Ross,
This may or may not be of any help, but, what the heck!
After 20 years of using a PRO-IV written accounting system, we dumped it for a semi-customizable package that uses SQL server, and Crystal Reports for the reports.
The software authors have incorporated stored procedures in their system that generate the data set for Crystal Reports. The reports are generated by the package; and dump the report to the Crystal Viewer, where you can just look at it, print it using the Windows Print dialog; or export it.
Natively, Crystal Reports CAN interact with SQL to extract your data, but this dog, is tired of new tricks (I refuse to take the time to climb that 89 degree slope!!). One thing I did notice is that many simlar reports use the same stored procedure to generate the data; then Crystal Reports formats it however you want.
I guess in theory, you could use an update function to throw the data for your report into a temporary work file, and from that extract and format using Crystal Reports. A word of caution, you will have to spring for more than the base edition (professional or developer I am not sure).
Let me know how you end up deciding.
Bob Filipiak
Edited by Bob Filipiak, 20 June 2006 - 11:33 PM.