If you judge CR 8.5 by today's standards, it feels clunky. But in 2001, these features were cutting-edge:
Perhaps the most critical innovation introduced in Crystal Reports 8.5 was the Report Application Server (RAS). Prior to this version, web reporting was often a cumbersome process involving cumbersome export routines or the limitations of the earlier Seagate Info platform. With the introduction of RAS, Crystal Reports 8.5 fundamentally changed the architecture of how reports were delivered.
: Supports over 30 data sources, including SQL Server, Oracle, and ODBC-compliant databases. Why It Is Still Relevant (and Why It's Not)