Crystal Reports Training Overview

This 2-day workshop is designed for experienced Crystal Report users. The intent of the course is to increase the design skills and expand into the expert features and powerful functionality of Crystal Reports. This workshop delves into the most complex techniques used for creating reports and solving reporting problems, as well as hands-on practice time with formula solutions.

Crystal Reports Training Prerequisites

Working knowledge of Windows 9X-2000 environment, and a thorough understanding of relational database (tables, fields and records) and reporting concepts are required. Successful completion of the Quick Start Workshop.

Crystal Reports Training Audience

Administrators, developers and end-users who need to create dynamic reports from varying data sources.

Crystal Reports Training Course duration

2 Days

Crystal Reports Training Course outline

• 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
• Using the Running Totals Feature
• Understanding Running Totals
• Creating Running Totals for a List of Numbers
• Conditional Running Totals
• Prompting with Parameters
• Parameter Fields Overview
• 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
• Displaying Parameter Fields
• 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
• Understanding the Formula Evaluation Time Debugger
• Using Subreporting as a Workaround Solution
• Understanding Subreports
• Unlinked versus Linked Subreports
• Creating an Unlinked Subreport
• Linking a Subreport
• Database Links versus Subreports in One-to-Many Situations
• Formatting the Subreport
• Passing Data from the Main Report into a Subreport
• Creating On-Demand Subreports
• Creating Hyperlinks
• Using Subreports to Link "Unlinkable" Data
• Creating Powerful Groups
• Customizing the Group Name Field
• 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
• 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
• Customizing Cross-Tab Group Names
• CurrentFieldValue
• Report Alerts
• What are Report Alerts
• Creating Report Alerts
• Basing Report Formulas or Conditional Formatting on Report Alerts
• Creative Usage for Report Alerts
• 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
• What is a Custom Function
• Custom Function Arguments
• When to use a Custom Function
• Creating Custom Functions
• Creating a Custom Function using the Custom Function Editor
• Using Crystal Syntax
• Using Basic Syntax
• Custom Functions Properties
• Using the Formula Expert and Custom Functions
• Using the Formula Extractor
• Custom Function Limitations
• Advanced Formula Syntax
• Advanced Formula Syntax
• Review of If...then...else... Expressions
• Select Case Statement
• Immediate If Function
• IIF (expression, truePart, falsePart)
• For Loops
• Exit For
• While Do Loops
• Join Function
• The Split Function
• 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
• SQL Expressions
• Creating a SQL Expression
• Advanced Database Concepts
• Using the Database Expert for Linking
• Order Links Dialog
• Index Legend Dialog
• Link Options Dialog
• Adding and Removing Databases/Tables from the Report
• Adding Tables to a Report Multiple Times
• Changing the Join Type for a Link
• Database Changes
• Database Verification
• Set DataSource Location
• Re-mapping Database Fields
• 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
• Performance Information
• Report Definition
• Saved Data
• Processing
• Latest Report Changes
• Performance Timing
• Server Based Grouping
• Requirements for Server Based Grouping
• Select Distinct Command
• 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 10
• Appendix D: Function and Operator Locations