Future of Crystal Reports: How Baker Tilly helps organizations prepare for the transition to IFS Report Studio 

The future of Crystal Reports in IFS Cloud 

Reporting is a critical component of any enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, providing the insights organizations need to make informed business decisions. As IFS continues to evolve its cloud platform, its reporting strategy is evolving with it. 

IFS is transitioning away from Crystal Reports in favor of IFS Report Studio, its cloud-native reporting solution. Support for Crystal Reports has already been deprecated in recent IFS Cloud releases and is expected to be fully retired by release 26R2. 

Customers that continue to rely heavily on Crystal Reports face increasing upgrade, support and maintenance risks. Planning your migration now can help reduce technical debt, simplify future upgrades and modernize reporting capabilities. IFS's reporting strategy is centered on web-based analytics, embedded dashboards and enhanced cloud compatibility, making now the ideal time to begin planning your transition. 

Why IFS Report Studio? 

IFS Report Studio is purpose-built for IFS Cloud and delivers modern capabilities that support flexible, scalable reporting, including: 

• Built-in barcode and QR code generation 
• JSON-based data structures that align with IFS Cloud Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and services 
• Support for incorporating custom attribute data into reports 
• Flexible integration with IFS Media Libraries for images and corporate branding 
• Centralized version control, with report layouts and revisions managed directly within the IFS Cloud environment 
• A label report wizard that simplifies the creation of labels across multiple sizes and formats 

These capabilities enable organizations to create reports that are easier to maintain, more scalable and better aligned with the IFS Cloud product roadmap. 

Complexities of uplift 

While third-party uplift tools can provide a quick-fix conversion, they are often limited in handling complex Crystal Reports functionality. Common migration challenges include: 

• Sub-report challenges: Sub-reports are not always fully supported during automated conversion and frequently require separate redevelopment and manual reintegration.  
• Data source differences: Crystal Reports commonly use proprietary or SQL-based data sources, whereas IFS Report Studio relies on JSON-based data structures, creating additional migration complexity.  
• Unsupported features: Certain Crystal Report functions and formatting elements cannot be directly translated, often resulting in unsupported objects that require manual remediation.  

Our recommended approach: For highly customized or complex reports, rebuilding reports using native IFS Report Studio best practices is often more effective, maintainable and future proof than relying solely on automated conversion tools.  

How Baker Tilly can help 

As an IFS Platinum Partner and trusted advisor, Baker Tilly helps organizations navigate every stage of the transition with confidence through: 

• Tailored IFS Report Studio training to help organizations upskill users, improve self-service reporting and accelerate adoption of modern reporting capabilities 
• Detailed assessment services including analysis of existing Crystal Report usage, to help accurately estimate and prioritize uplift activities. This ensures that effort is focused on actively used and business-critical reports.  
• End-to-end Crystal Reports conversion services helping clients modernize legacy reports,reduce technical debt and support future IFS Cloud upgrades through report analysis, redesign and redevelopment using IFS Report Studio best practices 

Our experienced consultants combine deep technical knowledge with practical implementation experience to help organizations reduce risk, modernize legacy reporting and maximize the value of their investment in IFS Cloud. 

Prepare for the future 

The retirement of Crystal Reports marks an important milestone in the evolution of IFS Cloud. Organizations that begin planning their transition now will be better positioned to reduce technical debt, simplify future upgrades and take advantage of modern reporting capabilities. 

Ready to begin your Crystal Reports transition?  

Whether you're assessing your current reporting environment or planning a full migration strategy, Baker Tilly can help you move forward with confidence. Contact our team to learn how we can support your transition to IFS Report Studio and help prepare your organization for the future of reporting in IFS Cloud.