Thanks to my good friend George McMann for the title!
That just about sums it up. Lots of people, when they’re implementing a new GL, are confused about why there are TWO reportwriters, often Crystal Reports and FRx. Why two?
FRx is a specialized tool used for financial reporting. Crystal is a reportwriter used for Agings and Vendor Lists and the like. Crystal requires knowledge of the underlying accounting database: the tables, field names, and how they’re used (posted or not, released or not, etc.). FRx does not: it’s already done all the table linking for you.
Look at it this way: there’s a nail in the wall and you want to get it out. You could use a screwdriver and it would eventually work. But the best tool is really the claw on the back of the hammer.
Same with FRx: it’s the claw. It’s a much better tool for financial reporting than Crystal. Alternatively, you wouldn’t want to try an Aging with FRx (actually it can’t be done). So there you have it. You could probably do a balance sheet in Crystal, but life’s too short!
Leave a Reply