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15 Things Sunset Reports can do with Microsoft Office
If you are a Microsoft Office user, you will be interested to know that Sunset Reports can:
- connect to Microsoft Access databases
- replace the query designer in Access
- replace the report designer in Access
- import report designs from Access
- connect to Microsoft Excel worksheet ranges as a data source for reports
- import Excel worksheet ranges as report designs
- export reports to Excel
- import Microsoft Word documents as RTF files into a report design
- export reports to RTF files that can be loaded into Microsoft Word
- distribute any Microsoft Office file as part of a report definition utilizing the queue and delivery service. This includes Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Visio, Project, etc.
- create reports from Outlook data. If you have synchronized your Outlook with iCloud, you can create reports from iCloud data.
- using OneNote, link to a report file
- using OneNote, attach a report file
- using OneNote, insert a report printout
- integrate with InfoPath to create a custom application
So if you are working with Microsoft Office, Sunset Reports is a great add-on.
Alternative to Microsoft Access – Part 2
To follow up on the first blog post about Microsoft Access, here is some more information. Access has a limitations regarding the following that Sunset Reports does not:
- Page size (Access is limited to 22.5″ width, no limit with Sunset Reports)
- Export password protected PDF’s (Access does not, Sunset Reports does)
- Chart types (Sunset Reports has more types than Access)
- Style Sheets (Access does not have style sheets, Sunset Reports does)
So if you want to use Sunset Reports as an alternative to Access, we have made it even easier for you to convert since you can import your report designs from Access (with some limitations).
Even if your data is still in Access, Sunset Reports connects to that data very easily.
Alternative to Microsoft Access – Part 1
Recently we were asked if Sunset Reports can work as an alternative to Microsoft Access. The answer is yes or no, depending on what Access is used for. In many situations, Access is used to query a database and create reports or export data. There are no tables or forms designed, just queries or reports. In this case, yes Sunset Reports can replace Microsoft Access. In fact it is a great replacement because the query builder and report designer in Sunset Reports is actually more powerful than Access. Exporting from Sunset Reports is also better handled than Access with more options and better formatting. Sunset Reports also has a great distribution system with multiple channels including email and FTP.
If you need a way to store data and don’t want to use Microsoft Access, then SQLite, MySQL, and FireBird are free database back ends that you can use and in conjunction with Sunset Reports, you should have all you need.
Chart Types
Here is a visual catalog of the chart types available. Many options are available with these.
Access 2010 only has 20 chart types, and Crystal Reports 9 only has 40. Even Excel 2010 does not have some of the chart types in Sunset Reports. Plus the wizard gives you so many customization options.
Page Size
What are the limitations of page size in Sunset Reports? Microsoft Access reports has a limit of 22.5″ for both width and length.
If you look at the Property “Paper Kind” in the report designer, you will find over 120 different paper sizes to choose from. One of the bigger sizes is called an “E Sheet” which is 34 inches wide and 44 inches in height in portrait mode. You can create a custom page size 120″ (10 feet) by 120″ (10 feet) which would pretty much mean there is no limit to the page size in Sunset Reports.
Report Templates from Office
If you use Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, you have access to many templates. These templates can be imported into Sunset Reports as a starting point for reports.
For Word, create a document from a template, and save the document as an RTF file. Then import the RTF file into the RTF control in the report designer.
For Excel, use the import report design from Microsoft Excel menu item when in the Report Designer.