XML and Crystal - Newbie Question

[jakecolman]

Using Crystal XI and Oracle 9.

I am reasonably comfortable desiging reports using Oracle tables. The plan now for this new requirement is to give me an XML data file to be used as the input to a report. I have done some reading on Crystal and XML data files and I have some questions:

1) Can I simply view an XML input file as any other ODBC input source? In other words, does the XML file represent a table and the tags represent column names? If so, once I set up the linkage to the XML input source, can I just query the dataset as if it was a table and conceptually deal with it in that way?

2) Can an XML input file contain data for more than one table? Or does each table need its own XML file?

3) Can XML input files be joined so that you have a joined query? I guess the answer to this is at least partially dependant upon the answe to #2.

4) Can someone point me to a resource that explains how to use XML with Crystal? I already read the Crystal Decisions document "Using XML Data with Crystal Report". Is there anything else useful to read?

Thanks for your help!

...Jake

 

[synapsevampire]

1) Can I simply view an XML input file as any other ODBC input source? In other words, does the XML file represent a table and the tags represent column names? If so, once I set up the linkage to the XML input source, can I just query the dataset as if it was a table and conceptually deal with it in that way?

Yes.

2) Can an XML input file contain data for more than one table? Or does each table need its own XML file?

Yes, sort of, the XML file is treated as a single table, howit was constructed may include multiple tables.

3) Can XML input files be joined so that you have a joined query? I guess the answer to this is at least partially dependant upon the answe to #2.

Yes, they are treated as tables within crystal.

4) Can someone point me to a resource that explains how to use XML with Crystal? I already read the Crystal Decisions document "Using XML Data with Crystal Report". Is there anything else useful to read?

Perhaps better than reading up on it, go create a table in Access, export it as XML, and then point to it in crystal as the data source.

Use the create schema in Access and use schema in Crystal.

-k

 

[jakecolman]

You wrote: "Yes, sort of, the XML file is treated as a single table, howit was constructed may include multiple tables."

So a single XML file describes the equivalent of one database table. The file itself may contain multiple XML tables but, ultimately, the sum of that XML is considered a single database table?

If an XML file is simply another ODBC data source, then it follows that I can do a JOIN query between data in two XML files or data in an XML file and data in an Oracle table. Is this correct?

 

[synapsevampire]

So a single XML file describes the equivalent of one database table. The file itself may contain multiple XML tables but, ultimately, the sum of that XML is considered a single database table?

Yes, that's how I've used them.

If an XML file is simply another ODBC data source, then it follows that I can do a JOIN query between data in two XML files or data in an XML file and data in an Oracle table. Is this correct?

Yes. Crystal isn't blazingly fast as a database engine though, you would be better served to import the XML data into Oracle.

-k