Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies

<p>Introduction 1<br /> <br /> About This Book 1<br /> <br /> Conventions Used in This Book 1<br /> <br /> What You re Not to Read 2<br /> <br /> Foolish Assumptions 2<br /> <br /> How This Book Is Organized 3<br /> <br /> Part I: Reporting Basics 3<br /> <br /> Part II: Moving Up to Professional–Quality Reports 3<br /> <br /> Part III: Advanced Report Types and Features 3<br /> <br /> Part IV: Crystal Reports in the Enterprise 3<br /> <br /> Part V: Publishing Your Reports 4<br /> <br /> Part VI: The Part of Tens 4<br /> <br /> Icons Used in This Book 4<br /> <br /> Where to Go from Here 5<br /> <br /> Part I: Reporting Basics 7<br /> <br /> Chapter 1: Transforming Raw Data into Meaningful Information 9<br /> <br /> Major Features of Crystal Reports 2008 9<br /> <br /> Formatting a report 10<br /> <br /> Generating barcodes 11<br /> <br /> Enhancing a report with formulas and custom functions 11<br /> <br /> Getting visual with charts and maps 11<br /> <br /> Xcelsius integration 12<br /> <br /> Adobe Flash integration 12<br /> <br /> Displaying a report 12<br /> <br /> Distributing a report 12<br /> <br /> Supplying Crystal Reports with data 13<br /> <br /> The Lone Edition of Crystal Reports 2008 13<br /> <br /> Viewing a Report 13<br /> <br /> Reading a printed report 13<br /> <br /> Viewing a report with Crystal Reports 14<br /> <br /> Viewing a report on a LAN or on the Web 16<br /> <br /> Chapter 2: Create a Simple Report Right Now! 17<br /> <br /> First Things First: Finding the Sample Database 18<br /> <br /> Starting Crystal Reports 2008 18<br /> <br /> Creating a Report with the Blank Report Option 20<br /> <br /> Allocating more space to the layout 24<br /> <br /> Introducing your report 25<br /> <br /> Choosing the fields that appear in your report 27<br /> <br /> Improving the readability of page headers 29<br /> <br /> Previewing the report 30<br /> <br /> Page footers carry useful information 32<br /> <br /> Wrapping things up with a report footer 34<br /> <br /> Recording helpful information about your report 34<br /> <br /> Printing a Report 36<br /> <br /> Where to Go from Here 36<br /> <br /> Chapter 3: Report Design Guidelines 37<br /> <br /> Defining an Effective Report Design 37<br /> <br /> Defining Your Audience 37<br /> <br /> Defining the Report s Purpose 38<br /> <br /> Choosing Content for Your Report 39<br /> <br /> Choosing the Report Appearance 39<br /> <br /> Making a good first impression 40<br /> <br /> Deciding how best to present the information 40<br /> <br /> Choosing graphic elements for your report 41<br /> <br /> Style communicates meaning, too 41<br /> <br /> Making sure your report conveys your message 42<br /> <br /> Chapter 4: Starting Your Report 43<br /> <br /> Using the Report Creation Wizard 43<br /> <br /> Creating a report with the Standard Report Creation Wizard 44<br /> <br /> Using other report–creation wizards 49<br /> <br /> Starting with a Blank Report 49<br /> <br /> Connecting Your Report to Its Data Source 50<br /> <br /> Accessing database files directly 51<br /> <br /> Connecting to ODBC data sources 51<br /> <br /> Retrieving data with SQL 52<br /> <br /> Reporting on data in OLE DB data sources 53<br /> <br /> Which interface should you use? 53<br /> <br /> Part II: Moving Up to Professional–Quality Reports 55<br /> <br /> Chapter 5: Pulling Specific Data from a Database 57<br /> <br /> Get Data Quickly with Select Expert 57<br /> <br /> Using Formulas to Retrieve Data 64<br /> <br /> Using Parameter Fields to Retrieve Data at Runtime 66<br /> <br /> Step 1: Creating a report that shows everything 67<br /> <br /> Step 2: Giving the user the power to decide what to show 70<br /> <br /> Speed retrievals with indexes 72<br /> <br /> Changing parameter values to change the report 72<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Tips When Retrieving Data 73<br /> <br /> Chapter 6: Sorting, Grouping, and Totaling