Understanding Data and Data Sources
The first step in creating a report is always to identify a data source. Today, Crystal Reports supports more than one hundred different types of data sources. These data sources range from traditional databases such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, and Microsoft Access to other more abstract forms of structured data such as log files, e-mail, XML, COM/.NET/EJB objects, and multidimensional (OLAP) data. Many of the advanced data sources and their specific nuances are covered in great detail in Chapters 15–18.
To determine which database driver to use to connect to a certain data source, it's best to understand the different types of database drivers. The following sections discuss direct and indirect ...
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