# Help me understand the different versions of Crystal Reports **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 9, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020 "2004-08-09T14:07:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/1 "2004-08-09T14:07:58Z")
I work for an animal shelter whose database front-end is meshed with Crystal Reports. We’re currently using Crystal Reports 7, and need to upgrade. Problem is, there’s a bajillion different versions of Crystal Reports out there, and I don’t know how to tell them apart. Can someone explain the different capabilities of standard, professional, and developer’s editions? Can anyone help me figure out whether a small organization (20 computers running on a Windows Small Business network) would need a particular one of these versions? Thanks! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/2 "2004-08-09T14:15:30Z")
That database wouldn’t happen to be Raiser’s Edge, would it? That’s what we use, and, if it is, I think I can point you to someone who knows. Unfortunately, I don’t have reasons to use Crystal Reports here (I work for a university fundraising office), although co-workers do, and quite like it. AFAIK, we’ve always just used the standard reports here, and get along fine with them. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/3 "2004-08-09T14:45:59Z")
No–we use a homebrew database for donation tracking. Our shelter management software is called Chameleon. In looking around further, I think I may have found a sideways answer to my problem: the upgrade to professional costs less than the full version of standard, and there’s no upgrade to standard, AFAIK, so we’ll probably do the professional upgrade. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/4 "2004-08-09T14:55:46Z")
Well, free upgrades are always welcome, heh 🙂 I suppose the only concern that might stop you from going to “professional” might be ease of use, but my co-workers which use Crystal haven’t had too many difficulties with using it. I doubt it would be a serious problem. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/5 "2004-08-09T15:50:25Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > the upgrade to professional costs less than the full version of standard, and there’s no upgrade to standard, AFAIK, so we’ll probably do the professional upgrade. > > Daniel If the shelter is nonprofit and has gone through the trouble to do the 301© paperwork, keep in mind that many vendors will donate material (including software). It is win/win situation usually, with the donation being a tax write off. Never hurts to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/6 "2004-08-09T18:57:21Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > If the shelter is nonprofit and has gone through the trouble to do the 301(c) paperwork, keep in mind that many vendors will donate material (including software). It is win/win situation usually, with the donation being a tax write off. Never hurts to ask. 501(c)(3), actually :). And yeah, I checked that a month or so ago; Business Options does very limited donations, AFAICT. (I think it was donations only to schools or something). Incidentally, if there are any other nonprofits out there looking for software donations, your best starting point is [www.techsoup.org](http://www.techsoup.org); our organization has gotten literally thousands of dollars worth of software from them, paying a service fee of around $17.50 a pop for programs worth $400 and up. They were the first place I checked when trying to find Crystal Reports on the cheap. Thanks, all! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/7 "2004-08-09T20:04:06Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > 501(c)(3), actually 🙂 So near and yet so far. I knew there was a “3” and a “c” and an “01”. BTW…if your shelter does not have a microchip scanner, I believe they are also still available free of charge to nonprofits. Mark ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-the-different-versions-of-crystal-reports/259020/8 "2004-08-09T21:27:25Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > So near and yet so far. I knew there was a “3” and a “c” and an “01”. > > BTW…if your shelter does not have a microchip scanner, I believe they are also still available free of charge to nonprofits. > > Mark Yeah–I think we use Home Again scanners, and get them for free from the manufacturer. Daniel