Sams Teach Yourself Crystal Reports 9 in 24 Hours

Joe Estes has been in the information technology industry for more than eight years. He currently manages the Midwest Pre-Sales Team at Crystal Decisions, working with some of the company's largest customers. Prior to working for Crystal Decisions, Joe has been focused on the data reporting, information delivery, and analytical aspects of Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence initiatives exclusively during the past six years. Throughout his career, Joe has held positions varying from system analyst and consultant at large consultancies, to system engineer and project manager at various Business Intelligence software companies. Joe is an avid enthusiast of running, snowboarding, in-line skating, and squash. Contributing Author BiosNeil FitzGerald has 7+ years experience working with information delivery, business intelligence, and enterprise reporting tools. He has combined this experience with his Bachelor of Computer Science degree from Queens University in Kingston, Canada, and his MBA from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada, to help provide information solutions to an array of Fortune 500 companies throughout NYC and the Northeastern United States. Neil is currently managing a top-shelf group of technical consultants in the NY/NE region for Crystal Decisions. He can be contacted at nf_cr24@hotmail.com. Born, raised, and educated in Vancouver BC, Kathryn (also known as KAT) Hunt has been working at Crystal Decisions since 1994. During that time, she has held many roles that have brought her both customer-focused and report design experience. She is now considered one of the elite "report design gurus" at Crystal Decisions. She's frequently referred to as the "Reporting Goddess." In her current role as program manager, charged with the Crystal Reports Designer and its features, she has experienced many aspects of how Crystal technologies are designed, marketed, implemented, and supported. Steve Lucas has been in the information technology industry for more than 10 years. He currently manages the Strategic Pre-Sales Team for North America at Crystal Decisions, working with some of the company's largest customers worldwide. Steve regularly speaks on current and future Crystal technology at significant events and trade shows for Crystal. Prior to Crystal, Steve focused on Microsoft technology and consulting for the better part of his career. He is currently based in Denver. Ryan Marples is a program manager at Crystal Decisions responsible for delivering new and powerful developer tools as part of the Crystal Reports product. In addition to this book, Ryan has been involved in the authoring and editing of various other books and magazine articles. In addition to writing, Ryan has been a speaker at software conferences around the world.

(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Summary and Workshop.)

Introduction.
I. INTRODUCTION TO CRYSTAL REPORTS 9.0.

Hour 1. The Value of Crystal Reports 9.


Transforming Data into Information with Crystal Reports. Key Benefits of Crystal Reports. Crystal Reports as a Content Creation Application. New Features in Crystal Reports 9.

Hour 2. Getting Started with Crystal Reports 9.


Preparing for the Installation. Installation and Configuration of Crystal Reports. Introduction to the Crystal Reports Designer.

Hour 3. Accessing Your Data.


Understanding the Different Types of Data Sources. Introduction to the Data Explorer. Adding Database Objects to Your Report. Joining Database Objects Together. Using the Database Expert.

Hour 4. Using the Default Report Wizards.


Understanding the Crystal Reports Gallery. Using the Standard Report Creation Wizard. Working with the Report Design Explorers.

II. FUNDAMENTALS OF THE CRYSTAL REPORTS DESIGN ENVIRONMENT.

Hour 5. Creating and Designing Basic Reports.


Planning a Report. Creating a Report Storyboard. Designing a Crystal Report. Creating a Report.

Hour 6. Selecting and Grouping Data.


Understanding Field Objects. Working with Groups. Understanding Drill-down Reports.

Hour 7. Filtering, Sorting, and Summarizing Data.


Filtering the Data in Your Report. Learning to Sort Records. Creating Effective Summaries..

III. FORMATTING REPORTS.

Hour 8. Fundamentals of Report Formatting.


Positioning and Sizing Report Objects. Modifying Object Properties for Formatting Purposes. Combining and Layering Report Objects. Configuring Report Page and Margin Properties.

