Customer Reviews

Crystal Reports Encyclopedia Volume 1: Professional XI Reports

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a Crystal Reports developer and as such I am always on the lookout for good reference material. When it comes to Crystal Reports that is not always easy to find. When you do find a reference book, like so many in the programming area, it is simply a restatement of the help file. By that I mean there is little more information than you can find by clicking on the software's help button. Not so with this book, the author has created something unique. In it there are a number of things that make this true, for example there are tutorials to step through processes and a best of forum feature where real world questions have been asked and answered.

Also, many Crystal Report developers are asked to create accounting reports. The author has created an appendix that specifically deals with the basics of getting those tasks done. He explains three different accounting software packages and what to look for in the table structures. He also steps you through the report layout of a number of common accounting reports. Extremely helpful to those who are debit and credit challenged. It was something I really appreciated.

There is alot to recommend about this book. Just remember this is not about .Net (that is supposed to be a later volume) but rather about the Crystal Reports Professional version. However there is more than enough here to be of value to anyone who creates Crystal Reports.

I read all the reviews looking for a good book to help me get better at crystal reports. I had a basic understanding of how to do things, I've worked for a couple of years doing reporting with Business Objects (Webi) and other products, and wanted something that could help me through the areas of Crystal that were more difficult. This books stinks at doing that. I get more help searching the web. Most of the items either restate the Crystal help screens or don't say anything at all. A case in point - trying to get more information on how the Group Selection formula works in the Formula Workshop - the books total reference on this is and I quote "The Group Selection formula". Nothing more - zip, nada. It wouldn't be so bad if this was an isolated occurrence, but this comes up all the time.
Maybe if I was a total newbie and reading the book from cover to cover it'd be ok and give me a cursory overview of how to create a report, but don't expect any help when you really have to start creating them. I haven't written many reviews, but I am so frustrated at this book, I decided to write one.

Length:: 5:19 Mins

The Crystal Reports Encyclopedia gives you many features and reporting tips that you won't find in other books. This video review shows you the 4 best parts of the book and afterwards it goes in-depth to show you screen shots from the book's original PDF file.

When you're finished watching this video review, you'll see why the Crystal Reports Encyclopedia makes it easy for beginners to learn how to create reports; and how the tips and tricks will give Crystal Reports experts a reason to always keep this book next to their computer.

This is a step by step tutorial on how to use Crystal Reports XI. The title is misleading because this is not a reference manual. You must also complete certain steps which creates a report to use for the next lesson. If you are new to Crystal Reports or haven't used it in awhile like me, this book will help you get a working knowledge. For a true reference manual, I suggest "The Complete Reference" by George Peck.

I am beyond the novice Crystal Reports user. What I need is how to do some of the more complicated things, like passing parameters from a subreport to the main report, or inserting a pie chart and getting all the percentages and labels correct. I found that I picked the right book. It is clear without being simplistic, it is relatively easy to find what I need, and so far I actually have found everything I need. I would recommend this book for someone just getting started as well as people like me, who already have some proficiency with writing reports. The step-by-step turorials are easy to follow, plus the descriptions provide the concepts behind the tools.

I've only been working with Crystal for a few weeks but am already putting together some pretty decent reports. I could not have done it without this book. After such a short amount of time my copy is somewhat dog-eared and filled with yellow post it notes for quick reference to the things I need. It is open at my desk whenever I work with Crystal.

If you are a Crystal novice this book provides an excellent foundation for Crystal Reports. If you are an intermediate/advanced user there is plenty here for you as well. I especially like the financial twist the report provides since most of my reports are payroll, general ledger and accounts payable/receivable related.

The discussion forum associated with the book is also an excellent resource. I was "stuck" on a couple issues and was helped by both the author and other users on the forum.

Bischof's book is a complete, well-researched reference that quickly arms a novice Crystal Reports user with the techniques necessary to create sound, well-formatted financial (and other) reports. The appendix on Balance Statements and Income Statemens is a fabulous jump-start for those who must get up to speed quickly! If Crystal Reports is your platform for information delivery, this book belongs in your library.

This book is written in a readable style & includes tutorials to illustrate the concepts. Great as an initial learning tool & for when you get to the stage where you know the basics but hit the wall trying to solve problems. Gives a thorough coverage of all parts of Crystal XI Professional edition. Covers not only how to do things, but also what is likely to go wrong & how to avoid it.

I have used CR for many years as a DBA and developer. I usually just do basic reports though so I had a need for a book that would help when I need some advanced functions. The layout is more for someone to work from cover to cover but it is also broken up to where it can serve as a reference. The author is well versed on the subject manner and yet the content is still very simple to follow. All these features make this a very good book for anyone wanting to learn CR. I should warn that the first example I tried to follow had a typo but am not sure how many of these there are throughout the book.

I've had several Crystal Reports books, but this one is the best for creating reports. It is not too technical and it gives good examples which are useful. Well written.