Crystal Reports: A Beginner's Guide [Paperback]

David McAmis (Author)

Book Description

Series: Beginner's Guide | Publication Date: December 3, 2001

Learn to create presentation-quality reports using this practical introductory guide--even if you're a novice. You'll find all the information you need to get up and running with this data analysis tool and learn how to format data, generate reports, create Web-based reports, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Begin using Crystal Reports and create winning reports and documents with precision and ease. This self-paced learning resource covers all the basics clearly and accurately and is ideal for new Crystal Reports users. You'll learn how to develop and design reports, use maps and charts, organize and analyze report data, and much more. Plenty of hands-on exercises and projects are included throughout to help illustrate concepts along the way. Learn how to use the leading report-writing and analysis tool the right way with help from this step-by-step guide.

This Beginner's Guide is Designed for Easy Learning:

• Modules--Each concept is divided into logical modules (chapters), ideal for individualized learning
• Goals--Each module opens with the specific skills you'll have by the end of the module
• Ask the Experts--Q&A sections throughout are filled with extra information and interesting commentary
• 1-Minute Drills--Quick self-assessment sections to check your progress
• Projects--Coding exercises contained in each module show how to apply what you are learning
• Mastery Checks--End-of-module reviews that test your knowledge using short-answer, multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and simple coding questions

About the Author

David McAmis (Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia) is an IT consultant, journalist and author. His work has appeared in computer magazines and trade journals, and he is a regular contributor to: Access-Office-VB Advisor, Advisor Expert: Exchange & Outlook, Component Advisor, Developer's Review, E-Business Advisor, Enterprise Development, Exchange/Outlook Magazine, Internet.au, Intranet Design Magazine, Outrage and Visual Basic Programmer’s Journal. McAmis works as an IT consultant for C3 Consulting, a Sydney-based consulting firm implementing business intelligence solutions across large-scale ERP systems. Prior to joining C3, McAmis served as Consulting Services Manager for Brilliant Training & Consulting, an IT services provider serving the Pacific Rim. He has also held the position of Vice-President of the BridgeBuilder Company, a software training and consulting company in North America. He is an expert in the field of business intelligence and is a frequent conference speaker.

Product Details

• Paperback: 486 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072193263
• ISBN-13: 978-0072193268
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David McAmis is a solution architect, consultant, author and educator with over 14 years of experience with BusinessObjects technology, working with clients in the US, Australia, Thailand, Korea and Hong Kong.

David is considered to be an expert in the field of business intelligence. He has developed an impressive reputation with the SAP BusinessObjects range of products and has written over twenty computer books, with six focused on SAP BusinessObjects technology.

As the Technical Director at an SAP BusinessObjects Gold Partner he fulfils the roles of enterprise architect and Business Intelligence (BI) Evangelist and brings to bear experience across a wide number of platforms, databases and ERP systems (including SAP, JD Edwards and Baan) to deliver innovative solutions for common business problems.

David has travelled the world educating developers and end-users on the benefits of business intelligence and information management. Over the course of his career, he has instructed over 2,000 students in the use of the SAP BusinessObjects suite of Business Intelligence tools. He is a certified trainer and teaches courses on behalf of SAP as well as on-site training courses.

He is an SAP Certified Application Associate (times 4) for Crystal Reports, BusinessObjects Enterprise, BusinessObjects Web Intelligence and BusinessObjects Data Integrator.

David has written over 600 articles for computer magazines and trade journals and is a recognized expert in business intelligence and information management. His books on Crystal Reports are consistent best-sellers and he is a frequent conference speaker.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Crystal Reports book on the market, May 5, 2002

By 

Weiqin Xie (New Jersey, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crystal Reports: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

When I began to use Crystal Reports 4 years ago, there was only one book on the market, which is Douglas Wolf's "Crystal Reports 6 for Dummies". It took me for a while to overcome the bad feeling to join the "Dummy Camp". Well, it's worth to bear the insult. To separate from the "Dummy Camp", I bought George Peck's thick book "Crystal Reports 7: The Complete Reference". To be fair, it's not the right book for learnning Crystal Reports, but a good book for reference. I kept it for more than 2 years, but only used less than 1/3 of it. When I moved to Crystal Reports' Version 8 one year ago, I bought Jill Howe's "Prima's Guide to Seagate Crystal Reports 8" for new taste. I returned it to bookstore in a week. It really disappointed me too much for lack of details. When I saw David McAmis' "Beginner's Guide", I started to wonder if the level is too low to me. Since I didn't want to have another book from Peck, I gave this book a try. It turned to be a good experience. I strongly recommend this book to anybody who is looking for his/her first Crystal Reports book, or a systematic refresher on Version 8.0 or 8.5 in short time. However, this book does have its downside: no advanced topics (for instance, working with Visual Basic or SQL Server's stored procedures), poor proof-reading, and unmatched screen-shoots. However, those are not author's fault. I made my mind to give this book 4.5 stars, but "upgraded" it as 5 - Amazon doesn't allow 4.5.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, January 15, 2002

By 

Alex Cordova (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crystal Reports: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

If you are an absolute beginner with Crystal Reports, this is the book for you. I have no experience in databases (except for Access and Excel), and I've been able to get going VERY quickly with Crystal, creating reports with graphs, totals and some formulas (although I need more practice). The book is easy to follow, but it doesn't help you with your own database-- you may find many skeletons in the closet when you try to find data within your own database... bad data, mixed up data entry, empty fields. Crystal won't fix any of those problems, but at least you can see what's in there.
Its a great little book and maybe one day I will be ready for the big thick one I looked at, but not just yet!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book [is bad], August 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Crystal Reports: A Beginner's Guide (Paperback)

This book needs some serious editing
Right now I'm on Chapter 4 and so far this book is terrible in regards to the Projects. The project instructions don't correspond with the results intended and shown. For example, the instructions say open the Customer by Country report, but then it says 'your report should look like this' and shows you an entirely different report! And sometimes the report you worked on doesn't even work for the task you're trying to learn. The author must have had his friends write the other customer reviews. Don't buy this book! It's just unfortunate though that there aren't many choices.