Report files

When you first create, or upgrade your HelpMaster database via the Database and Reports Wizard, the Crystal Reports report files (.rpt) are automatically deployed into your specified “Reports folder” (See Working folders).  Sometimes it may be necessary to re-deploy the report files that HelpMaster uses (new server, folder restructure, upgrades, testing etc).

To do this, run the Database and Reports Wizard and then navigate through the following menu structure to arrive at the screen below, Start > Database and Reports Tools > Connect to SQL Server > Reports Tools

Select your database and the location of your reports folder, then click Install.

Updating the report files

HelpMaster uses Crystal Reports to provide reporting capabilities which means that each report is stored in the reports folder as an .rpt file.  Each one of these files has an internal database connection path that it will try to connect to when the report is run, or loaded for modification within Crystal Reports.  When you initially install HelpMaster, the internal database connection path of each report is automatically updated to point to your live HelpMaster database.

However, if you have created your own custom Crystal Report files that you use with HelpMaster, there may be the possibility that these reports were created against a copy of your live database, as is often the case when developing reports.  When HelpMaster runs these reports, it temporarily adjusts the database connection path to the live database in order to display the report.  If you wish to permanently update the database connection path for your HelpMaster reports, then you can use the Database and Reports Wizard to do so.

Use

To update your Crystal Report files, run the Database and Reports Wizard and then navigate through the following menu structure to arrive at the screen below, Start > Database and Reports Tools > Connect to SQL Server > Reports Tools

Select the Update internal database connection tab, then choose the database where all of your Crystal Report files will to refer to.  Browse to the location where your HelpMaster report files are located. Click Update to make the changes.

Now when you open your reports in Crystal Reports, you will notice that the database connection has been set to the database that was selected above.

See also

Reports