ISBN: 0789731134
Published: Jul 14, 2004
Copyright 2005
Dimensions 7-3/8" x 9-1/8"
Pages: 888
Edition: 1st
Status: Available

Our Price: $39.99

I. CRYSTAL REPORTS DESIGN.

1. Creating and Designing Basic Reports.
Introducing the Crystal Reports Designer.
Crystal Report Sections.
Using Toolbars and Menus.
Report Design Explorers.
Locating and Using the Report Design Explorers.
Understanding Data and Data Sources.
Understanding Direct Access Drivers.
Understanding Indirect Access Drivers.
Introduction to the Data Explorer.
Creating a New Connection.
Using Current Connections.
Using Favorite Connections.
Leveraging Recently Used Connections with the History Node.
Adding Database Objects to Your Report.
Reporting on Tables.
Reporting on Views.
Reporting on Stored Procedures.
Reporting on SQL Commands.
Joining Database Objects Together.
Understanding the Different Join Types.
Using the Report Creation Wizards.
Understanding the Crystal Reports Gallery.
Using the Standard Report Creation Wizard.
Creating a Report Without Wizards.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–SQL Commands.

2. Selecting and Grouping Data.
Introduction.
Understanding Field Objects.
Accessing Database Fields.
Accessing Formula Fields.
Accessing SQL Expression Fields.
Accessing Parameter Fields.
Implementing Running Total Fields.
Using Group Name Fields.
Special Fields.
Working with Groups.
Inserting Groups.
Reordering Groups.
Using the Group Expert.
Grouping on Date/Time Fields.
Hierarchical Grouping.
Understanding Drill-down Reports.
Creating a Drill-down Report.
Hiding Details on a Drill-down Report.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Group on a Formula.

3. Filtering, Sorting, and Summarizing Data.
Introduction.
Filtering the Data in Your Report.
Working with the Select Expert.
The Record Selection Formula.
Working with the Formula Editor.
Learning to Sort Records.
Working with the Sort Expert.
Creating Effective Summaries.
Creating Grand Totals.
Creating Group Summaries.
Using Group Selection and Sorting.
Creating Running Totals.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Nesting Formulas.

4. Understanding and Implementing Formulas.
Introduction.
Using the Formula Workshop.
Navigating the Formula Workshop with the Workshop Tree.
Using the Workshop Formula Editor.
Arithmetic Formulas.
Date and Time Formulas.
String Formulas.
Using Type Conversion in Formulas.
Control Structures–Conditional and Looping Structures.
Variables.
Creating Formulas with the Formula Expert.
Using the Formula Extractor to Create Custom Functions.
The Multi-Pass Reporting Process of the Crystal Reports Engine.
Crystal Reports Processing Engine–Pre-Pass #1.
Crystal Reports Processing Engine–Pass #1.
Crystal Reports Processing Engine–Pre-Pass #2.
Crystal Reports Processing Engine–Pass #2.
Crystal Reports Processing Engine–Pass #3.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Custom Functions.

5. Implementing Parameters for Dynamic Reporting.
Introduction.
Understanding the Value of Parameters.
Creating and Implementing Parameters Fields.
Reviewing Parameter Field Properties.
Creating Parameter Fields.
Setting Default Values for Parameter Fields.
Implementing Parameter Fields.
Using Parameters with Record Selections.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Custom Filtering.

II. FORMATTING CRYSTAL REPORTS.

6. Fundamentals of Report Formatting.
Introduction.
Positioning and Sizing Report Objects.
Modifying Object Properties for Formatting Purposes.
Exploring the Format Editor Dialog Common Options.
The Common Tab of the Format Editor.
The Border Tab of the Format Editor.
The Font Tab of the Format Editor.
The Hyperlink Tab of the Format Editor.
Other Format Editor Tabs.
Combining and Layering Report Objects.
Configuring Report Page and Margin Properties.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Referencing External Resources.

