Impersonation In Crystal Reports

In Crystal Reports, impersonation refers to the ability to run a report with the permissions of a different user, typically to access data sources or database connections that require higher privileges than the current user has. Impersonation is particularly useful in scenarios where the report needs to access sensitive data or when the database connection requires specific credentials.

To enable impersonation in Crystal Reports, you need to configure the database connection appropriately. Here's how you can do it:

1. Open your Crystal Reports document in Crystal Reports Designer.

2. Go to the "Database" menu and select "Set Datasource Location."

3. In the "Set Datasource Location" dialog box, you'll see the list of tables and database connections used in your report.

4. Select the database connection you want to enable impersonation for and click on the "Properties" button.

5. In the "Database Properties" dialog box, you'll find the "Use Trusted Connection" option. Uncheck this option.

6. Now, you can provide the credentials of the user you want to impersonate. Depending on the database type, you may need to enter the username and password.

7. Click "OK" to save the changes and close the dialog boxes.

By following these steps, Crystal Reports will use the provided credentials to connect to the database when running the report, allowing you to access data with the privileges of the impersonated user.

Please note that the ability to impersonate users in Crystal Reports may also depend on the database system you are using. Some database systems have their own authentication and authorization mechanisms that may need to be configured separately from Crystal Reports.

Additionally, it's essential to ensure that the impersonated user has the necessary permissions to access the data sources and perform the actions required by the report. Impersonation should be used with caution, especially when dealing with sensitive data, to prevent unauthorized access.