The latest Report Runner Batch, Viewer, and Documentor 2030.1000/1005 release is a big one, with new automation capabilities, better troubleshooting tools, Scheduler improvements, and a new way to organize reports in Viewer.
Before updating: If you haven’t already reviewed the changes introduced in 2030.990/995, please do that first. Some important requirements changed with that release.
Batch: Meet the Known Keep Agent
One of the biggest additions to Batch is the new Known Keep Agent.
You can now configure actions to run before or after a batch, including calling web services or running BAT, CMD, and EXE files with parameters. Post-processing can even use the Batch exit code to decide what should happen next.
The Agent can also convert CSV report output to JSON, opening up some interesting possibilities for sending Report Runner output directly to web services, APIs, or other applications.
We’ve added new variables such as jnLastFileName, jnLastCSVFileName, jnLastPDFFileName, and jnLastTXTFileName so your Agent actions can easily work with files created during the batch.
Better Tools for Finding Database Problems
Both Batch and Viewer now include a new Deep Dive Analysis tool under Help → Debugging.
It examines your report, subreports, database connection settings, installed drivers, and related configuration to help identify connection problems. The results are written directly to the log file, giving you—and our Support team—much better information when troubleshooting a difficult report.
We’ve also added an alternate Crystal Reports database login method for situations where the normal connection process doesn’t work well with a particular report or database configuration.
Scheduler Gets Some Significant Improvements
Batch Scheduler received quite a bit of attention in this release.
There’s now support for Group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA), allowing Windows to manage scheduled-task passwords instead of requiring you to store and maintain them in Report Runner.
You can also synchronize Report Runner’s stored account IDs with Windows Task Scheduler, and there’s a new recovery option that can rebuild Scheduler data from existing Report Runner Windows tasks if your Scheduler data ever becomes corrupted.
We’ve also improved Scheduler validation, file recovery, calendar performance, next-run calculations, and handling of Windows Task Scheduler errors.
Viewer: Introducing Favorites
Viewer now has a new Favorites Viewer mode.
You can organize reports into as many as 100 named categories, with each category pointing to a local or network folder. Select a category and Viewer displays the RPT and RPTR files in that location, complete with the existing search and refresh tools.
It’s a simple addition, but particularly useful for anyone with a large collection of reports spread across different folders.
Viewer also gets new options to permanently hide the Viewer toolbar and status bar, giving your reports more usable screen space.
Better Crash Reporting and Emergency Notifications
Batch and Viewer now capture more diagnostic information when something goes wrong, including improved screenshots and a new Crash ID that ties together the log file, screenshot, and HelpDesk ticket.
Emergency email notifications are more resilient, too. If your configured mail server fails, Report Runner will retry and can fall back to our internal mail system so an important notification has a better chance of reaching you.
There are also improvements throughout Global Monitoring, logging, temporary-file cleanup, shared-setting locks, and licensing information, along with a long list of smaller fixes.
Documentor: Safer Updates When Something Goes Wrong
Documentor received several reliability improvements around database connections and refreshing documentation.
Most importantly, if refreshing a report or subreport fails, your existing documentation is preserved. New documentation replaces the old information only after processing completes successfully.
Database errors are also clearer, connection settings are easier to correct after a failure, and several database setup and metadata issues have been fixed.
A Lot Packed Into One Release
2030.1000/1005 combines some genuinely useful new features with a substantial amount of work on reliability and troubleshooting.
The Known Keep Agent, Deep Dive Analysis, gMSA Scheduler support, and Viewer Favorites are the highlights, while dozens of smaller improvements should make everyday Report Runner use smoother and easier to support.
If you also use Report Runner Event Server or Monitor & Debugger, make sure you grab their latest updates as well.