A report is only useful if those who receive it understand what it
means. Knowing how to use Crystal Reports gives you the edge in
producing reports from your database that really are crystal clear.

Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies is a quick and easy
guide to get you going with the latest version of this bestselling
report-writing software. In fact, it's so popular that
previous editions have made it a bestseller too. Crystal Reports
2008 For Dummies gives you just what you should know to produce
the reports you'll need most often, including how to:

* Pull specific information from your database, sort and group
it, and find the details you need

* Use dynamic or cascading prompts

* Troubleshoot and print reports and save time with
templates

* View reports on your LAN

* Write formulas to retrieve specific information

* Create and update OLAP reports

* Format reports, control page breaks, and even add graphics or
Flash files

* Enhance your reports with charts and maps

* Use Crystal Reports in the enterprise

There's also a companion Web site with sample reports from
the book and links to sites with more related information. With
Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies by your side, you'll
soon be able to create reports from simple to spectacular, whenever
the need arises.

Just what you need to know to produce the most useful reports

Crystal Reports is the most popular report-writing package, and this handy guide makes it easy for you to start using it quickly and effectively. Find out what a report should look like, how to focus it for readability, ways to illustrate data with charts and maps, and how to publish your reports for others.

Discover how to:

• Choose data and format your reports

• View reports on your LAN

• Write formulas to retrieve specific information

• Enhance your report with a chart

• Create and update OLAP reports

Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies is a quick and easy guide to get you going with the latest version of this bestselling report-writing software. In fact, it's so popular that previous editions have made it a bestseller too. Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies gives you just what you should know to produce the reports you'll need most often, including how to:

• Pull specific information from your database, sort and group it, and find the details you need
• Use dynamic or cascading prompts
• Troubleshoot and print reports and save time with templates
• View reports on your LAN
• Write formulas to retrieve specific information
• Create and update OLAP reports
• Format reports, control page breaks, and even add graphics or Flash files
• Enhance your reports with charts and maps
• Use Crystal Reports in the enterprise

There's also a companion Web site with sample reports from the book and links to sites with more related information. With Crystal Reports 2008 For Dummies by your side, you'll soon be able to create reports from simple to spectacular, whenever the need arises.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 1

What You're Not to Read 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book Is Organized 3

Part I: Reporting Basics 3

Part II: Moving Up to Professional-Quality Reports 3

Part III: Advanced Report Types and Features 3

Part IV: Crystal Reports in the Enterprise 3

Part V: Publishing Your Reports 4

Part VI: The Part of Tens 4

Icons Used in This Book 4

Where to Go from Here 5

Part I: Reporting Basics 7

Chapter 1: Transforming Raw Data into Meaningful Information 9

Major Features of Crystal Reports 2008 9

Formatting a report 10

Generating barcodes 11

Enhancing a report with formulas and custom functions 11

Getting visual with charts and maps 11

Xcelsius integration 12

Adobe Flash integration 12

Displaying a report 12

Distributing a report 12

Supplying Crystal Reports with data 13

The Lone Edition of Crystal Reports 2008 13

Viewing a Report 13

Reading a printed report 13

Viewing a report with Crystal Reports 14

Viewing a report on a LAN or on the Web 16

Chapter 2: Create a Simple Report Right Now! 17

First Things First: Finding the Sample Database 18

Starting Crystal Reports 2008 18

Creating a Report with the Blank Report Option 20

Allocating more space to the layout 24

Introducing your report 25

Choosing the fields that appear in your report 27

Improving the readability of page headers 29

Previewing the report 30

Page footers carry useful information 32

Wrapping things up with a report footer 34

Recording helpful information about your report 34

Printing a Report 36

Where to Go from Here 36

Chapter 3: Report Design Guidelines 37

Defining an Effective Report Design 37

Defining Your Audience 37

Defining the Report's Purpose 38

Choosing Content for Your Report 39

Choosing the Report Appearance 39

Making a good first impression 40

Deciding how best to present the information 40

Choosing graphic elements for your report 41

Style communicates meaning, too 41

Making sure your report conveys your message 42

Chapter 4: Starting Your Report 43

Using the Report Creation Wizard 43

Creating a report with the Standard Report Creation Wizard 44

Using other report-creation wizards 49

Starting with a Blank Report 49

Connecting Your Report to Its Data Source 50

Accessing database files directly 51

Connecting to ODBC data sources 51

Retrieving data with SQL 52

Reporting on data in OLE DB data sources 53

Which interface should you use? 53

Part II: Moving Up to Professional-Quality Reports 55

Chapter 5: Pulling Specific Data from a Database 57

Get Data Quickly with Select Expert 57

Using Formulas to Retrieve Data 64

Using Parameter Fields to Retrieve Data at Runtime 66

Step 1: Creating a report that shows everything 67

Step 2: Giving the user the power to decide what to show 70

Speed retrievals with indexes 72

Changing parameter values to change the report 72

Troubleshooting Tips When Retrieving Data 73

Chapter 6: Sorting, Grouping, and Totaling Report Data 75

Sorting Report Data 75

Sorting based on multiple fields 77

Sorting and performance 81

Adding Sort Controls to a Report 82

Grouping Related Items 85

Calculating Percentages 89

Drilling Down for Detail 90

Keeping Track of Things with Running Totals 94

Troubleshootin...