Hour 9. Working with Report Sections.


Formatting Report Sections. Modifying Report Section Properties. Using Multiple Report Sections.

Hour 10. Understanding and Implementing Formulas.


Using the Formula Workshop. Workshop Formula Editor. Formula Expert. Formula Extractor.

Hour 11. Visualizing Your Data with Charts and Maps.


Using the Chart Expert. Using the Map Expert. Modifying Chart and Map Properties.

Hour 12. Implementing Parameters for Dynamic Reporting.


Understanding the Value of Parameters. Creating and Implementing Parameters Fields. Using Parameters with Record Selections.

IV. ENHANCING CRYSTAL REPORTS.

Hour 13. Custom Formatting Techniques.


Making Presentation-Quality Reports. Common Formatting Features. Conditional Formatting—Using Data to Drive the Look of a Report

Hour 14. Using Cross-Tabs for Summarized Reporting.


What Is a Cross-Tab? Benefits of Using Cross-Tabs. Using the Cross-Tab Wizard. Using Top N with Cross-Tabs Reports. Using Advanced Cross-Tab Features.

Hour 15. Using Record Selections and Alerts for Interactive Reporting.


Creating Advanced Record Selection Formulas. Adding Alerting to Your Reports.

Hour 16. Using Subreports.


Understanding Subreports. Understanding Linked Versus Unlinked Subreports. Considering Subreport Execution Time and Performance. Using Variables to Pass Data Between Reports. Emulating Nested Subreports.

Hour 17. Using Formulas and Custom Functions to Implement Complex Business Logic.


Becoming More Productive with Formulas. Choosing a Formula Language: Crystal Versus Basic Syntax. Brackets Have Meaning. Characters Also Have Meaning! New in Crystal Reports Version 9.

Hour 18. Working with the Report Component Repository.


Sharing Report Design Components. Understanding the Repository. Sharing of Report Objects. Understanding the Repository Explorer. Understanding How the Repository Works. Adding Objects to the Repository. Editing Repository Objects. Understanding Deletions in the Repository. Sharing Report Objects with Others.

Hour 19. Designing Effective Report Templates.


Reuse in Reporting. Understanding Report Templates. Using Existing Crystal Reports as Templates. Creating Useful Report Templates. Using Template Field Objects. Using Report Templates to Reduce Report Creation Effort.

V. ADVANCED REPORT DESIGN CONCEPTS.

Hour 20. Multidimensional Reporting Against OLAP Data.


Introduction to OLAP Concepts and OLAP Reporting. New OLAP Features in Crystal Reports 9. OLAP Report Creation Wizard and OLAP Expert. Advanced OLAP Reporting. Introduction to Crystal Analysis.

Hour 21. Additional Data Sources for Crystal Reports.


COM-based Data Sources. Java-based Data Sources. XML as a Data Source. Solution Kits.

Hour 22. Optimizing SQL Queries in Crystal Reports.


Review of SQL Commands. An Introduction to the SQL Language.

VI. SHARING AND DISTRIBUTING CRYSTAL REPORTS.

Hour 23. Distributing Crystal Reports.


Reviewing Report Distribution Options.

Hour 24. Crystal Reports in Applications—a Developer's Perspective.


Overview of Developer Tools. Desktop Applications. Creating Simple Web Applications. Building Advanced Web Applications.

VII. SUPPLEMENTAL CRYSTAL REPORTS TECHNOLOGIES.

Appendix A. Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET.


Who Should Read This Appendix? Overview of Microsoft .NET and Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET. Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET Feature Set. Feature Set Comparison—Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET and Crystal Reports 9. Creating Reports in Visual Studio .NET. Additional Resources on Crystal Reports for Visual Studio for .NET.

Appendix B. Common Crystal Reports FAQs and Tips.


Report Design FAQs and Resources. Common Report Distribution Questions. Resources for Additional Support.

Index.