Report Data 75<br /> <br /> Sorting Report Data 75<br /> <br /> Sorting based on multiple fields 77<br /> <br /> Sorting and performance 81<br /> <br /> Adding Sort Controls to a Report 82<br /> <br /> Grouping Related Items 85<br /> <br /> Calculating Percentages 89<br /> <br /> Drilling Down for Detail 90<br /> <br /> Keeping Track of Things with Running Totals 94<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Sorting, Grouping, and Totaling Problems 97<br /> <br /> Sorting problems and how to solve them 98<br /> <br /> Unusual grouping options 98<br /> <br /> Getting the right totals 99<br /> <br /> Chapter 7: Mastering Report Sections 101<br /> <br /> Changing the Size of a Section 101<br /> <br /> Formatting with the Section Formatting Menu 103<br /> <br /> Using Section Expert for Easy Section Formatting 104<br /> <br /> Common tab, Section Expert 105<br /> <br /> Paging tab, Section Expert 106<br /> <br /> Color tab, Section Expert 107<br /> <br /> Placing Groups Where You Want Them 110<br /> <br /> Starting each group at the top of its own page 110<br /> <br /> Printing totals at the bottom of a page 112<br /> <br /> Restarting page numbering at the beginning of each group 113<br /> <br /> Hiding Details with Summary and Drill–Down Reports 113<br /> <br /> Generating Barcodes 114<br /> <br /> Creating Mailing Labels 117<br /> <br /> Saving Money on Postage with a ZIP Sort 120<br /> <br /> Chapter 8: Enhancing Your Report s Appearance 123<br /> <br /> Absolute Formatting 124<br /> <br /> Setting the fonts and their formatting for emphasis 124<br /> <br /> Adding graphical elements for emphasis 128<br /> <br /> Conditional Formatting Using the Format Editor 130<br /> <br /> Creating Emphasis with Highlighting Expert 132<br /> <br /> Adding Pictures to Your Report 134<br /> <br /> Aligning Preprinted Forms 136<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Adding Text from a File 136<br /> <br /> Formatting Options 137<br /> <br /> Special Fields Contain Report Metadata 139<br /> <br /> Raising a Red Flag with Report Alerts 139<br /> <br /> Using Report Templates to Save Time and Effort 142<br /> <br /> Applying a template to a report 143<br /> <br /> Applying a template to an existing report 143<br /> <br /> Applying a template to a report you re creating 145<br /> <br /> Part III: Advanced Report Types and Features 147<br /> <br /> Chapter 9: Displaying Your Top Ten (Or Top N) with Group Sort 149<br /> <br /> Sorting Groups Based on Performance 149<br /> <br /> Starting a Top N Report 150<br /> <br /> Displaying a group total 154<br /> <br /> Hiding the details 155<br /> <br /> Removing page breaks 157<br /> <br /> Going with the Percentages 160<br /> <br /> What if you want the top 17 instead of the top 5? 161<br /> <br /> A Choice of Group Sorts 164<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Group Sort Problems 165<br /> <br /> Chapter 10: Adding Formulas to Reports 167<br /> <br /> Formula Overview and Syntax 167<br /> <br /> Lessening the Workload with Functions 168<br /> <br /> Creating a Custom Function in Formula Workshop 169<br /> <br /> Formula Editor 173<br /> <br /> Formula Expert 175<br /> <br /> SQL Expression Editor 177<br /> <br /> Selection formulas 177<br /> <br /> Formatting formulas 181<br /> <br /> Changing and Deleting Formulas 182<br /> <br /> Data Types 182<br /> <br /> Simple data types 182<br /> <br /> Range data types 184<br /> <br /> Array data types 184<br /> <br /> Variables in Formulas 185<br /> <br /> Declaring a variable 185<br /> <br /> Assigning a value to a variable 186<br /> <br /> Control Structures 186<br /> <br /> If–Then–Else 186<br /> <br /> Select Case 187<br /> <br /> For loop 187<br /> <br /> While Do loop 188<br /> <br /> Do While loop 189<br /> <br /> Chapter 11: Creating Reports within a Report 191<br /> <br /> Combining Unrelated Reports 191<br /> <br /> Underlay formatting for side–by–side location of subreport 195<br /> <br /> Drilling down in a subreport 