode of  the sitcom I would write about those hapless developers it would turn out that there was no "ipoint" directory created under Dotnet.  Hilarity ensues!  The batch file didn't bother to check to see!  Tune in in 20 minutes or maybe tomorrow morning for the next amusing episode

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Thanks, and I'm trying to dramatize my frustration for Crystal community's good, too.  I understand that crystal is a tiny tiny part of SAP.  I recognize that the wiki, etc. has to have been put together by someone who cares, and I realize it's not like it just didn't occur to anyone to have the installer fixed.  But hopefully loud complaints from people who use the product will help move some gears.  And yes, the CIC people are uniformly pleasant to deal with, they just don't get the info they need to give the help customers need.  But I'll mention to them that these installers need to have help added, too, so people don't spin their wheels wondering why stuff doesn't install.  At least I learned something about the gac... problem is I learned it 4 years ago, dealing with crystal in VS 2005, and forgot it because it's not something I should need to know.

But thanks, I do appreciate your help, I would not have gotten this far without it, and your co-workers, too.

Levin 

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

The feedback is accepted and appreciated. I'll make sure it gets seen by the right powers.

- Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Ludek- I am trying to accessing the website link for your KB but it keeps saying page now found. I don't seem to have CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.dll that I need. I also installed the .net sdk but I get an error message saying that file path is too long.

[former_member183750 · Accepted solution]

Hello Sarah

Most likely reason is that you do not have access to the SAP Market Place (SMP) which holds the KBA. And SMP, requires an S user id that you or your admin will have if you have a support contract for BI or BO.

Note that the Crystal Reports SDK does not install  any Enterprise DLLs. These are only installed by BO / BI installs.

Why do you need CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.dll ?

- Ludek

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Ludek- In my code I am trying to create a logon token using the IEnterpriseSession, CrystalEnterprise, etc and they appear to require the CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.dll. So I will need to create a reference to this dll I suppose or are these objects in a different dll.

Thanks.

[DellSC · Accepted solution]

Sarah,

In 4.0 there is no CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.dll.  Instead make sure that you reference CrystalDecisions.Framework in your project, which, along with CrystalDecisions.InfoStore, should get you what you need.

-Dell

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Dell- So I was trying to run your example from your website BI 4.0 fp3, Visual Studio 2010. Opened the solution in VS 2010 and then Added the Reference to CrystalDecisions.Framework and CrystalDecisions.InfoStore. When I try to login to you the Page I get this error message:

Could not load file or assembly 'CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.Framework, Version=14.0.2000.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=692fbea5521e1304' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

Even though I have CrystalDecisions.Enterprise.Framework listed as a reference

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Oh I added to the assembly of the app.config now I by passed that error.

[Former Member]

I hypothesize now that this has been a reported problem for at least 2 years, I assume it doesn't happen to everyone, but gosh.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2059314/where-are-the-crystal-report-net-assemblies-placed-when-i...