Sams Teach Yourself Crystal Reports® 9 in 24 Hours

Sams Teach Yourself Crystal Reports® 9 in 24 Hours

by Joe Estes, Neil FitzGerald, Kathryn Hunt, Steve Lucas, Ryan Marples
Released September 2002
Publisher(s): Sams
ISBN: None

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Book description

Sams Teach Yourself Crystal Reports 9 in 24 Hours guides the reader through understanding data sources, to creating simple reports using the provided report wizards to custom reporting creation, modification and design techniques. Crystal Reports 9 includes unprecedented technological advances and user interface design improvements. Crystal Reports can access data from the most widely used databases and can integrate data from multiple databases within one report.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedications
  2. Foreword
    1. Information Drives the Internet
  3. About the Lead Author
    1. About the Contributing Authors
    2. About the Technical Editor
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. We Want to Hear from You!
  6. Introduction
    1. What's in This Book?
      1. Part I: “Introduction to Crystal Reports 9.0”
      2. Part II: “Fundamentals of the Crystal Report Design Environment”
      3. Part III: “Formatting Reports”
      4. Part IV: “Enhancing Crystal Reports”
      5. Part V: “Advanced Report Design Concepts”
      6. Part VI: “Sharing And Distributing Crystal Reports”
      7. Part VII: “Supplemental Crystal Reports Technologies”
    2. Equipment Used for This Book
      1. Web Resources
      2. Intended Audience
      3. Assumptions Made for This Book
      4. Conventions Used in This Book
  7. I. Introduction to Crystal Reports 9.0
    1. 1. The Value of Crystal Reports 9
      1. Transforming Data into Information with Crystal Reports
        1. Standardization
        2. System Integration
      2. Key Benefits of Crystal Reports
        1. Connecting to Corporate Data
      3. Crystal Reports as a Content Creation Application
        1. What Is Content Creation?
        2. Planning Reports
      4. New Features in Crystal Reports 9
      5. Summary
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
    2. 2. Getting Started with Crystal Reports 9
      1. Preparing for the Installation
        1. Reviewing the System Requirements for Crystal Reports 9
      2. Installation and Configuration of Crystal Reports
        1. Typical Installation Type
        2. Custom Installation Type
        3. Preparing to Access Your Data
        4. Locating the Crystal Reports Application
      3. Introduction to the Crystal Reports Designer
        1. Learning About Report Sections
        2. Using Toolbars and Menus
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 3. Accessing Your Data
      1. Understanding the Different Types of Data Sources
        1. Direct Access Drivers
        2. Indirect Access Drivers
      2. Introduction to the Data Explorer
        1. Create New Connection
        2. Current Connections
        3. Favorites
        4. History
      3. Adding Database Objects to Your Report
        1. Reporting Off Tables
        2. Reporting Off Views
        3. Reporting Off Stored Procedures
        4. Reporting Off SQL Commands
        5. Adding SQL Commands to the Repository
      4. Joining Database Objects Together
        1. Understanding the Different Join Types
      5. Using the Database Expert
      6. Summary
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    4. 4. Using the Default Report Wizards
      1. Understanding the Crystal Reports Gallery
      2. Using the Standard Report Creation Wizard
      3. Working with the Report Design Explorers
        1. Locating and Using the Report Design Explorers
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  8. II. Fundamentals of the Crystal Reports Design Environment
    1. 5. Creating and Designing Basic Reports
      1. Planning a Report
        1. Effective Report Design Considerations
          1. Why Do They Need This Report?
          2. What Do They Need?
          3. How Will We Judge the Successful Completion of This Report?
          4. When Is This Due?
        2. Mapping Out a Report
      2. Creating a Report Storyboard
      3. Designing a Crystal Report
        1. Using the Crystal Reports Design Framework
          1. Basic Items Used to Create a Report
          2. Additional Report Components
      4. Creating a Report
      5. Summary
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    2. 6. Selecting and Grouping Data
      1. Understanding Field Objects
        1. Accessing Database Fields
        2. Accessing Formula Fields
        3. Accessing SQL Expression Fields
        4. Accessing Parameter Fields
        5. Running Total Fields
        6. Group Name Fields
        7. Special Fields
      2. Working with Groups
        1. Inserting Groups
        2. Re-ordering Groups
        3. Using the Group Expert
        4. Grouping on Date/Time Fields
        5. Hierarchical Grouping
      3. Understanding Drill-down Reports
        1. Creating a Drill-down Report
        2. Hiding Details on a Drill-down Report
      4. Summary
      5. Q&A
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 7. Filtering, Sorting, and Summarizing Data
      1. Filtering the Data in Your Report
        1. Working with the Select Expert
        2. The Record Selection Formula
        3. Working with the Formula Editor
      2. Learning to Sort Records
        1. Working with the Sort Expert
      3. Creating Effective Summaries
        1. Grand Totals
        2. Group Summaries
        3. Group Selection and Sorting
        4. Running Totals
