Crystal Report or WebI

Question

I have to develop few reports. Most of the reports are like bar chart with count on Y axis (Vertical) and month of  X axis(Horizontal). The report is very simple. Can some one please help me to  understand if I should develop the report in Crystal or WebI. What is the advantage of one over the other?
I know that WebI helps in better adhoc capabilities. But what adhoc capabilities can some one have with this simple report or what can I suggest clients?

Answer 1

To provide charts, both WebI and Crystal can do the job.  But besides the differentiation the other posters have already mentioned, there are a few more factors you need to consider.
WebI can easily be learned and used by business users. Crystal on the other hand requires some technical knowledge. The learning curve of Crystal report is steeper than WebI. That's why most WebI reports are developed by business analysts and most Crystal reports are normally developed by IT developers. Last but not least, the licensing of Crystal are typically more expensive than WebI.
It is the "textbook" definition that WebI is for adhoc reporting and Crystal is for formatted reporting. But that definition is beginning to blur as WebI is getting more and more capable on every new release. We have developed many highly formatted reports using WebI alone.
Therefore, when you decide on which tool to use, do not just focus on the "adhoc vs formatted". You need to consider all other factors as well.
Hope this helps.