Crystal Reports for Heterogeneous Databases: MS SQL, Oracle, ODBC notes

 

 

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Reporting tool should be first of all in your decision making and report design technique separated from background SQL query, procedure of function.  The wizard approach will not make you Crystal Reports professional programmer, it will only help you to make some progress and then stop with something “very complex and impossible to resolve”.  CR is excellent reporting tool, but it is not a replacement to SQL query design.  As SQL language is the industry standard we do not really see the replacement to SQL select statement, we would like to help you with CR reporting

  1. Report Design Philosophy.  If you think that you are in report design crisis, something like that – you as report developer spent hundred of hours, trying to aggregate something in CR, having only “fundamental” knowledge about SQL aggregation, and trying to trust out the job to Crystal Reports wizard – this would be the most typical situation.  And please recognize the fact, that you are not the only one out there – reporting consulting area is on the high demand.  The philosophy requires to change paradigm – in this scenario you should probably try moving SQL data sorting, aggregation and data manipulation to SQL from Crystal Reports (and especially from Subreports).  This mindset will lead you to success, instead of believing to Wizard power you will take the responsibility – Crystal will do wonderful job in adding bells and whistles to your report, will help you with grouping and totaling, however data extraction is your prerogative.
  2. After the cold shower.  If you are college graduate person, then you should step by step familiarize yourself with real life challenges, if you feel the ground already, you should recognize that IT and computer support World has several poles: Microsoft, Java, Linux/Unix are the ones on the spot
  3. ODBC and Heterogeneous queries.  Major DB platforms allow you to deploy linking scenarios to cross-platform SQL servers – MS SQL Server has Linked Server concept, similar is available from Oracle.  ODBC is patching most of the cross platform communication bridges, from Sun side you can consider deploying ODBC-JDBC bridge or native drivers
  4. Additional Microsoft SQL Server Notes.  In the case of challenging ODBC drivers, you should invest your research time into OPENROWSET and OPENQUERY constructions

 

Andrew Karasev, Alba Spectrum Group, http://www.albaspectrum.com help@albaspectrum.com 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918, serving customers USA/Canada nationwide: Illinois, California, New York, Quebec, Ontario, Colorado, Utah, Wisconsin, Florida, Texas.  Local service is available in Houston & Dallas: Richmond, Sugar Land, Katy, Rosenberg, Missouri City, Pearland, Friendswood, Meadows, Mission Bend, Jersey Village, Fort Worth; serving GP customers in Chicago, IL: Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, Wheaton, Bolingbrook, Romeoville, Lyons, Niles, Downers Grove, Lisle, West Chicago, Barrington, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Lombard, Morris, Ottawa, Marseilles, Seneca, Oswego, Plainfield, Darien, Winchester, Hinsdale