196<br /> <br /> Linking a Subreport to a Primary Report 197<br /> <br /> On–Demand Subreports Boost Efficiency 203<br /> <br /> Passing Data between Reports 204<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Subreport Problems 205<br /> <br /> Chapter 12: Combining Report Elements with OLE 207<br /> <br /> Overview of OLE 207<br /> <br /> Static OLE Objects 208<br /> <br /> Inserting a static OLE object into a report 208<br /> <br /> Making a static OLE object editable 210<br /> <br /> Embedded OLE Objects 212<br /> <br /> Embedding an OLE object into a report 212<br /> <br /> Linked OLE Objects 214<br /> <br /> Embedding or Linking an Object Taken from a File 217<br /> <br /> Integrating Shockwave Flash Objects into Your Reports 217<br /> <br /> Chapter 13: Creating and Updating OLAP Reports 219<br /> <br /> What s OLAP, and Why Might You Need It? 219<br /> <br /> Who uses OLAP? 220<br /> <br /> Creating multidimensional views 220<br /> <br /> Connecting to an OLAP data source 221<br /> <br /> OLAP Reporting with Crystal Reports 221<br /> <br /> Operating on OLAP grid objects 222<br /> <br /> Creating a three–dimensional report 222<br /> <br /> Updating an OLAP Report 232<br /> <br /> Formatting Data in an OLAP Report 233<br /> <br /> Changing a dimension s background color 234<br /> <br /> Creating an alias for a dimension 235<br /> <br /> Formatting grid lines 236<br /> <br /> Labeling dimensions 237<br /> <br /> Changing Data Appearance in an OLAP Report 238<br /> <br /> Showing and hiding dimensions 239<br /> <br /> Adding totals to an OLAP grid 240<br /> <br /> Pivoting an OLAP grid 240<br /> <br /> Reordering fields 241<br /> <br /> Sorting data 242<br /> <br /> Filtering data 243<br /> <br /> Making calculations 243<br /> <br /> Chapter 14: Using Cross–Tab Reports to Mine Your Data 245<br /> <br /> Creating a Cross–Tab Object to Summarize All Report Data 245<br /> <br /> Summarizing the Contents of a Group with a Cross–Tab 249<br /> <br /> Making Calculations within a Cross–Tab Row or Column 255<br /> <br /> Enhancing the Appearance and Readability of a Cross–Tab Object 256<br /> <br /> Changing the width and height of cross–tab cells 256<br /> <br /> Formatting entire rows and columns 257<br /> <br /> Formatting individual fields 257<br /> <br /> Suppressing selected cross–tab data 258<br /> <br /> Printing cross–tabs that span multiple pages 258<br /> <br /> Chapter 15: Enhancing Reports with Charts 259<br /> <br /> Using Chart Expert 259<br /> <br /> Type tab 260<br /> <br /> Data tab 260<br /> <br /> Axes tab 261<br /> <br /> Options tab 262<br /> <br /> Color Highlight tab 263<br /> <br /> Text tab 263<br /> <br /> Creating a Chart 263<br /> <br /> Drilling down from a chart 266<br /> <br /> Changing a chart 267<br /> <br /> Choosing the Best Chart Type for Your Data 267<br /> <br /> Side–by–side bar chart 267<br /> <br /> Percent bar chart 268<br /> <br /> Line chart 268<br /> <br /> Area chart 269<br /> <br /> Pie chart 270<br /> <br /> Doughnut chart 270<br /> <br /> 3–D riser chart 271<br /> <br /> 3–D surface chart 272<br /> <br /> XY scatter chart 272<br /> <br /> Radar chart 273<br /> <br /> Bubble chart 273<br /> <br /> Stock chart 274<br /> <br /> Numeric axis chart 275<br /> <br /> Gauge chart 276<br /> <br /> Gantt chart 276<br /> <br /> Funnel chart 277<br /> <br /> Histogram 278<br /> <br /> Different Chart Layouts for Different Data Types 278<br /> <br /> Seeing How Chart Placement Affects the Data It Represents 280<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Chart Problems 281<br /> <br /> Selecting data to make a chart readable and meaningful 281<br /> <br /> The placement of chart elements matters 282<br /> <br /> Chapter 16: Adding Geographic Detail with Maps 283<br /> <br /> Choosing the Right Crystal Reports Map 283<br /> <br /> Map layouts 284<br /> <br /> Map types 284<br /> <br /> Map placement 286<br /> <br /> Creating a Map Step by Step 286<br /> <br /> Creating an advanced