Still the Gold Standard for Picture-Perfect Reporting!
SAP has released SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025, a major step forward in its long-standing business intelligence platform. This release not only extends support for on-premise analytics but also ensures customers benefit from modernised features, enhanced security and greater integration. At the heart of this release is Crystal Reports 2025, the industry-standard reporting solution that continues to evolve to meet enterprise reporting needs.
It's worth noting that SAP Crystal Server 2025 is the little brother of SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025. Both are built on the same powerful core platform, sharing the same foundation, compatibility, and technology stack. The difference lies in scope and scalability:
- SAP Crystal Server 2025 is essentially the streamlined version, offering limited functionality and user capacity.
- SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025 provides the full enterprise platform, enabling advanced deployment, scalability and governance.
Both editions, however, share the same foundation.
In the world of analytics, buzzwords like "AI-driven," "cloud-native," and "self-service dashboards" dominate conversations. Vendors compete to deliver new ways of interacting with data and every year the market sees new tools promising to redefine business intelligence.
But here's the truth: when it comes to picture-perfect, pixel-precise reporting, no tool has ever outclassed SAP Crystal Reports.The Timeless Power of Crystal Reports
For decades, organisations have relied on Crystal Reports to deliver beautifully formatted, highly detailed reports that meet strict compliance, financial and operational standards. From regulated industries that require exact document layouts to businesses that need to deliver invoices, statements, or official documents at scale—Crystal Reports has always delivered unmatched precision.
Where many analytics platforms focus on visualisation and dashboards, Crystal Reports shines in creating structured, publication-quality outputs. Tables align flawlessly, fonts render crisply, and layouts remain consistent regardless of dataset size. This level of reliability is why Crystal Reports has stood the test of time, trusted by governments, enterprises, and small businesses alike.
No Competitor Has Matched It
Despite advancements across the BI industry, no other vendor has been able to replicate what Crystal Reports does best. Many tools offer charts and dashboards—but when it comes to mission-critical documents that must be visually exact and compliant, competitors fall short.
Crystal Reports is unique because it delivers:
- Pixel-perfect formatting that ensures every line, chart, and field is exactly where it should be.
- Dynamic data binding to create reports that scale from a single invoice to thousands of personalized statements.
- Enterprise integration with SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025 and Crystal Server, making distribution and governance seamless.
Simply put: dashboards inform, but Crystal Reports communicates with precision.
Crystal Reports 2025: Raising the Bar Again
The release of Crystal Reports 2025 proves that SAP isn't just maintaining this legacy—it's enhancing it. The platform continues to modernise while keeping its core strength: delivering flawless reports.
Some of the new benefits:
- Long-Term Platform Commitment
SAP has reaffirmed its commitment to on-premise BI with BI 2025, offering customers extended maintenance windows and peace of mind for strategic planning. This ensures that organizations with complex reporting needs or strict data residency requirements can continue to rely on BusinessObjects.
- Unified Reporting with Crystal Reports 2025
Crystal Reports remains a pillar of the platform. With Crystal Reports 2025, SAP delivers new functionality that makes reporting more powerful, accessible, and future proof.
Key new features include:
- New SAP BW (DSL) Driver
- Offers improved access to SAP BW OLAP data through managed connections.
- Aligned with the behavior of Web Intelligence and previous CR for Enterprise reports, easing migration and reducing complexity.
- Start Page Shortcuts for Universe (UNX) & BW DSL
- Direct shortcuts in the Crystal Reports Designer help report developers quickly connect to modern data sources.
- Database Sorting & Ranking in the Query Panel
- Pushes sorting and ranking down to the database layer (when supported), improving performance and scalability for large datasets.
- Desktop Viewer Enhancements
- A redesigned Crystal Reports Desktop Viewer allows users to open and interact with .rpt files using the same engine as the designer.
- Provides full interactivity, faster performance, and offline availability.
- Migration from CR for Enterprise (CR4E)
- With CR4E retired, SAP offers a migration path into CR 2025. Reports created in CR4E can often be opened and used directly, preserving investment in prior work.
- Updated Security and Certifications
- Third-party components and supported platforms have been updated to ensure compatibility with modern operating systems, databases, and security standards.
- Flexibility Across Editions
Because Crystal Server 2025 is the little brother of BI 2025, organisations can start with a smaller, cost-effective deployment and scale up as reporting needs expand. This flexibility allows IT leaders to future-proof their investments and grow without disruption.
- Improved Performance & Governance
The emphasis on database delegation (sorting, ranking, query handling) and new connection drivers ensures better performance on large datasets while maintaining governance through the BI Platform.
Organisations can now run Crystal Reports within SAP BusinessObjects BI 2025 or its "little brother," Crystal Server 2025, depending on their scale. Either way, the core promise is the same: reports that no other vendor can match in accuracy, formatting, presentation and delivery!
You can find all the details here: What's new in SAP Crystal Reports 2025?
A new maintenance and support strategy
SAP has updated the maintenance strategy for Crystal Server (BusinessObjects BI) to provide more stability and align with customer needs.
- Crystal Server 2020 (BI4.3): Now enters Customer Specific Maintenance after Mainstream Maintenance, during which only critical security issues (CVSS ≥ 7) are addressed in the first year. Mainstream Maintenance has been extended until end of 2026, ensuring security fixes continue through 2027.
- Crystal Server 2025 (BI2025) and Beyond: Starting with Crystal Server 2025, SAP shifts to a new release model:
- Minor releases every 2 years
- A 6 to 8-week cumulative patch cycle during the 3 years of the mainstream maintenance
- Followed by Customer Specific Maintenance with 1 year of security fixes
This approach replaces the previous annual support package model and aims to balance platform stability with ongoing innovation.
The next version, Crystal Server 2027, is expected in Q1 2027, with further releases planned every two years. Mainstream Maintenance is currently guaranteed until at least the end of 2031.
Where Others Stop, Crystal Reports Excels
As analytics evolve, businesses will continue to explore new technologies. But when it comes to delivering trustworthy, professional and picture-perfect reports, the industry still turns to Crystal Reports.
Others visualise. Crystal Reports communicates.
And in that space, no competitor has ever come close to outclassing it.
to discuss your SAP Crystal Reports 2025!!