Content Templates: Overview
In Case Manager, from version 5.2.1, Crystal Reports files for printing reports or documents will no longer be accessed from the report folders on the server, but will rather be saved in the database. With this change, a user will no longer need access to the files on the server to print reports or documents, and consequently no longer require a client access for Windows.
Making use of templates saved in the database, and attachments accessed vir FTP can reduce the number of Windows Client-Access Licenses (CALs). There may, however, still be another reason for the client access licence which is not addressed in this document. It is suggested to first analyze all the access the to server a user require.
The Crystal Reports-based printing has been a part of the Case Manager solution for many versions, and the structures supporting this functionality required re-thinking and refactoring. Even though there is much room for further improvements, this is a great leap forward. It does however impact how this functionality is used and supported by the Case Manager ships. In this document, I explain my suggestion on what should be done at a site and how we can still effectively support clients with custom reports and documents.
Printing from Case Manager
From a user’s perspective printing a report or document remains the same. If during printing it is found that the template is still in the old format (that is, not stored in the database, but by loading the Crystal Reports file from the server) then the print process will first migrate the template (load it into the database) before continuing with the actual printing process. The reports folder as set up in the Configuration Tool, will eventually not be used anymore. At this stage it is used for the migration of legacy templates.