Updating Dynamics SL BP to SL 7.0 and Publishing Reports to BP

Goal 

There are a lot of pit falls to implementing Publishing of Reports after an upgrade of BP and SL to 7.0. I am trying to put together a complete list of how to do things so that you get it working right first time out of the box. There are a lot of things that need to be implemented or installed in a specific way.   Instructions are not crystal clear either.  Hopefully this helps you implement this functionality after an upgrade with little need for support.

One thing you should keep in mind is that this technology is outdated and “twilight”.  It will be retired soon. There are many cooler ways to publish data to your Business Portal.  

Environment

This is your first pitfall. Make sure that you install in a 32 bit environment. Application Server must be 32 and so must BP. Publishing reports will not work in 64 and BP won’t install. Also Crystal Does not play nice with Server 2008, so don’t. 2003 is better if you want to use this functionality. So windows 2003 for the BP Server, 32 bit. For App Server 32 bit xp. You can run App Server on the BP Server but this requires a session always logged in on the server. I do it as a separate box.

Issue

            The things you must do to make Publishing Reports from SL work out of the box:

1)      Install SL Client on BP Server First. If you are setting up a separate Application Server, it doesn’t matter. You must have SL installed on the Business Portal Server. You must install it before you install Business Portal.

2)      When creating your Web Application in WSS or MOSS that Business Portal will live in, IF you are installing to port 80, you will notice that it defaults to create new web application called Sharepoint – 80.  If you click nothing and go forward this will create a new port 80 web application AND DISABLE the current default – 80 web app. You cannot have two applications on port 80 unless you are using http headers. This will create problems by default for BP. It installs a virtual app called crystalreportviewers10 in the default – 80 web app EVEN if it is disabled.

3)      After the BP install, you must run the BPSLClientSetup.exe Utility to tell BP where SL is on the BP server.

4)      After the BP install, you must share out the SampleReports directory in BP. Make sure all users that will use this function have full rights to NTFS and Share Rights (they are different).

5)      Make sure the Application Pool User for BP has rights to the SampleReports Folder and Share.

6)      Make sure the FileService Com++ component Identity has rights to the SampleReports Folder and Share.

7)      On the Application Server, you must download CDONTs. This is not included in the Application Server Install and email functionality from BP report publishing will not work.

Resolution

            For issues 1, if you don’t install the SL Client before BP then you just have to install the full install on the BP Server. When you do this, the BPSLClientSetup.exe cannot be used to say where SL is. You must manually edit the file to say Local:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Dynamics\Business Portal

Open:  Microsoft.Solomon.SolomonInstall.xml  in notepad

<SolomonInstall>
                <UNCPath>Local</UNCPath>
</SolomonInstall>

            For Issue 2,  You will know you are in this boat when you get this error when clicking the List of published reports in BP:

            You see your report, but  all of the buttons at the top only have red x in them. Export Function doesn’t work. Print Function doesn’t work.  What you must do to fix is to :

·         Delete the crystalreportviewers10 virtual directory from the disabled default web site in IIS.

·         Create a new virtual directory called crystalreportviewers10 (yes lower case) in the new SharePoint – 80 root in IIS. It must point to the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Crystal Decisions\2.5\crystalreportviewers10 folder.

o   Also Exclude this folder from SharePoint

§  Go into Central Admin

§  Application Management / Under SharePoint Web Application Management  

§  Click on Managed Paths

§  Add crystalreportviewers10 as a path (typed out just like here).

            For Issue 3, if you did a client install just run the utility and remember to use //ServerName/Share/Path to SL. If you had to do full install then edit the file and put Local as in 1.

            For Issue 3, 4 and 5, You will know you have this one if Report List shows but you get error or message saying that the file is missing or not published yet for all reports. To find out each user, just go to IIS, look at the advanced properties of the web site or just properties (depending on version of IIS). It will list the Application Pool. Click on the App Pool and look at the identity. For the File Service component, goto administrative tools, select components. Drill down in My Computer, under com fine the Microsoft File Services. It defaults to the FileServiceUser, I always change to the same user that SharePoint is using. Finally to assign rights just browse to the program files/Dynamics/ Business Portal set of folders. You will find the Application folder and under that will be Reports/SampleReports. Right mouse and select properties. Make sure it is shared and permissions are to all users that will use and the accounts above.  

            For 7, just download CDONTS and install.

Conclusion 

         There are a few problems that can happen when you install/upgrade BP to 7.0 and try to use Publishing of Reports. Just do it right the first time and you don't have to deal with most of them. If not there are fixes.