Crystal Reports Deployment
You can deploy applications that use Crystal Reports for Visual Studio with Windows Installer (recommended) or with Merge Modules.
Deployment in Visual Studio is based on Windows Installer technology. The setup project builds installer files with .exe and .msi extensions. Those files can be distributed for installation on computers that do not have Crystal Reports or Visual Studio installed. It is recommended to distribute project files using the .msi Windows Installer technology. See Crystal Reports for .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Installer for more information.
Windows Installer Deployment
You can use the Windows Installer in place of Merge Modules for deployment projects. The Windows Installer allows for smaller deployment projects and reduced installation time. You can use the Windows Installer when many deployment projects are installed on the same target computer. In this case, Crystal Reports runtime files are installed once. If Merge Modules are used, the Crystal Reports runtime is installed each time a deployment project is installed on the target computer.
Merge Module Deployment
Merge Modules provide the set of components that are merged with the Windows installer for applications that need these components. With all related application components stored in a single container, the installer can eliminate version conflicts and other common installation problems. Crystal Reports for Visual Studio has simplified the process of selection of the appropriate Merge Module for a particular project. Now, you add Merge Modules based on the machine type of the target computer. Merge Modules for Web Sites and Windows applications that use Crystal Reports for Visual Studio are the same.
ClickOnce Deployment
Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2005 or later simplifies Windows application deployment through the use of ClickOnce deployment. With ClickOnce, Windows applications are deployed to Web Sites, where target computers access the installation files and receive application updates. See ClickOnce Deployment for more information.