Summarizing Grouped Data

[seigs]

Hello,

I am trying to calculate an average of data that I have grouped twice and cannot figure out how to get Crystal to discard data in the details section that I do not want to use.

Here's the situation:

I am working with medical records. I have my data grouped by doctor. I use a table with every appointment for every patient, and since I only want one record per patient, I also group by patient record #. I keep all of my fields in the patient record # group header, giving me one row for each patient for each doctor.

I have then created formulas to score the fields using a point system. For instance, if a patient has a certain lab result, then the doctor gets one point.

I want to average these points per doctor per test field. Now, when I create summaries, I can get averages per doctor, though Crystal uses the appointment table with multiple records per patient instead of just one record per patient.

I would greatly appreciate any help I can get.

 

[Madawc]

Have you looked at running totals? They might do what you're looking for.

Right-click on a field and choose Insert to get a choice of Running Total or Summary. Or else use the Field Explorer, the icon that is a grid-like box, to add running totals.

Running totals allow you to do clever things with grouping and formulas. They also accumulate for each line, hence the name. The disadvantage is that they are working out at the same time as the Crystal report formats the line. You cannot test for their values until after the details have been printed. You can show them in the group footer but not the group header, where they will be zero if you are resetting them for each group.

Summary totals are cruder, but are based directly on the data. This means that they can be shown in the header. They can also be used to sort groups, or to suppress them. Suppress a group if it has less than three members, say. They default to 'Grand Total', but also can be for a group.

Variables are user-defined fields. One useful variant are shared variables to pass data from a subreport back to the main report. You can also use variables to show page totals. For normal counting I find running totals or summary totals much easier.

Directly Calculated Totals within a Formula Field can be coded directly, with commands like Sum ({ADV01.Advance}, {ADV01.AccType}). The same result can be achieved by picking up an existing Variable, and will keep the code even if the Variable itself is later deleted. Formula fields can also include Running Totals and other Formula Fields, with some limits depending on when the values are calculated.

It is also possible to get totals using a Formula Field, which can contain a Variable or a Directly Calculated Total.

To get yourself familiar with the idea, try doing a test report with a summary total and a running total for the same field, placed on the detail line. You'll find that the running total increases as each line is printed, whereas the summary total has the final value all along.

It helps to give your version of Crystal.

Madawc Williams (East Anglia, UK). Using Windows XP & Crystal 10

 

[seigs]

Thank you Madawc. Running totals were exactly what I needed.