Frequently Asked Questions

What is this course about?

In this course, you learn how to develop sophisticated reports using Crystal Reports, an industry-leading report-writing tool. You learn to connect to various corporate data sources, such as SQL Server, Oracle, Microsoft Access and XML files. You navigate these data storage systems, learn to find the information you need, and extract the data to produce sophisticated reports. You learn to publish these reports via the Internet and intranets. You also learn to integrate reports into custom applications. You return to your organization with a detailed checklist to help you connect to data sources and begin creating useful reports.

Who will benefit from this course?

This course is valuable for anyone involved in creating reports from stored data, including systems analysts, business analysts, data analysts, project managers who want custom reports, systems administrators who need to report on system logs, programmer analysts who need to integrate reports into custom applications, and Webmasters who want to publish reports to the Internet or intranets.

What is Crystal Reports?

Crystal Reports is a widespread, industry-leading report writer. It has an easy-to-use interface that allows users to build reports quickly, yet has enough depth to produce complex reports to satisfy advanced reporting needs.

What if my organization is not using the latest version of Crystal Reports?

This course uses Crystal Reports 2011. Crystal Reports 2011 is split into two major versions, SAP Crystal Reports 2011 and SAP Crystal Reports for Enterprise, which are not the same product. This course covers Crystal Report 2011, which is the same product as Crystal Report 2008 with bug fixes and minimal updates. Crystal Report Enterprise requires SAP Semantic layer and is not covered in this course. If you are using a prior version of Crystal Reports such as 2008, XI, 10, 9 or 8 within your organization, this course will still be applicable. If you use Crystal Reports 7 or an earlier version, you will notice a greater change with the user interface, but much of what you learn in this course will still apply.

What are some of the new features in Crystal Reports 2011?

Crystal Reports 2011 is an incremental update from Crystal Reports 2008, and includes service pack integration with Visual Studio 2010.

What background do I need?

While no formal background is required, you should be comfortable using Windows and working with a spreadsheet or word processor. Experience working with formulas in a spreadsheet program is also helpful.

How is this course beneficial for power users?

As a power user, you learn how to access data and improve your ability to communicate with database experts.

I am a systems administrator. Will this course be beneficial to me?

Yes. Crystal Reports allows you to connect to non-traditional data sources, such as blogs and XML files, so you benefit from the ability to report on systems data.

I am a programmer. How will this course benefit me?

Crystal Reports are popular reports to display in .NET applications. In this course, you learn how to display reports in a custom Web or desktop application via Visual Studio. Your programming skills can also be used to work with formulas and queries in Crystal Reports.

Do I need to know about the databases I am working with before I take this course?
No. In this course, you learn to read, navigate and create reports from a variety of databases. This knowledge enables you to create effective reports to display database information.

What can I do with the reports I create?

This course provides the knowledge and skills to deploy your report statically or dynamically in your environment. You learn how to deploy a report to a Web server, Crystal Enterprise (previously known as Report Application Server (RAS), and export the report to various formats such as PDF, Word and Excel.

How much time is devoted to each topic?

Content Crystal Reports overview Crystal Report Writer Linking Crystal Reports to data Interpreting structures and retrieving data Combining powerful report techniques Programming data functionality Deploying reports to the Internet, intranets, Visual Basic and .NET
What kinds of hands-on exercises are included in the course?

Hours 0.5 8.0 1.5 1.5 3.0 4.0 2.5

Times, including the workshops, are estimates; exact times may vary according to the needs of each class.

Approximately 40 percent of class time is spent in hands-on exercises. The exercises you perform in class include:

Developing a variety of reports Adding design and readability features Exploring data sources Establishing connections to databases Deploying reports to the Internet, intranets and custom applications Using formulas in a report

What platform and software are used?

You use Windows XP at your workstation. However, the course does not feature any specific operating system. The techniques learned in the course are applicable to any Windows platform. Throughout the exercises, you connect to SQL Server, Oracle, Microsoft Access, and blogs to report on data that you retrieve from these data sources.

Will I learn to write formula language?

Yes. Crystal formula language is a core topic in this course. You learn how to write formulas to add custom business logic to your reports. This course covers Crystal Decisions formula syntax and its new Basic syntax.

What data sources can I report from using Crystal Reports?

You can use Crystal Reports with relational databases (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, Access), text files, Lotus Notes and Domino, blog files, and system administration log files.

Does this course cover other Business Object (formerly Crystal Decisions) software products?
Yes, this course explores the Crystal Reports Server (formally known as Crystal Enterprise) as a way of deploying reports.

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

If you would like to add reports to custom applications, you may be interested in Course 502: Programming with .NET: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction, which provides a comprehensive introduction to developing Windows applications with Visual Basic. If you would like to learn more about databases, you may be interested in these courses:

382: Relational Database Design, Tools and Techniques: Hands-On provides a comprehensive foundation for designing, building and working with relational databases, enabling you to understand and use commercially available relational DBMS products effectively 534: Developing SQL Queries for SQL Server: Hands-On provides the skills to write robust, reliable and efficient SQL queries 532: SQL Server Transact-SQL Programming: Hands-On teaches participants how to use the power of Transact-SQL to develop high-performance database applications 493: Oracle PL/SQL Programming: Hands-On provides the skills to write PL/SQL programs to solve realistic business problems using Oracle's most strategic language 593: Oracle Database 10g: A Comprehensive Hands-On Introduction provides a thorough introduction to the relational features of Oracle Database 10g used to create robust database applications