Can you filter data once the report is loaded? 3

[jupiter8]

Can you filter data once a crystal report is loaded. A client has just sent over an Excel Spreadsheet as an example of the report they want and its got filters on several columns.

Can this be done using crystal or is this something I'm going to need to do by passing in the parameters prior to running the report.

 

[CrystalBart]

You can use a selection criteria (selection expert) to filter the data.

CB

 

[lbass]

If you mean can you add filters to the data after the report is run without refreshing the report, then yes, you can use the Group Selection formula to add filters. This won't force a refresh as long as the fields being filtered were already pulled for the report. Go to report->edit selection formula->GROUP and enter the new criteria there.

-LB

 

[jupiter8]

Thanks for your help, I shall need to look at this further to ascertain whether this will do everything a want, but its looks more hopeful.

Just to give you some idea of what I'm attempting here the data returned by the initial query will contain everything. The client then wishes for the end user to be able to filter the returned data by one or more fields effectively like re-querying the database, by simply clicking on something. The end use won't be technical enough to do anything more.

So there could be a column for country for example and the user would want to be able to just show data that's in the UK.

If it can't be done in the report I can always resort to adding the search critera into the web page just before it calls the report, but this wouldn't be a neat.

 

[vidru]

Depending on how the reports are deployed (third party viewer, asp, etc.), there might be a Select Expert button available on the Report Viewer's toolbar to allow the user to custom filter the report after it's been generated. Any field(s) on the report can be used as criteria.

-dave

 

[jupiter8]

The reports will be deployed using either the active X control or the DHTML version. I don't believe that feature is included on either of these is it?

A lot of clients use the DHTML as they can't download the active X through their firewall and the clients are from lots of different companies all over the world, so this arrange is the most satisfactory in my case.

 

[lbass]

I don't think my earlier suggestion of using the group selection formula makes sense for an unsophisticated user. I'm not familiar with the functionality available once reports are deployed (Dave could answer this), so the following might not work for you, but it would work if users were accessing a Crystal Report directly:

You could try a drilldown approach, where details are hidden. In your example, you have a list of countries. You could hide the details so that they are available only if the group instance is clicked on.

Or, you could use on-demand subreports, with a country name as the link to the subreport.

-LB

 

[rhinok]

If you're using Crystal Enterprise, then you can use the Enhanced DHTML Viewer (CE9+) or you can have the users install the offline viewer. The offline viewer allows drilldown, resorting, filtering, etc...


~Kurt

 

[jupiter8]

Unfortunately I only Crystal Reports 8.5 and although we are using Crystal Enterprise 8.0 we are looking to switch to using just crystal reports calling them via ASP, rather than calling reports via the URL. This is due to the cookie limit when using lots of sub-reports, which causes the ASP security session for the main site to terminate.

With regards to the idea of on-demand subreports, they want to query several columns so this would not work in my case.

Thanks for all the help that everyone has provided, I think its given me some ideas and reinforced some things that I suspected. I'm always surprised at the great response I get from this forum its far superior to anything that business objects can supply.