7. Working with Report Sections.
Introduction.
Formatting Report Sections.
Modifying Report Section Properties.
The Section Expert Settings and Functionality.
Using Multiple Report Sections.
Resizing Report Sections.
Inserting New Report Sections.
Deleting Report Sections.
Merging Report Sections.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Advanced Formatting.

8. Visualizing Your Data with Charts and Maps.
Introduction to Charts and Maps.
Using the Chart Expert.
Using the Chart Expert Type Tab.
Using the Chart Expert Data Tab.
Using the Chart Expert Text Tab.
Using the Chart Expert Axes Tab.
Using the Chart Expert Options Tab.
Using the Map Expert.
Using the Map Expert Data Tab.
Using the Map Expert Type Tab.
Using the Map Expert Text Tab.
Modifying Chart and Map Properties.
Modifying Chart Properties.
Specifying Chart Size and Position.
Modifying Chart Options.
Modifying Map Properties.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Complex Charts.

9. Custom Formatting Techniques.
Introduction.
Making Presentation-Quality Reports.
Common Formatting Features.
Working with ToolTips.
Lines and Boxes.
Creating a Vertical Text Watermark.
Conditional Formatting–Using Data to Drive the Look of a Report.
Applying Formatting from Another Field.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Advanced Charting.

III. ADVANCED CRYSTAL REPORTS DESIGN.

10. Using Cross-Tabs for Summarized Reporting.
Introduction to Cross-Tabs.
Benefits of Cross-Tabs.
Leveraging Experience with the Spreadsheet Format.
Horizontal Expansion.
Custom Formatting.
Using the Cross-Tab Wizard.
Using Top N with Cross-Tabs Reports.
Using Advanced Cross-Tab Features.
Setting Relative Position.
Inserting a "Percentage of" Summary.
Horizontal and Vertical Placement.
Inserting Summary Labels.
Adding a Display String.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Advanced Cross-Tabs.

11. Using Record Selections and Alerts for Interactive Reporting.
Creating Advanced Record Selection Formulas.
Record Selection Review.
Displaying Record Selections.
Dealing with Dates.
Working with Strings.
Pushing Record Selections to the Database.
An Introduction to SQL Expressions.
Adding Alerting to Your Reports.
Creating, Editing, and Using Alerts.
Using Alerts in Crystal Enterprise.
Performance Monitoring and Tuning.
Group By On Server.
SQL Expressions in Record Selections.
Use Indexes on Server for Speed.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Web Report Alert Viewing.

12. Using Subreports for Advanced Reporting.
Understanding Subreports.
Common Subreport Usage.
Adding Subreports to Your Reports.
Understanding Linked Versus Unlinked Subreports.
Considering Subreport Execution Timeand Performance.
Using Variables to Pass Data Between Reports.
Emulating Nested Subreports.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Nesting Subreports.

13. Using Formulas and Custom Functions.
Becoming More Productive with Formulas.
Choosing a Formula Language: Crystal Versus Basic Syntax.
Understanding Syntax Differences.
Why Basic Syntax Was Added.
Selecting the Best Syntax for You.
Using Brackets in Formulas.
Using Characters in Formulas.
Recent Improvements to Formulas.
Manipulating Memo Fields in Formulas.
Working with the Additional Financial Functions
Creating Custom Functions in Your Reports.
Sharing Custom Functions with Others.
Understanding Runtime Errors.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Custom Functions.

14. Designing Effective Report Templates.
Understanding the Importance of Reuse in Reporting.
Understanding Report Templates.
Using Report Templates.
Using Existing Crystal Reports as Templates.
Understanding How Templates Work.
Creating Useful Report Templates.
Using Custom Functions as Replacements for Data-Dependent Business Logic.
Using the CurrentFieldValue Function.
Using Template Field Objects.
Using Report Templates to Reduce Report Creation Effort.
Applying Multiple Templates.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Standardized Templates.

