Crystal Dictionary Woes

[TheRealDels]

Hi, I'm using CR8 to report from a HelpDesk database.
I have no problem creating a dictionary and then creating reports from that dictionary.
I DO have a problem updating the dictionary and then getting my existing reports to work even when I'm 100% the dictionary relationships/integrity is OK.

Our HelpDesk system is constantly being built and hence new fields appear which have to be reported on.
I can't add a new field to the dictionary, so what I have to do is delete the table and reimport if from the dictionary. This kills my reports and is also an illogical way to update the dict.

Does anybody know how to get around this ????


PS I know that the integrity & relationships are fine in the dict becasue after I've updated and not got a report to work. I delete the fields in the report and create from scratch and all works as before. Go figure.


Please, I'm desperate here. The DB has to keep changing but I can't keep rewriting reports.

 

[rsekharj]

Hey,

I am not sure whether this will help, but cant u create views in the manner SELECT * so that the view is updated everytime there is a change in the database.

it is just a blind shot. Tell me if it works.

Happy Reporting

 

[kenhamady]

You do a 'Verify' to see the new fields without deleting the table. First in the dictionary you use File - Verify Dictionary. This will make any new fields available to the dictionary editor. Add the fields to the dictionary.

Now open the report and do Database - Verify Database.
This will make the new fields in the dictionary available to the report. If Crystal Reports is open when you update the dictionary, close the program and restart it first. Ken Hamady, On-site Custom Crystal Reports Training & Consulting
Public classes and individual training.
Guide to using Crystal in VB

http://www.kenhamady.com/

tek@kenhamady.com

 

[HowardHammerman]

Ken is right as usual.

A fellow who used to work for Crystal Decisions has told me that C.D. is planning to discontinue support for the dictionary. As it is, it has not been updated since Version 5.

He also said that performance through the dictionary is slow.

A better way might be to create views in one of the following ways:

a) Create a stored procedure that joins the tables, create the new columns and selects the records. Run the reports from the S.P.

b) Create a stored procedure that joins the tables, creates the new columns, selects the records, renames the columns and then write out the resulting records as a new table. Have a system to run the s.p. on a nightly basis. Then base your reports from this non-nomalized table. Or many tables with different selection and agregation criteria. The benefit of this approach is that you will not be running your reports from the production tables and interfering with those folks. Help desk folks can get nasty if there database gets slow. This is the 'data warehousing' approach. If you can't write S.P. there are many alternatives.

Don't get sucked into buying expensive software to do it. Howard Hammerman,

Crystal Reports training, consulting, books, training material, software, and support. Scheduled training in 8 cities.
howard@hammerman.com

http://www.hammerman.com

800-783-2269