Someone recently complained that Xero did not have Crystal Reports and was trying to lock us in. I replied this way:
Hi Glenn:
Thank you for your post. It showed me two weaknesses that Xero should soon fix. There should be a separate Reports category on the Xero Add-ons page and Add-ons should be searchable.
One of the best things about Xero is its free industry-standard RESTful interface. Unlike the related proprietary QuickBooks interfaces, it seems to be able to access most or all of the data in Xero. This shows Xero is not trying to lock you in. I also read statements on lock-in from Xero CEO Rod Drury, who wrote a very nice email reply to me yesterday. He strongly opposes lock-in.
Do you know about the new Xero Report Packs? They look like they can handle many needs. Then there is the good news about Xero and Crystal Reports. Google: xero "crystal reports" –zero. This will give you www.redjungle.com/Xero. They interfaced Crystal Reports to Xero and do custom Xero Add-ons.
You also should Google: xero reports add-ons site:xero.com. It will show you at least two powerful Xero report add-ons. My team of very inexpensive international CPAs, bookkeepers and a part-time CFO will gladly help with any other Xero needs. They often work all night (because their time zone is 12 hours from U.S. Eastern time) to deliver standard and custom reports in the morning.