15. Additional Data Sources for Crystal Reports.
Understanding the Additional Crystal Reports Data Sources.
Connecting to COM-based Data Sources.
Leveraging Legacy Mainframe Data.
Handling Complex Queries.
Runtime Manipulation of Data.
Creating a COM Data Provider.
Returning an ADO Recordset.
Connecting to Java-based Data Sources.
Understanding Solution Kits for Crystal Enterprise.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–Leveraging XML as a Data Source.

16. Multidimensional Reporting Against OLAP Data with Crystal Reports.
Introduction to OLAP.
OLAP Concepts and OLAP Reporting.
Recently Added or Changed OLAP Features in Crystal Reports.
Using the OLAP Report Creation Wizard and OLAP Expert.
Specifying an OLAP Data Source.
Specifying OLAP Rows and Columns.
Specifying OLAP Dimension Slices (Filters) and Pages.
Adding Report Styles in the OLAP Report Wizard.
Adding Charts via the OLAP Report Wizard.
Customizing Styles in the OLAP Expert.
Customizing Labels in the OLAP Expert.
Advanced OLAP Reporting.
Interacting with the OLAP Grid.
Pivoting OLAP Grid.
Using the Cube View Functionality.
Using Charts and Maps Based on OLAP Grids.
Introduction to Crystal Analysis.
Crystal Reports in the Real World–OLAP Summary Report with Drill-down.

IV. ENTERPRISE REPORT DESIGN–ANALYTIC, WEB-BASED AND EXCEL REPORT DESIGN.

17. Introduction to Crystal Repository.
What Is the Crystal Repository?
Why Implement the Crystal Repository?
Installing the Crystal Repository.
Adding Objects to and from the Repository.
Adding Text Objects and Images.
SQL Commands.
Custom Functions.
Organizing the Repository.
Migration of the Crystal Enterprise Repository.
Migration from Earlier Versions of Crystal Enterprise and Seagate Info.
Migrations from Crystal Enterprise 9.
Troubleshooting.

18. Crystal Reports Semantic Layer–Business Views.
Introduction to Business Views.
Why Implement Business Views?
Performance and Implementation Considerations.
Joining Large Data Sets.
Business Objects Universe.
Versioning.
Using Other Metadata.
Business Views Architecture and Implementation.
Client Tier.
Business Tier.
Business View Manager.
Data Tier.
Troubleshooting.

19. Creating Crystal Analysis Reports.
Introduction.
Introducing Crystal Analysis.
Accessing OLAP Data with Crystal Analysis.
Creating an OLAP Server Data Source
Adding Local Cube (.cub) Files as Data Sources.
Adding HTTP Cubes Data Sources.
Advanced Data Source Connectivity.
Favorite Cubes.
Designing Crystal Analysis Reports and Applications.
Design Environment Overview.
Adding Crystal Analysis Objects to a Report.
Moving, Resizing, and Formatting Objects.
Worksheet Objects and Worksheet Dimensions.
Using Calculated Members and Data Analysis.
Sorting and Filtering.
Adding Chart Objects to Crystal Analysis Reports.
Troubleshooting.

20. Advanced Crystal Analysis Report Design.
Introduction.
Advanced Crystal Analysis Designer Tools.
Using Dimension Explorer Objects in Crystal Analysis.
Using the Slice Navigator Objects.
Using Analysis Button Objects.
Using Text Box Objects.
Creating Parameters with the Parameter Manager.
Creating Actions with the Actions Manager.
Custom Calculations and Advanced Data Analysis.
The Calculation Experts.
The Data Analysis Experts and Summaries.
Custom Calculations with MDX or Crystal OLAP Syntax.
Setting Report Options.
Troubleshooting.
Crystal Analysis in the Real World--MDX.

21. Ad Hoc Application and Excel Plug-in for Ad Hoc and Analytic Reporting.
Introducing Ad-Hoc Reporting Conceptually.
Introducing the Crystal Enterprise Ad Hoc Reporting Application.
Installing the Ad-Hoc Application.
Configuration of the Ad-Hoc Application.
Report Source Setup.
Report Creation and Modification.
The Data Tab.
The Design Tab.
Ad-Hoc Report Design Summary.
Crystal Reports Excel Plug-in.
Architecture and Deployment Scenarios.
Administration and Setup.
Connecting to a Report.
Modifying the Report View.
Crystal Analysis Excel Plug-in.
Architecture and Deployment Scenarios.
Setting up and Administering the Crystal Analysis Excel Plug-in.
Connecting to a Workbook.
Modifying the Workbook View.