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  9. III. Formatting Reports
    1. 8. Fundamentals of Report Formatting
      1. Positioning and Sizing Report Objects
      2. Modifying Object Properties for Formatting Purposes
      3. Combining and Layering Report Objects
      4. Configuring Report Page and Margin Properties
      5. Summary
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    2. 9. Working with Report Sections
      1. Formatting Report Sections
      2. Modifying Report Section Properties
      3. Using Multiple Report Sections
        1. Resizing Report Sections
        2. Inserting New Report Sections
        3. Deleting Report Sections
        4. Merging Report Sections
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
    3. 10. Understanding and Implementing Formulas
      1. Using the Formula Workshop
        1. Workshop Tree
          1. Report Functions
          2. Repository Functions
          3. Formula Fields
          4. SQL Expression Fields
          5. Selection Formulas
          6. Formatting Formulas
      2. Workshop Formula Editor
        1. Arithmetic Formulas
        2. Date and Time Formulas
        3. String Formulas
        4. Type Conversion
        5. Control Structures
        6. Variables
      3. Formula Expert
      4. Formula Extractor
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    4. 11. Visualizing Your Data with Charts and Maps
      1. Using the Chart Expert
        1. Chart Type Tab
        2. Chart Data Tab
          1. Chart Placement
          2. Chart Layout
          3. Chart Data
        3. Chart Text Tab
        4. Chart Axes Tab
        5. Chart Options Tab
      2. Using the Map Expert
        1. Map Data Tab
          1. Map Placement
          2. Map Layout
          3. Map Data
        2. Map Type Tab
        3. Map Text Tab
      3. Modifying Chart and Map Properties
        1. Modifying Chart Properties
          1. Chart Options
          2. Size and Position
        2. Modifying Map Properties
          1. Layer Control
          2. Resolve Mismatch
          3. Size and Position
          4. Zooming and Panning
      4. Summary
      5. Q&A
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    5. 12. Implementing Parameters for Dynamic Reporting
      1. Understanding the Value of Parameters
      2. Creating and Implementing Parameters Fields
        1. Reviewing Parameter Field Properties
        2. Creating Parameter Fields
          1. Setting Default Values for Parameter Fields
        3. Implementing Parameter Fields
      3. Using Parameters with Record Selections
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  10. IV. Enhancing Crystal Reports
    1. 13. Custom Formatting Techniques
      1. Making Presentation-Quality Reports
      2. Common Formatting Features
        1. ToolTips
        2. Lines and Boxes
        3. Vertical Text
        4. Hyperlinks
      3. Conditional Formatting—Using Data to Drive the Look of a Report
        1. Apply Formatting from Another Field
      4. Summary
      5. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    2. 14. Using Cross-Tabs for Summarized Reporting
      1. What Is a Cross-Tab?
      2. Benefits of Using Cross-Tabs
        1. Making Better Use of Space
        2. Leveraging Experience with the Spreadsheet Format
        3. Horizontal Expansion
        4. Custom Formatting
      3. Using the Cross-Tab Wizard
      4. Using Top N with Cross-Tabs Reports
      5. Using Advanced Cross-Tab Features
        1. Relative Position
        2. Percentage of Summary
        3. Horizontal and Vertical Placement
        4. Summary Labels
        5. Adding a Display String
      6. Summary
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    3. 15. Using Record Selections and Alerts for Interactive Reporting
      1. Creating Advanced Record Selection Formulas
        1. Record Selection Review
        2. Dealing with Dates
        3. Working with Strings
        4. Pushing Record Selections to the Database
        5. An Introduction to SQL Expressions
      2. Adding Alerting to Your Reports
        1. Creating, Editing, and Using Alerts
        2. Using Alerts in Crystal Enterprise
      3. Summary
      4. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    4. 16. Using Subreports
      1. Understanding Subreports
        1. Common Subreport Usage
        2. Using Subreports
      2. Understanding Linked Versus Unlinked Subreports
      3. Considering Subreport Execution Time and Performance
      4. Using Variables to Pass Data Between Reports
      5. Emulating Nested Subreports
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    5. 17. Using Formulas and Custom Functions to Implement Complex Business Logic
      1. Becoming More Productive with Formulas
      2. Choosing a Formula Language: Crystal Versus Basic Syntax
        1. Syntax Differences
        2. Why Was the Basic Syntax Added?
        3. Selecting the Best Syntax for You
      3. Brackets Have Meaning
      4. Characters Also Have Meaning!
      5. New in Crystal Reports Version 9
        1. Memos in Formulas
        2. Additional Financial Functions
        3. Custom Functions
          1. What Are Custom Functions?
          2. Creating Custom Functions from Existing Formulas
          3. Sharing Custom Functions with Others
        4. Understanding Runtime Errors
      6. Summary
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    6. 18. Working with the Report Component Repository
      1. Sharing Report Design Components
      2. Understanding the Repository
      3. Sharing of Report Objects
        1. Benefits of Using the Repository
      4. Understanding the Repository Explorer
