Using Crystal Reports and Upgrading to SQL Server 2014 ODBC Connection Issues

Question

Qualifying information: we use Crystal Reports 8.5 and our current application is written in VB6. Our original database was SQL Server 2005 and currently we run on SQL Server 2012, however are set to the 2005 compatibility level (level 90). We created a new database in SQL Server 2014 and have hooked the application up to the new server successfully, however now the Crystal Reports do not render properly (data showing up in places it should not, formulas not getting interpreted properly).

I have verified all data being returned is in the same format, collated the same, checked the schema for any changes, I have uninstalled and reinstalled Crystal Reports dependencies. When I run connected to the old databases it works fine, when I change my connection string to the new databases it does not work properly. I have looked on the Crystal Reports Forums and help documents and have found no reason for this to happen.

Question : does anyone know, or has anyone encountered this issue with upgrading SQL Server versions? Any possible explanations on how to fix it, without rewriting the application to use a newer Crystal Reports version? (our VB6 legacy application is irreplaceable)

Answer 1

There may be some inconsistencies from sloppy upgrades. I use the term "sloppy" loosely; I do things sloppily sometimes too. Here are some tips:

http://thomaslarock.com/2014/06/upgrading-to-sql-server-2014-a-dozen-things-to-check/