Crystal Reports can be designed using database connections such as a command object, table(s), and /or stored procedure(s). This article will highlight the database connections available to you for use in Crystal Reports. Connection types are: * Native * OLEDB * ODBC The following is an overview of these connection types. Native Connection: * Native […]
CR.NET: Modifying Formulas during Runtime
Crystal Reports formulas let you create new calculations using existing report data as well as customizing the report’s formatting. The Crystal Reports object model makes it easy for you to modify formulas and within your application. By calling a simple method, you can use data from your application to override the report’s existing formula’s values. […]
Crystal Reports and WebI
Prior to SAP acquiring Business Objects, SAP customers had limited reporting functionality available to them. There were the options of using BEx Analyzer and Web Reporting, or Web Application Designer (WAD). Although these tools provided the reporting functionality you needed to perform basic reporting, the tools were lacking in user friendliness and did not have […]
Comparing Crystal Syntax and Basic Syntax
Crystal Reports uses the Formula Workshop to perform dynamic formatting of the objects and sections in a report. The Formula Workshop uses one of two programming languages to do this: Crystal syntax and Basic syntax. While these languages are functionally equivalent, their syntax is very different. Crystal syntax is the original syntax of Crystal Reports. […]
Xcelsius and BOBJ Dashboards
Business Object has two tools for building dashboards: Xcelsius and Dashboard Builder. Having more choice can be a good thing, but it can also make it difficult to figure out which product is best for you and your company. In this discussion we’ll look at each product and who it is best for as well […]
5 Reporting Design Tips
Every report designer always has some tricks up their sleeves to make their lives easier. These tricks might be acquired over time and sometimes you just come across a new (and better) way of doing something by chance. Here are five tips I’ve collected over the years that come in handy for me, and hopefully […]
Getting Started
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Using SQL Expressions to Optimize Data Access
Writing reports requires achieving a balance of functionality and performance. Many reports need to use custom formulas and functions to produce the proper output. But this can result in slower performance because it requires the report engine to do more work on the client computer. SQL expression fields are report formulas that only use SQL […]
Making Sense of Crystal Reports Products
On the forums, I’ve come across various posts from people asking how the different Crystal Reports products relate to each other and which products are best for different situations. I can totally understand the confusion because Crystal Reports comes in many flavors and their names may not be completely self-explanatory. In this note I’ll look […]
Subreports: Troubleshooting Shared Variables
Shared variables are a great way to pass data between the subreport and the main report. But you have to be careful because using them requires following certain rules. Let’s review what these rules are. The first two rules actually work together. The first rule is that variables are calculated in the order that they […]