V. WEB REPORT DISTRIBUTION–USING CRYSTAL ENTERPRISE.

22. Introduction to Crystal Enterprise.
What Is Crystal Enterprise?
Why Implement a Crystal Enterprise Solution?
Versions of Crystal Enterprise.
Embedded.
Express.
Professional.
Premium.
Determining Which Version Best Suits Your Requirements.
Understanding the Core Functions of Crystal Enterprise.
Creating Content.
Content Management.
Content Delivery.

23. Using Crystal Enterprise with Web Desktop.
Introduction.
Crystal Enterprise User Launchpad.
Crystal Enterprise Web Desktop.
Scheduling a Crystal Report from Within the Web Desktop.
Customizing the Web Desktop and Report Viewers.
General Preferences.
Crystal Analysis Preferences.
Crystal Report Preferences.
Crystal Report Viewers.
Organizing Objects Within the Web Desktop.
Publishing to the Web Desktop.
Push Method.
Pull Method.
Crystal Publishing Wizard.
Crystal Import Wizard.
Customizing the Web Desktop.
Header.
Display.
Viewers.
Troubleshooting.

24. Crystal Enterprise Architecture.
Introduction.
Crystal Enterprise Architecture Overview.
The Client Tier.
End-User Clients.
Content Creation Applications.
Administrative Client Applications.
The Application Tier.
The Server Tier: Introduction to the Crystal Enterprise Framework.
Administration Plug-ins.
Authentication Plug-ins.
Content Plug-ins.
Distribution Plug-ins.
The Server Tier: Overview of the Crystal Enterprise Services.
Crystal Management Server.
Web Component Server.
Web Component Adapter.
Job Servers (Report and Program).
Report Job Server.
Program Job Server.
Page Server.
Cache Server.
Event Server.
File Repository Servers.
Report Application Server.
The Data Tier.
Crystal Business Views.
Data Source Types.
The Crystal Enterprise Architecture in Action.
Requesting a Crystal Report.
Scheduling a Crystal Report.
Requesting a Crystal Analysis Report.
Taking Advantage of the Crystal Enterprise Distributed Architecture.
Scaling Up.
Scaling Out.
Scaling Across Platform Boundaries.
Extending Crystal Enterprise.

25. Planning Considerations When Deploying Crystal Enterprise.
Ensuring a Successful Crystal Enterprise Implementation.
Approaching the Project.
Identifying Business Pain.
Establishing Project Requirements.
Developing the Application (Customizing Crystal Enterprise).
Completing User Acceptance Testing and Deployment.
Moving to the Support and Maintenance Phase.
Understanding Organizational Reporting Requirements.
Deploying Business Views
Use Cases for Scheduled Reporting.
Determining Scheduling Permissions and Report Runtimes.
On-Demand Reporting.
Comparing Scheduled Versus On-demand Reporting.
Determining Data Access Control Methods.
Planning a Crystal Enterprise Architecture.
Sample Crystal Enterprise Deployment Scenarios.
Troubleshooting.

26. Deploying Crystal Enterprise in a Complex Network Environment.
Introduction.
Understanding Network Protocols.
Major Internet Protocols and Services.
TCP/IP.
Network Ports.
Understanding Firewall Types.
Packet Filtering.
Understanding NAT.
Understanding Proxy Servers.
Configuring the Crystal Enterprise Architecture for Your Network Environment.
Reviewing the Framework.
Crystal Enterprise and TCP/IP Communication.
Understanding Web Connector and Web Component Server Communication.
Interaction Between the WCS and the WC.
Understanding Initial TCP/Port Processing.
Understanding Secondary TCP/Port Processing.
Deploying Crystal Enterprise with an IP Packet Filtering Firewall.
An External Packet Filtering Firewall Scenario.
An Internal Packet Filtering Firewall Scenario.
Using Crystal Enterprise with NAT.
Exploring the NAT and Crystal Enterprise Relationship.
Crystal Enterprise and Proxy Servers.
Socks–The WC and WCS.
Firewall Configuration: Socks–WCS and CMS.
Socks–Multiple Crystal Enterprise Servers.

