Microsoft Reporting Services is free and is included in SQL Server 2005 and 2008.
Of course, this is great if you need to separate the design of reports and applications, which for enterprise applications is a huge plus.
However, if you want you to be able to create toolbars “in the application”, where “you” design reports and have limited parameters that you provide to the user, I suggest looking at the “control” graphics card providers such as TeeChart .
Pros / cons of each strategy: Crystal / Microsoft Reporting services will provide you with the ability to handle things such as report scheduling, export to Excel and PDF, and the separation between the application and report design. The independent charting tools you can get give you better control, they render better than any size you need, it’s easier to manipulate grammatically and process eye candies such as flash memory (without flash cards in MS SSRS).
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