As some of you know, I have created some Crystal Reports in Version 11 for a customer. We decided not to try to interface the new reports with the exisiting system because it is not compatible. I cannot load runtime files for Version 11 or I will clobber runtime files for their existing Crystal Reports Version 7.1.

Instead, I was wondering if there is something I can use besides Visual FoxPro or Visual Basic to created a Crystal Reports front-end to run the new Crystal Reports. I don't think I can MS SQL Server 2003 to build a front-end menu for Crystal Reports, can I? I am not very familiar with MS SQL Server 2003 so I don't know what I can do besides everyday queries.

In the interim, I have built individual icons for each Crystal Report .RPT file and they run the reports that way by double-clicking on the icon and then Refreshing the report data each time they run the report. I did not Save Data with Report so each report comes up in design mode when they double-click the icon for a report. Is there a better way to do this?

Lastly, I am doing it all from my workstation. Is there a licensing problem if I want to put my reports on each workstation with an icon set on each desktop. I am sure there is, but I don't know what else to do because I cannot install runtime files on each workstation. Nobody is going to design any reports, just me. They only need a way to run the reports without using the runtime files for Version 11. But then again, I suggested they get a site license agreement. Or buy an inexpensive Crystal Reports Version 11 because they don't need the Developer Edition loaded on each workstation.

But wouldn't loading a stand-alone version on each workstation clobber the runtime files they need for their existing eEmpACT system that uses Version 7.1 on a server? I don't know for sure, but I think there are runtime Crystal files for Version 7.1 that must have installed when they loaded eEmpACT software that includes Crystal Reports Version 7.1 reports. And I doubt all the files are on the server only for that app.

Any ideas and advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of your help. Before we go out and buy more software and take a step down the wrong path I appreciate whatever you can suggest.

Thanks very much!