New CR 9 User Questions

[SmokeyJoe]

Just Installed CR 9, Win 2000, MySQL

Are there any good reference books on CR 9?

From reading posts it would appear the best way to query data would be to use use database queries, rather than Crystal Reports queries. Then use the output from the queries as input into CR, is this correct?

Many Thanks for any help you can give me in getting started.

I have produced reports on Networked machines but not using the Internet and ASP. I have never used Crystal Reports.

Smokey Joe

 

[synapsevampire]

The Crystal Query Designer hasn't been suggested for years, though you may not understand what that is. It's a seperate download, Crystal itself can join tables and produce reports just fine directly, but this is a different beast.

I always suggest that people use Views or Stored Procedures for reports if possible.

This allows for database changes, wherein if the underlying structure changes, simply alter the Views/SP's accordingly and all reports start working again.

Another alternative is to generate the SQL outside of Crystal, and then use the Add Command to paste in the SQL, but this is then specific to each report, not a great idea for the long haul for maintenance or reusability.

There's many ways to go, and you gave no indication of how you intend to distribute these reports over the WEB, there are lots of sample apps, here's the Developer edition of CR 9 sample:

http://support.crystaldecisions.com/communityCS/FilesAndUpdates/aspxmps9.exe.asp

-k

 

[SmokeyJoe]

Thanks synapsevampire

I am using MySQL 4. as a database and ASP (mostly). This project is Internet based and will be used for organizations who sign up with us to login and enter data applicable to their organization. The Crystal Reports will present data extracted from the database as reports. I don't have any problem extracting the data fron the files using SQL statements. It is the bridge between the SQL statement and CR I don't understand very well at this time.

I am open to other ways of doing this. MySQL does not support views.

Thanks again for your help.

Smokey Joe

 

[synapsevampire]

Intereesting, I just read that they're working on implementing Views, no wonder it's not quite ready for primetime.

You can use stored procedures though.

As for how Crystal interacts with data, it does so in different ways, depending upon how YOU want to do so.

You can link a report to a stored procedure at the time of creation, and then just pass parameters, or you can pass data to a Crystal Report, or you can create Crystal Reports on the fly.

You need to indicate what you want to do, I'd just create stored procedures or use the Crystal data explorer intereface to select rows, and then just call the reports from ASP.

It's your choice though.

-k

 

[SmokeyJoe]

Sorry I didn't explain it well enough.

Member organizations will have a list of pre-determined forms that are presently created using SQL statements. More complex ones may be created later. For example:

Select Lastname, Firstname from Prospect where LocationID = &quot;OrganizationID&quot; and EntryDate <= '2004/01/01' and EntryDate >= '2003/06/30'Order by LastName

From this simple query I would like for Crystal Reports to display on the users computer a report containing the first and last name of all Prospects who met the date and organizationID criteria in the query. The user should also have the option of printing the report after viewing it.

In other words the user would enter the beginning and ending dates on an ASP page, (the id is a session variable), and click on &quot;Submit&quot; the ASP page would call the Server which would run the query and then the Crystal report which would then be displayed on the users computer.

Is this a reasonably good way to produce a report and if so, what command or commands would I use to link to the Crystal Report? I have been able to produce a Crystal Report by entering the query in the dialog box provided. This did not allow any criteria to be entered by the user.

I agree from what I have seen there are many ways to produce a Crystal report, I want to start with very simple ones like the example given then get into more complex ones.

Thanks

Smokey Joe

 

[synapsevampire]

Crystal has it's own parameters (Insert->Field Object->, so you can use those in lieu of collecting them on an ASP page, or create them in Crystal .

Again, this is based on what you want to do, and not necessarily the easier method, although it means that the report could be used in other applications if it's self contained with the parameter.

The above link provides the code that you're looking for, did you look at it?

-k