        1. Organizing the Repository
        2. Hosting Objects in the Repository
      5. Understanding How the Repository Works
      6. Adding Objects to the Repository
        1. Text Objects and Images
        2. SQL Commands
      7. Editing Repository Objects
        1. Disconnecting a Repository Object
        2. Reconnecting an Updated Object to the Repository
        3. Sharing a Repository with Others
      8. Understanding Deletions in the Repository
      9. Sharing Report Objects with Others
      10. Summary
      11. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    7. 19. Designing Effective Report Templates
      1. Reuse in Reporting
      2. Understanding Report Templates
        1. Using Report Templates
      3. Using Existing Crystal Reports as Templates
        1. Understanding How Templates Work
      4. Creating Useful Report Templates
        1. Using Custom Functions as Replacements for Data-Dependent Business Logic
        2. Using the CurrentFieldValue Function
      5. Using Template Field Objects
      6. Using Report Templates to Reduce Report Creation Effort
        1. Applying Multiple Templates
      7. Summary
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  11. V. Advanced Report Design Concepts
    1. 20. Multidimensional Reporting Against OLAP Data
      1. Introduction to OLAP Concepts and OLAP Reporting
      2. New OLAP Features in Crystal Reports 9
      3. OLAP Report Creation Wizard and OLAP Expert
        1. Specifying an OLAP Data Source
        2. Specifying OLAP Rows and Columns
        3. Specifying OLAP Dimension Filters and Pages
        4. Adding Report Styles in the OLAP Report Wizard
        5. Adding Charts Via the OLAP Report Wizard
        6. Customizing Styles in the OLAP Expert
        7. Customizing Labels in the OLAP Expert
      4. Advanced OLAP Reporting
        1. Interacting with the OLAP Grid
        2. Pivoting OLAP Grids
        3. Using the OLAP Analyzer
        4. Using Charts and Maps Based on OLAP Grids
      5. Introduction to Crystal Analysis
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    2. 21. Additional Data Sources for Crystal Reports
      1. COM-based Data Sources
        1. Legacy Mainframe Data
        2. Complex Queries
        3. Runtime Manipulation of Data
        4. Creating a COM Data Provider
        5. Returning an ADO Recordset
      2. Java-based Data Sources
      3. XML as a Data Source
      4. Solution Kits
      5. Summary
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 22. Optimizing SQL Queries in Crystal Reports
      1. Review of SQL Commands
      2. An Introduction to the SQL Language
        1. The SELECT Statement
        2. Filtering Records
        3. Sorting Records
        4. Joining Multiple Tables
        5. Aliasing
        6. Calculated Fields
        7. Union Queries
        8. Grouping
      3. Summary
      4. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  12. VI. Sharing and Distributing Crystal Reports
    1. 23. Distributing Crystal Reports
      1. Reviewing Report Distribution Options
        1. Unmanaged Report Web Access via Crystal Enterprise Standard
        2. Managed Web Report Access via Crystal Enterprise Standard and Professional
        3. Programmatic Report Distribution Using RDC or RAS
      2. Summary
      3. Q&A
      4. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    2. 24. Crystal Reports in Applications—a Developer's Perspective
      1. Overview of Developer Tools
      2. Desktop Applications
        1. The Visual Basic Report Designer
        2. Report Engine Object Model
        3. Report Viewer
      3. Creating Simple Web Applications
        1. Web Report Viewing in ASP
        2. Web Reporting in Java
        3. Web Reporting in .NET
      4. Building Advanced Web Applications
      5. Summary
      6. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  13. VII. Supplemental Crystal Reports Technologies
    1. A. Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET
      1. Who Should Read This Appendix?
      2. Overview of Microsoft .NET and Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET
      3. Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET Feature Set
      4. Feature Set Comparison—Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET and Crystal Reports 9
        1. Ten Reasons to Upgrade to Crystal Reports 9 Advanced from the Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET version
      5. Creating Reports in Visual Studio .NET
        1. Using Crystal Reports in Web Applications
        2. Using Crystal Reports with Web Services
      6. Additional Resources on Crystal Reports for Visual Studio for .NET
    2. B. Common Crystal Reports FAQs and Tips
      1. Report Design FAQs and Resources
      2. Common Report Distribution Questions
        1. Crystal Enterprise
        2. Custom Web or Windows Application
          1. Distributed Components
          2. Distributed Components with Visual Studio.NET
        3. Compiled Reports
        4. Manual Report Distribution
      3. Resources for Additional Support
        1. Product Registration
        2. Crystal Consulting and Training
          1. Crystal Certified Training Centers—Core Crystal Reports Offerings
          2. eLearning—Computer Based Training
        3. Additional Web Resources
          1. The Developer Zone
        4. Additional Crystal Reports and Utilities

Product information

  • Title: Sams Teach Yourself Crystal Reports® 9 in 24 Hours
  • Author(s): Joe Estes, Neil FitzGerald, Kathryn Hunt, Steve Lucas, Ryan Marples
  • Release date: September 2002
  • Publisher(s): Sams
  • ISBN: None