Export Crystal Reports to PDF and Excel

The quick answer

Open the report in ViewerFX for Crystal Reports, click Export on the ribbon, pick a format such as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) or Microsoft Excel, choose where to save, and you are done. Eleven of the 13 formats are also available when attaching a report to an email; the two HTML formats are save-only.

How do I export a report, step by step?

1. Open the .rpt file in ViewerFX, from the ribbon or by double-clicking the file.
2. Click Export in the Send group on the ribbon.
3. A standard Windows Save As dialog opens. Pick the format from the Save as type list.
4. Choose a file name and location, then save. The export keeps the report layout and formatting.

Which formats can I export to?

ViewerFX exports to exactly 13 formats:

• Adobe Acrobat (PDF)
• Microsoft Excel 97-2003 and Microsoft Excel 97-2003 Data-Only
• Microsoft Word 97-2003 and Microsoft Word 97-2003 Editable (RTF)
• Rich Text Format (RTF)
• XML, Text, Character Separated Values (CSV), and Tab Separated Text
• Crystal Reports (RPT)
• HTML 3.2 and HTML 4.0

With a paid license, any format can also be packaged as a ZIP file, with optional AES encryption. The Free license exports to PDF, both Excel variants, both Word variants, RTF, and RPT; a paid license adds the remaining formats and ZIP packaging.

Which format should I choose?

• PDF preserves the exact layout and is the safest choice for sharing and archiving.
• Excel keeps the report structure for spreadsheet work; Excel Data-Only drops layout decoration and is better for analysis.
• CSV or Tab Separated feed other systems cleanly.
• RPT hands a colleague the report itself, which they can open in any Crystal Reports viewer.

All 13 formats are enabled during the 45-day trial, so you can test each output against whatever consumes it before deciding on a license.