Extracting data from memo fields

[QPRphil]

Hi, I am writing my first ever Crystal Reports over a Remedy database, my back ground is AS400.
One of the fields I want to access is defined as type 'memo'; not really sure what this means in database terms. The entries in this field are a series of department names and date/time stamps. I want to be able to extract each entry and evaluate it to determine if it is the value I am searching for, and then include that value in my report.
When I use the formula editor, none of the memo fields in my selected file appear. How else can I extract the values I want from a memo type field?
By the way, I am using Crystal Reports 8.5

 

[synapsevampire]

CR 8.5 or has a limitation of 254 chars per field for use in formulas.

Your best bet is to perform whatever evaluation required on the database side, and return the appropriate data.

Otherwise, you can use SQL Expressions in CR to parse the data into 254 length fields, then you can perform evaluations against them.

-k

 

[seahawk8080]

Hello!

Synapsevampire, I have the same issue as QPRphil where I can not create a formula with a memo field with CR 8.5. The field isn't even displayed in Field Explorer. Does CR 9 do this? However, how do you make it work in CR 8.5?

In your regards to your response, how CAN you use SQL Expressions in CR to "parse the data into 254 length fields, then perform evaluations against them."????

 

[synapsevampire]

Insert->Field Object->Right click SQL Expression->New

Now the syntax depends on your database, Crystal is going to pass whatever you type here as a column in the select, so something like:

substring(field,1,254)

Depending upon the formula you intend to use, you might be able to do it within the SQL Expression.

-k

 

[seahawk8080]

Synapsevampire!

That TOTALLY WORKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's awesome; because all my User Defined fields are "memo", and now I know what to do!!!!!!

Thank YOU!!!!!!!!

Sincerely

Chris