27. Administering and Configuring Crystal Enterprise.
Introduction.
Using the Crystal Management Console.
Managing Accounts.
Managing Users.
Managing Groups.
Managing Content.
Managing Objects.
Managing Folders.
Introducing Servers.
Configuring Servers.
Managing Server Groups.
Managing Calendars.
Managing Events.
Managing Crystal Enterprise System Settings.
Managing Authentication.
Managing Crystal Applications.
Using the Crystal Configuration Manager.
Configuring the Web Connector.
Configuring CMS Clustering from the Configuration Manager.

VI. CUSTOMIZED REPORT DISTRIBUTION–USING CRYSTAL REPORTS COMPONENTS.

28. Java Reporting Components.
Overview of the Crystal Reports Java Reporting Component.
Components Run on the Web Application Server.
Components Are Generally Less Scalable.
Components Are 100% Pure Java.
Understanding the Java Reporting Components Architecture.
Differences with the Java Reporting Engine.
Supported File Formats.
The Java Reporting Engine Uses JDBC.
Configuring the Application Server.
Delivering Reports in Web Applications.
The setReportSource Method.
The processHttpRequests Method.
Customizing the Toolbar.
Customizing the Group Tree.
Using the Crystal Tag Libraries.
Exporting Reports to Other File Formats.
Exporting via the Toolbar Button.
Exporting via Code.
Printing Reports from the Browser.
Common Programming Tasks.
Passing Parameters.
Setting Data Source Information.
Developing with a Visual Development Environment.
Troubleshooting.

29. Crystal Reports .NET Components.
Understanding Microsoft's .NET Platform.
Understanding the Different Crystal .NET Components.
An Overview of the Crystal Reports 10 .NET Components.
The Report Designer.
Understanding the Report Designer's User Interface Conventions.
The Property Browser.
The Report Engine Object Model.
Opening Reports.
Exporting Reports.
Printing Reports.
Delivering Reports with the Windows Forms Viewer.
The ReportSource Property.
Customizing the Windows Forms Viewer.
Delivering Reports with the Web Forms Viewer.
Customizing the Web Forms Viewer.
Database Credentials.
Setting Parameters.
Understanding the Report Application Server Bridge.
Troubleshooting.

30. COM Reporting Components.
Understanding the Report Designer Component.
Building Reports with the Visual Basic Report Designer.
Understanding the User Interface Conventions.
Modifying the Report Using the Property Browser.
Unbound Fields.
Programming with the Report Engine Object Model.
Exporting Reports to Other File Formats.
Printing Reports to a Printer Device.
Setting Report Parameters.
Setting Data Source Credentials.
Mapping Unbound Fields at Runtime.
Using the Code-Behind Events.
Delivering Reports Using the Report Viewer.
Using the Object Model to Build Batch Reporting Applications.
Working with Reports with Saved Data.
Looping Through Reports.
Troubleshooting.

VII. CUSTOMIZED REPORT DISTRIBUTION–USING CRYSTAL ENTERPRISE EMBEDDED EDITION.

31. Introduction to Crystal Enterprise Embedded Edition.
Introduction to Crystal Enterprise Embedded Edition.
Understanding Crystal Enterprise Embedded Edition.
Using the Crystal Configuration Manager.
Crystal Enterprise Embedded Edition Samples.
Report Preview Sample.
The Simple Discrete Parameter Sample.
The Database Logon Sample.
The Data Source Location Sample.
DHTML Report Design Wizard.
Leveraging the Open Source Nature of the Sample Applications.
Troubleshooting.

