What are pros/cons to DevExpress Reports?

Question

I'm looking for a new reporting tool and DevExpress XtraReports look pretty good. I didn't find any discussion on them so here we go.

• Have you found any problems with the report format, and saving reports to a database?
• Any common performance problems?
• How well does the end user report designer work?
• How does it fare against SSRS? (this seems to be a common benchmark)

Note: we already use DevEx so cost is no issue for me. Also, we will be building complex reports for our clients, but (hopefully) they will build their own reports too.

Answer 1

1- No problems with format or saving reports to database, check their website How to store reports in a database

2- Very fast...

3- you can use it to allow the end user to design the reports, it's just work on windows applications, it don't support web application.

To allow the clients to build their reports, they need to understand your database structure and you should provide them a good interface to write queries and then pass it to the report designer.

Answer 2

@TheSean, I don't know how it compares to SSRS. For me the most positive important impression I got was the ability to do "low level" work with it. All the widgets used to represent fields are very similar to WinForms widgets. And you can work with them just like with WinForms widgets - including dynamically adding them or iterating through them, messing with them etc. Naturally, you can also do all sorts of modifications directly through .Designer code-behind code, the same as when messing with code-behind of WinForms. In that sense this is definitely anti-Crystal Reports type of experience - XtraReports puts you in command and gives you lots of control, if you want to take it. And if you don't, you can use Crystal Reports style of programming as well.

One "con" I can name (and I stand willing to be corrected) is the less than perfect visual designer. In particular, I cannot seem to make the designer display/preview subreports.