layout map 286<br /> <br /> Creating a Group layout map 288<br /> <br /> Creating a Cross–Tab layout map 289<br /> <br /> Creating an OLAP layout map 290<br /> <br /> Including maps in subreports 291<br /> <br /> Changing maps 291<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Map Problems 291<br /> <br /> Chapter 17: Interactivity Features 293<br /> <br /> Crystal Xcelsius Overview 293<br /> <br /> Adding Xcelsius Capability to a Report 294<br /> <br /> Creating an SWF file with Crystal Xcelsius 295<br /> <br /> Embedding your Crystal Xcelsius model in a Crystal report 298<br /> <br /> Enhancing a Report with the Tasteful Use of Flash 300<br /> <br /> Viewing Flash visualizations 300<br /> <br /> Dynamic interaction with a report using a Parameter panel 300<br /> <br /> Part IV: Crystal Reports in the Enterprise 303<br /> <br /> Chapter 18: Crystal Reports Server 305<br /> <br /> Connecting to Data Sources 306<br /> <br /> Connecting directly or indirectly 306<br /> <br /> Using Business Views to simplify connectivity 306<br /> <br /> Formatting Reports with Crystal Reports Developer 307<br /> <br /> Providing Platform Services 307<br /> <br /> Publishing and distributing reports 307<br /> <br /> Providing security 308<br /> <br /> Managing the system 308<br /> <br /> Useful Management Tools 309<br /> <br /> Application Services 309<br /> <br /> Web Services 309<br /> <br /> Viewing and Interacting with Reports 310<br /> <br /> Chapter 19: BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository 311<br /> <br /> Adding Folders to Your Repository 312<br /> <br /> Storing Your Valuables in BusinessObjects Enterprise Repository 312<br /> <br /> Adding text and bitmapped objects to the Repository 313<br /> <br /> Adding custom functions to the Repository 313<br /> <br /> Adding SQL commands to the Repository 314<br /> &nbsp;<br /> Using Repository Objects in a Report 314<br /> <br /> Adding text objects and images 314<br /> <br /> Adding custom functions 315<br /> <br /> Adding SQL commands 315<br /> <br /> Modifying a Repository Object 315<br /> <br /> Deciding Whether to Update Reports Automatically 317<br /> <br /> Deleting Objects from the Repository 318<br /> <br /> Chapter 20: Navigating with Report Parts 319<br /> <br /> Understanding Report Parts Navigation 319<br /> <br /> Using Report Parts to Navigate a Report 320<br /> <br /> Using the Report Parts Drill–down method 321<br /> <br /> Using the Another Report Object method 325<br /> <br /> Part V: Publishing Your Reports 327<br /> <br /> Chapter 21: Sending Your Reports Out into the World 329<br /> <br /> Printing Your Report 329<br /> <br /> Faxing a Report 330<br /> <br /> Exporting a Report 331<br /> <br /> Export format types 331<br /> <br /> Export destinations 334<br /> <br /> Troubleshooting Output Problems 342<br /> <br /> Chapter 22: Displaying Reports Online 343<br /> <br /> Exporting to a Static HTML Page 344<br /> <br /> Adding a Hyperlink to a Report 346<br /> <br /> Distributing Reports via crystalreportscom 349<br /> <br /> Integrating with salesforcecom 350<br /> <br /> Publishing to crystalreportscom with Crystal Reports Desktop Publisher 351<br /> <br /> Interactive Report Viewing with Crystal Reports Viewer 354<br /> <br /> Opening a report in Crystal Reports Viewer 355<br /> <br /> Navigating a report 355<br /> <br /> Printing a report 359<br /> <br /> E–mailing reports to your friends and co–workers 360<br /> <br /> Sharing reports in a variety of formats 360<br /> <br /> Searching a haystack for that elusive needle 361<br /> <br /> Accessing reports on crystalreportscom 361<br /> <br /> Chapter 23: SQL Expression Fields 363<br /> <br /> Creating an SQL Statement 363<br /> <br /> Modifying an SQL Statement 366<br /> <br /> Part VI: The Part of Tens 369<br /> <br /> Chapter 24: Ten Things to Do Before You Create a Report 371<br /> <br /> Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Give Your Reports More Pizzazz 375<br /> <br /> Index 379</p>