32. Crystal Enterprise–Viewing Reports.
Viewing Reports over the Web.
Introduction to the Crystal Report Viewers.
Understanding the Report Source.
Implementing the Page Viewer.
Implementing the Part Viewer.
Implementing the Interactive Viewer
Implementing the Grid Viewer.
Using the Export Control to Deliver Reports in Other Formats.
Troubleshooting.

33. Crystal Enterprise Embedded–Report Modification and Creation.
Introduction.
Deploying RAS Environments.
Using RAS in a Crystal Enterprise Environment.
Using RAS in a Standalone Environment.
Loading Report Files.
Locating RAS Components in a Network Architecture.
Specifying Separate RASs.
Setting a Static Location.
Deploying RAS in a Dynamic Location.
Installing the RAS SDK.
Best Practices in RAS Exception Handling.
Displaying Exceptions.
Logging Exceptions.
The RAS SDK in Action.
Initializing an RAS Session.
Opening a Report.
Adding Fields to the Report.
Determining All Fields Used in the Report.
Removing a Field from the Report.
Creating a New Report.
Retrieving a Report's Tables.
Adding Tables to the Report.
Linking Tables.
Adding Groups.
Adding Sorting to the Report.
Adding Summaries to the Report.
Working with Filters.
Creating a FieldRangeFilterItem.
Creating a OperatorFilterItem.
Adding a Filter to the Report.
Working with Parameters.
Reading Parameters and Their Values.
Changing Parameter Values.
Adding a Parameter.
Tips and Tricks for Parameter Handling.
Charting Overview.
Defining the Fields in a Chart.
Adding ConditionFields.
Adding DataFields.
Creating a ChartObject.
Adding a Chart to the Report.

VIII. CUSTOMIZED REPORT DISTRIBUTION–USING CRYSTAL ENTERPRISE PROFESSIONAL.

34. Introduction to the Crystal Enterprise Professional Object Model.
Understanding the Crystal Enterprise Object Model.
Establishing a Crystal Enterprise Session.
Logging On to Crystal Enterprise with a Username and Password.
Logging On to Crystal Enterprise Using Single Sign On.
Handling the EnterpriseSession State.
Logging On to Crystal Enterprise with a Logon Token.
Querying the Crystal Enterprise Repository.
InfoStore Queries.
Listing Reports and Folders.
Retrieving Report Instances.
Viewing Reports.
The Crystal Enterprise Java SDK.
Accessing the Java SDK.
Accessing the .NET SDK.
Troubleshooting.

35. Creating Enterprise Reporting Applications with Crystal Enterprise Part I.
Advanced Scenarios with the Crystal Enterprise Object Model.
Scheduling Reports.
Working with Schedule Date and Times.
Creating Reoccurring Schedules.
Event-based Scheduling.
Scheduling to a Destination.
Using Crystal Enterprise Notifications.
Scheduling to a Server Group.
Scheduling to a Specific Format.
Setting Database Credentials.
Passing Parameters to the Report.
Selection Formula.
Troubleshooting.

36. Creating Enterprise Reporting Applications with Crystal Enterprise Part II.
Querying the Crystal Enterprise InfoStore.
The Query Builder Sample Application.
Optimizing Your Queries.
Object Identifiers.
Hierarchical Properties.
Report-Specific Properties.
Advanced Searching.
Custom InfoObject Properties.
Creating and Responding to Crystal Enterprise Alerts.
Finding Triggered Alerts.
Displaying Alerts.
Creating Schedulable Program Objects.
Adding Crystal Analysis Reports to Your Application.
Discovering Crystal Analysis Reports.
Viewing Reports.
Passing Parameters to Crystal Analysis Reports.
Troubleshooting.

Appendix A. Using SQL Queries in Crystal Reports.
Review of SQL Commands.
An Introduction to SQL.
The SELECT Statement.
Filtering Records.
Sorting Records.
Joining Multiple Tables.
Aliasing.
Calculated Fields.
Union Queries.
Grouping.