Cougar Mountain Software Support Productivity Tools

For Cougar Mountain Software Support's
Professional Version (V2009/10, V12, V11, V10, V9, V8 & V7)

cms2 RP_ Tip-Crystal Reports Made Easy
For Cougar Mountain Software Support's
Professional Version (V2009/10, V12, V11, V10, V9, V8 & V7)

Crystal Reports Made Easy
 
A Newsletter for Crystal Report Users, May 2008
by Howard Hammer man, PhD
 
In this issue:
 
Business intelligence continues to be even more important as the economy slides into the doldrums. Accurate forecasting and management reports are critical during an era where every dollar spent must bring a worthwhile return. Those individuals who can extract the most meaning from their data will be highly regarded in their organizations.     
 
Crystal Reports 2008 was released last fall and it adds some nifty bells and whistles to an already solid product.  My favorite is the ability to let the user sort the data on any column within having to re-run the query. However my favorite Crystal version is still Crystal 8.5. It has all the important features and I have never found a bug.  It loads quickly and you could even create an executable file from the report.
 
Most of the innovation at Business Objects/SAP is directed towards report publishing on the internet. However, n o matter how the report is published, the data must be correct.  And that is where expert knowledge of Crystal Reports comes in. 
 
Here are my top ten tips to make report creation faster and more reliable:  
  1. Create a model first. The best tool for this is Excel.  Create an Excel spreadsheet showing what the final report will look like. Get the various report consumers to agree that the report is showing the information that they want to see.
  2. Mark up the model.  Indicate the various sections and subsections.  Use one color to highlight data from your tables, another to show formulas and a third to show summary values.  Create a list of groups and sorts. Indicate conditional suppression where required and the logic for the suppression.
  3. Create skeleton report and link you tables.  Consider the various linking options:  Do you want and equal join or a left-outer join?
  4. Create sections and sub-sections.  Use sub-sections when you have to insert multiple values on more than one line such as an address. 
  5. Create formulas and summary values.  Use the detail section to show your record by record transformation of the data even if later you will suppress the detail section.
  6. Select a few records for testing. Check your results with a desktop calculator.
  7. Create parameters whenever possible.  Try not to include constant values in your formulas and avoid literal dates.  Let the user enter key selection values at run time.
  8. Keep track of key values.  Make sure that you know the correct number of records and/or the correct amount of any numerical field for the records you are testing. Make sure that your logic does not create impossible results.
  9. Correct in the right direction. The first draft is almost never right. Determine if your results are too high or low and look for the answers in the right direction. Don’t forget that records can be excluded through your table links as well as through your record and group selections.
  10. Use sub-reports sparingly.  Don’t forget the powerful cross tabulation tool.   Test on a sub-set using the File/Print Preview dialog box. 
Here's are 3 bonus tips: (1) Make sure you keep a local copy of your masterpiece even after you publish it.  Reports have a tendency to change in large organizations, often for the better but sometimes not. Use Crystal Report Sever or HammerLaunch to publish your reports.  (2) Create a meaningful naming format for your formula fields.  A formula called "ratio" might mean something to you today but a year from now you will waste an hour trying to figure it out.(3) Use comments in your formuals, record selections and conditional formatting logic.  Remember people will be using and maintaining your reports long after you have moved on to another project.   
 
Hammerman Associates, Inc. 
800-783-2269
 
Copyrighted by Hammerman Associates, Inc.      

 
 


 
This message was sent from Howard Hammerman to gschaefer@earthlink.com. It was sent from: Hammerman.com, 1323 Mt. Hermon Rd. Suite 6B, Salisbury, MD 21804. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below. Email Marketing Software

 
Manage your subscription  
View this message in the iContact Community:   View message   Comment on this message   Receive as RSS
Share this message with others:   del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   Facebook   StumbleUpon
 

 

Please let us know what info we can send you now and what are the areas that are of most important to your organization.
 


Please fill in below, or call us on (714) 228-5444 or fax us at (800) 531-2944...

First Name :
Last Name :
Title :
Organization :
Work Phone :
FAX :
E-mail :                                          
URL / Website:
Number of Concurrent Users:  

What info can we send you?

 

email us at sales@CougarMtnSupport.com  //  phone (714) 228-5444.

(We are not Cougar Mountain Software in Boise, we take their excellent product and make it better.   We offer software products, enhanced reports, services, training and hardware that maximize the value out of this powerful accounting program.  We have been customizing solutions for Cougar Mountain since 1990.  We are located in California.