VB6 Data Reports (DSR) to VB.NET RPT Files

[Dan Warner]

I have to convert several hundred reports originally created in VB6 using
the VB6 ActiveX Data Report designer. (not Crystal Reports) to VB.NET. The
VB.NET upgrade wizard does not convert the DSRs. The help I've found on the
MS site is minimal, and the help on the Business Objects site is incorrect
or assumes an installation other than the standard VS 6.0 SP 5 I started
with. I'd prefer not to have to start from scratch...there's hundreds if
not several thousand man hours invested in these DSRs. The Data
Environments to seem to convert properly.

I have the original VS 6.0, including the version of Crystal Reports which
came with the enterprise edition installed (I believe it's Ver 4.6.1), and
all of VS.Net Enterprise Architect installed. Is there anything I can do?

[John Hart [MSFT]]

Hi Dan,

I took a quick look at the Data Dynamcis' web site and they do have a .Net
version of ActiveReports.

Here's a link to their sites forums that talks about conversion.

http://www.datadynamics.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=31977

Hope that helps.

--
John Hart, Microsoft VB Team
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
> From: "Dan Warner" <dwa...@brierley.com>
> Subject: VB6 Data Reports (DSR) to VB.NET RPT Files
> Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 12:35:51 -0600
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[Dan Warner]

Hi John,

Thank you for your post. I've looked at the DataDynamics site and have
tried one of the three ActiveReports trial versions, and I'll try the other
two shortly. The first version I tried was the one for VB5/VB6, and it did
not include the capability to import a DSR file....so no luck there. The
conversation you pointed me to refers to converting a version 1.1 Active
Report to AR.Net. We built our reports with the MS Data Report designer
which shipped with VB6. Are AR 1.1 and the MS Data Report designer in VB6
the same?

Before we had installed .Net 2003, I found this article and reported to
my organization that coversion of our existing reports would be possible:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/crystlmn/html/crtskimportingreportsthatusenoncrystalformats.asp
In the article specifically, there is a note that the VB Upgrade Wizard
would upgrade the MS Data Report to VB .Net. However, when I run the
upgrade wizard the report is 'not upgraded' and left untouched. There does
not seem to be any type of VB.Net 2003 version of the MS Data Report - so
what is this article referring to? Have I overlooked an option in my
install of VS.NET?

Warm Regards,
Dan

"John Hart [MSFT]" <John...@Online.Microsoft.com.> wrote in message
news:jPYwFWCA...@cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl...

[John Hart [MSFT]]

Hi Dan,

I sure miss read your initial post. For some reason I had it in my head
that you had used the ActiveReports in your VB6 project, re-reading now I
don't know why I thought that. So sorry I mislead you as these are not the
same as the VB6 data reports.

The Upgrade Wizard does not convert the .dsr file but rather simply copies
it to your upgrade project. However, the article you found does have steps
to convert the report file.

Have you tried these steps?

1) In the Visual Studio .NET Solution Explorer, right-click your
project to display the shortcut menu.
2) Point to Add and click Add New Item.
3) In the Add New Item dialog box, select Crystal Report from the
Templates area. Click Open.
4) In the Crystal Report Gallery, select From an Existing Report and
click OK.
5) Select MS Data Report from the Files of Type field and browse to the
Data Report.
6) The Crystal Report Designer launches with the Data Report converted
to a Crystal Report. The .rpt file retains the same name as the Data
Report.

If this doesn't work are you getting an error or what happens?

--
John Hart, Microsoft VB Team
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
> From: "Dan Warner" <dwa...@brierley.com>

> References: <uMs$sVl$EHA....@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl>
<jPYwFWCA...@cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl>
> Subject: Re: VB6 Data Reports (DSR) to VB.NET RPT Files
> Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 10:13:57 -0600
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[Dan Warner]

Thanks John,

I had tried that several times before with no luck. But just to be sure, I
just now created a new VB6 project with one form, added a new MS Data Report
and Data Environment. I set the data environment to point to the Northwind
MDB (which I copied to the VB6 Project directory), added a command to select
* from customers, and set the Data Report to merely list the customer names.
Added a button to the form to show the report, and all works well in VB6.
The VB6 project and files are all on the same network share that I will put
the VB.NET project, and I believe I've configured the .Net Framework to
trust that share.

I then opened the VB6 project in VB.NET 2003, and the VB Upgrade Wizard ran.
The Date Environement seems to have been upgraded, but the Report did not.
I add a Crystal Report to the project and followed your instructions below.
I get a dialog (MsgBox with just an OK button) that states errors have
occurred and to check datareport1.log (my VB6 data report is datareport1).
I click OK, and then get another dialog with just an OK button that says
"End of File". The .Log file contains this text: "Could not access the
database from the Data Environment. Check your Data Environment.".

The report I'm testing couldn't be simpler...two labels and one data field.
The reports I have to convert are fairly complex and against SQL Server 2000
tables and SP's. I'm sure there's something I'm not doing correctly
here...maybe security...I don't know. Any help would be appreciated!

Dan

"John Hart [MSFT]" <John...@Online.Microsoft.com.> wrote in message

news:N8Sm2tA...@cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl...

[John Hart [MSFT]]

Hi Dan,

Sorry for the slow responce.

I was able to reproduce the problem that you're seeing.

So I've been working with a few members of the Crystal Report team here to
try and figure out what is happening. From what I can tell the the Crystal
Reports upgrade feature finds the DataEnvironment.vb file that we create
during the VB6 upgrade instead of the orginal .dsr file from the VB6 Data
Envirnonment.

The good news is if you follow the import steps below from a new VB.Net
project and import the orginal .rpt from the orignal VB6 path where the
original VB6 data environment is located, the report conversion works. In
fact it converts the Data Environment for you so the new Crystal report
should behave simularly to the VB6 Data Report, at least it did in my
little test. You can then add this Crystal Report to your upgraded
project.

I hope that helps.

--
John Hart, Microsoft VB Team
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
> From: "Dan Warner" <dwa...@brierley.com>

> References: <uMs$sVl$EHA....@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl>
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<N8Sm2tA...@cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl>

> Subject: Re: VB6 Data Reports (DSR) to VB.NET RPT Files

> Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2005 09:15:48 -0600
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[Ganesan Jey]

I have a somewhat similar problem and I tried all the suggestions posted
here, but I still couldn't convert a DSR to Vb.Net RPT file. I have
tried in VS 2003 and VS 2005 beta. I can send you a simple program if
you want.

The main difference in our case is that "there is NO data environment
and all the reports are disconnected". We do have lots of reports based
on DataReport control.

Any help would be appreciated

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[josiah....@gmail.com]

This is the best answer I've found to the questions posed here:
http://www.vbmigration.com/detknowledgebase.aspx?Id=643

Hope it helps anyone who runs into this problem like I did.