1201695 - Error: 'Cannot obtain error message from server.' when refreshing a report based of an Oracle Server Stored Procedure in Crystal Reports

• Error: Database Connector Error: 'Cannot obtain error message from server.'
• Unable to create or refresh a report in Crystal Reports, based of a specific Oracle Stored Procedure.
• When attempting to create a report of an Oracle Stored Procedure in Crystal Reports, it fails with the errors:
      
      "Failed to retrieve data from the database"
    
  Followed by:
    
      "Database Connector Error: Cannot obtain error message from server"

• SAP Crystal Reports 2016
• SAP Crystal Reports 2020
• SAP Crystal Reports 2025
       
• Oracle

1. In Crystal Reports, open or create a report based of an ODBC connection to a specific Oracle Stored Procedure.
2. When refreshing the report, it fails with the Database Connector Error: 'Cannot obtain error message from server.'

• The specific Oracle Stored Procedure used was created using the Dynamic SQL method.
• Dynamic SQL is an enhanced form of SQL that, unlike standard SQL, facilitates the automatic generation and execution of program statements.
• Dynamic SQL does not allow the use of Strongly Bound Ref Cursors, which is a requirement to be able to report from a stored procedure.

• To be able to report from the Oracle Stored Procedure:
        
1. Review the Stored Procedure code to ensure it meets all the Oracle Stored Procedure Requirements to be used in Crystal Reports as listed in the SAP Knowledge Base Article: 1181947 
               
2. Perform one of the following:
• Update the Oracle Stored Procedure and use Static SQL, in which you can have a Strongly Bound Ref Cursor e.g %ROWTYPE; or
• Use a Native Oracle connection instead of an ODBC connection.

CR, ORA , KBA , BI-RA-CR , Crystal Reports designer or Business View Manager , Bug Filed

SAP Crystal Reports 2016 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2020 ; SAP Crystal Reports 2025