Crystal Reports 2008: The Complete Reference »

George Peck George Peck is an internationally recognized consultant, educator, developer, speaker, and bestselling author of Crystal Reports Professional Results and six previous editions of Crystal Reports: The Complete Reference. He is president of The Ablaze Group, Inc. (AblazeGroup.com), a consultation and education firm specializing in Crystal Reports and the BusinessObjects Enterprise family.

Your One-Stop Guide to Enterprise Reporting with Crystal Reports 2008

Transform disconnected corporate data into compelling, interactive business intelligence using all of the powerful tools available in Crystal Reports 2008. Through detailed explanations, real-world examples, and expert advice, this comprehensive guide shows you how to create, maintain, and distribute dynamic, visually appealing enterprise database reports.

Crystal Reports 2008: The Complete Reference explains how to select and gather pertinent business data, organize it into manageable groups, and assemble it into user-friendly business reports. You will learn how to improve report interactivity with sort controls and the parameter panel; solve complex reporting problems with cross-tabs and subreports; integrate Crystal Xcelsius dashboards; reduce development time; and publish your results to Web and Windows applications.

• Integrate pictures, multimedia files, graphs, and charts

• Allow user-controlled report sorting with new sort controls
• Develop sophisticated formulas and custom functions with the Formula Workshop
• Embed Flash files, including Xcelsius 2008 interactive dashboards
• Create complex cross-tab reports with new derived rows and columns

• Export reports into Word, Excel, Acrobat, and updated XML formats
• Enhance Web interactivity with the new parameter panel and optional parameter fields
• Work with SQL databases, OLAP cubes, and proprietary systems

• Centralize design elements and auto-update reports using the repository
• Schedule and distribute reports with the latest BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.0
• Embed reports in Web and Windows applications using Visual Studio 2008

Part I: Designing Reports
Chapter 1. Getting a Feel for Crystal Reports 2008
Chapter 2. Sorting and Grouping Chapter 3. Analyzing with Advanced Selection Criteria Chapter 4. Using Formulas Chapter 5. Creating Custom Functions Chapter 6. Making Your Reports Visually Appealing Chapter 7. Using Sections and Areas Chapter 8. Analyzing with Cross Tabs Chapter 9. Creating Charts Chapter 10. Creating Geographic Maps Chapter 11. Integration with Crystal Xcelsius and Flash Chapter 12. Using Subreports Chapter 13. Interactive Reporting with Parameter Fields Chapter 14. Exporting Reports to Different Formats Chapter 15. Reporting from SQL Databases Chapter 16. Reporting from Proprietary Data Types Chapter 17. Reporting from OLAP Cubes Chapter 18. Accommodating Database Changes and Field Mapping Chapter 19. Creating Crystal Reports Applications with Visual Studio .NET
Part II: Crystal Reports Enterprise Reporting
Chapter 20. Crystal Reports Web Alternatives Chapter 21. Using InfoView Chapter 22. Administering Enterprise Reporting Systems
Appendix: Formula Language Reference
Index

George Peck George Peck is an internationally recognized consultant, educator, developer, speaker, and bestselling author of Crystal Reports Professional Results and six previous editions of Crystal Reports: The Complete Reference. He is president of The Ablaze Group, Inc. (AblazeGroup.com), a consultation and education firm specializing in Crystal Reports and the BusinessObjects Enterprise family.