Refresher Exercise
Review of Planning a Report
Creating the Report
Placing Fields on the Report
Creating the Formulas
Advanced Grouping
Selecting Certain Records
Helpful Hints for Formatting the Report
Adding and Working with Text Objects
Hiding and Suppressing Sections
Guidelines
Power Formatting with Multiple Sections
Using Multiple Sections in Reports
Using the Section Expert to Work with Sections
Conditionally Formatting
Multiple Sections
Advanced Drill
Down Group Level
Challenge Exercise - Formatting with Multiple Sections
Challenge Exercise - Conditionally Formatting Multiple Sections
Using the Running Totals Feature
Understanding Running Totals
Creating Running Totals for a List of Numbers
Conditional Running Totals
Challenge Exercise - Creating Running Totals
Challenge Exercise - Creating a Conditional Running Total
Prompting with Parameters
Parameter Field Considerations
Creating a Parameter Field
Using a Parameter to Select Records
Using a Parameter Field
Creating a Pick List for Parameter Values
Importing a Pick List
Adding Parameter Values to Text Objects
Allowing Multiple Values in Parameters
Using Multiple Parameter Fields in Reports
Specifying and Limiting a Range for a Parameter
Limiting the Range for a Parameter
Using Parameters in Conditional Formatting
Using an Edit Mask to Limit String Parameters
Sorting with a Parameter
Challenge Exercise - Using Parameters
Using Advanced Formula Features
Understanding How Crystal Reports Processes the Data
What Is a Pass?
Using Evaluation Time Functions
Working with Variables
Declaring a Variable
Assigning a Value to a Variable
Using a Variable in a Formula
Variable Scope
Separating Statements in Complex Formulas
Working with Arrays
Challenge Exercise - Understand and Set Up the YTD Comparison Report
Challenge Exercise - Declare Variables and Conditionally Assign Values to Them
Using Sub reporting as a Workaround Solution
Understanding Sub reports
Unlinked versus Linked Subreports
Creating an Unlinked Sub report
Linking a Subreport
Database Links versus Subreports in One-to-Many Situations
Creating On-Demand Subreports
Creating Hyperlinks
Using Subreports to Link "Unlinkable" Data
Challenge Exercise - Creating Reports with Linked Subreports
Creating Powerful Groups
Using the Group Expert
Using a Field Name to Customize the Group Name
Using a Formula to Customize the Group Name Field
Creating Custom Groups
Grouping on a Formula Field
Using Group Selection to Filter the Records in the Report
Grouping Hierarchically
Create Customized Grouping
Brain Teaser - Using Group Selection
Challenge Exercise - Creating a Group Using a Formula
Working with Cross-Tab Reports
Understanding How Cross-Tabs Affect Your Data
Creating a Cross-Tab Report
Creating a Cross-Tab with Multiple Rows or Columns
Applying a Formatting Style to the Cross-Tab
Customizing the Cross-Tab Format
Changing Background Colors
Formatting Individual Cells
Changing the Summary Operation
Suppressing Rows, Columns or Totals
Repeating Row Heading for Multi-Page Cross-Tabs
Using Alias Names for Column and Row Headings
Charting Cross-Tabs
Challenge Exercise - Cross-Tab Reports
Report Alerts
What are Report Alerts
Creating Report Alerts
Challenge Exercise - Using Report Alerts with Parameter
Report Templates
What is a Report template
Standard Report Creation Wizard and Templates
The Template Expert
Applying a Template and the consequences
Template Considerations
Creating Your Own Templates
Inserting Template Fields
Formatting Template Fields
Giving Template Fields a Value
Custom Functions
Understanding Custom Functions
Using a Custom Function
Custom Function Arguments
Basic modification of a Custom Function
Sharing a Custom Function
Advanced Formula Syntax
Select Case Statement
For Loop
While Do loop
Join and Split
Challenge Exercise - Using the above syntax in a report
Crystal Reports, Data Access and SQL
What is SQL Direct Database Driver
ODBC
OLE DB
Viewing the SQL
SQL Commands
Creating a SQL Command
Adding a Parameter to the Command
Creating a Report from a SQL Command
SQL Expressions
Creating a SQL Expression
Advanced Database Concepts
Using the Database Expert
Adding and Removing Databases from the Report
Remapping
Database Fields
Set Database Location
Using the Map Fields Dialog Box to Remap Fields
Adding Tables to a Report Multiple Times
Changing the Join Type for a Link
APPENDIX A - Running Reports Efficiently
Understanding What Crystal Can Pass to the Database and How That Affects Report Performance
Strategies for Efficient Report Performance
Interpreting the SQL Query
Using an SQL Statement to Make a Report More Efficient
Using the Switch Function to Pass a Conditional Statement to the Database
Challenge Exercise - Using a Switch Function to Push Conditional Selection to the Database
APPENDIX B - Using the Excel and Access Add-Ins
Understanding the Crystal Reports Add-Ins
Installing the Microsoft Excel Add-In
Installing the Microsoft Access Add-In
Creating a Report in Excel
Creating a Report in Access
APPENDIX C - The Xtreme Sample Database
A relational diagram of tables existing the Xtreme Sample
Database provided on the Crystal Reports Installation CD
APPENDIX D - Function and Operator Locations
A complete listing of all the available Formula Functions and an explanation of the new Custom Functions
APPENDIX E - Glossary
A complete glossary of terms used throughout the book