Crystal Reports Encyclopedia Volume 1: Professional XI Reports (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Written for end-users focusing on business and financial reporting, this guide to Crystal Reports (version 11) explains to nonprogrammers the many new features and improvements of the software. Tutorials for beginning and advanced users, a full list of all Crystal syntax function calls, and financial reporting templates will enable employees from any department to generate clear, usable reports without wasting time, getting frustrated, or resorting to the trial-and-error method. An included appendix features the best Crystal Reports questions and answers from the author's website.

From the Back Cover

Make your reporting projects a success with this comprehensive, tutorial based guide. The Crystal Reports Encyclopedia gives you over 600 pages of thorough report design coverage. Whether you're just learning Crystal Reports, or you are a seasoned expert, there is something here for you.

Highlights include:

• Exclusive coverage of the new features in Crystal Reports XI Release 2 (a free upgrade)
• Exclusive financial reporting tutorials teach you fundamental accounting principles and how to build financial statements
• Learn how to create a Balance Sheet and Income Statement; as well as a multi-year Income Statement using the cross-tab object
• "Best of the Forum" sections give you the top questions and answers posted to the book's online forum
• Learn the real life problems people have and how to solve them

New users will quickly get up to speed on reporting fundamentals. Each chapter starts out teaching you the introductory concepts. New features are added in stages to make learning easy. Step-by-step tutorials throughout the chapters let you practice creating specific reports that you can put to use immediately. Grow beyond the basics and learn to use sub-reports, cross-tab objects, and dynamic cascading prompts. A Crystal syntax and Basic syntax reference guide will have you quickly writing custom formulas.

Advanced tutorials at the end of a chapter show you the tricks that professional report writers use. See how cross-tab reports are generated internally and learn how to override cross-tab data with custom functions. Use the ContentLocale function to create international reports. Maximize SQL performance with advanced queries for joining tables. Find out when views are faster than stored procedures, and learn how to update the database as your report prints!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Bischof Systems; 1 edition (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974953601
• ISBN-13: 978-0974953601
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #227,898 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply excellent, October 11, 2007

By	John Willems (St Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a good reference manual, February 6, 2009

By	Randy (IA, USA) - See all my reviews

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.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why you need this book for your reports (video review), October 22, 2007

By	Brian Bischof (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.