Description:
Focusing on Crystal Reports Designer, Prima's Official Guide to Seagate Crystal Reports 7 gives Crystal Reports newcomers the introduction they need to become productive with this software. It's not an advanced user's guide and certainly not a developer's resource, but the authors competently present the basics of the software's use. From its initial explanation of how to create a no-frills report with Crystal Reports to its tutorial on Structured Query Language (SQL), this book assumes no prior knowledge of Seagate's database interface on the part of its readers. The authors also spend too much time on the naming of parts, explaining what each entry in various menus is for and what each interface detail means rather than what you can do with them. This book would be better if it focused more on procedures, detailing specific steps to follow to achieve specific effects. The explanations of Crystal Reports' formula language are quite good though and should prove adequate for implementing most business calculations. The SQL tutorial also is good, and Prima's Official Guide to Seagate Crystal Reports 7 makes worthwhile reading if you're starting from zero. --David Wall Topics covered: Report-creation basics, dynamic linking to data sources, incorporating math into reports, writing formulas, formatting, subreports, cross-tabs, drill-down reports, charts and graphs, and Structured Query Language (SQL).
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