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What is Crystal Reports?
SAP Crystal Report is a BI tool which helps you to build reports from SAP and other non-SAP data sources like Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL, XML Data Source, Microsoft Excel, etc. The knowledge of this tool helps the business leaders in developing advanced level reports and take accurate/profitable decisions.
In this Crystal Reports tutorial, you will learn:
Benefits of using Crystal Reports
Open, view, and interact with reports straight from your desktop computer (Windows or Mac).Use SAP Crystal Reports Viewer to drill-down, sort, filter, highlight, search, print and export from a file with the data saved in it.
Here, are benefits/pros of using Crystal Reports:
- Allows you to create highly pixel-perfect reports using SAP crystal report with easy design interface and efficient workflows.
- Helps you to build personalized reports in your preferred language and format.
- You can connect to information sources directly, which include: Native data, OLE DB, ODBC, JDBC connectivity to relational DB, OLAP, web services, etc.
- Helps you to export more data to a single worksheet, without extending it to multiple sheets.
- Crystal report tool allows you to open interactive reports through your mobile devices.
- Helps you to produce a report from virtually any data source.
- Allows you to analyze and interpret important information.
- Data connection procedures are straight forward.
- Helps you to access the trusted data
- Allows you to navigate to the lowest level of data granularity
- Helps you to create a customized reporting view you need for your business.
- SAP Crystal Reports is a Business Intelligence tool which is used to generate reports from both SAP and non-SAP data sources. It enables end users to generate reports that includes exceptional visualizations and implement new business requirements into reports to reduce dependency on IT and Report developers.
- . 1 license of SAP Crystal Reports 2016. 1 NUL of SAP Crystal Server 2016. 5 CAL of SAP Crystal Server 2016 (with standard support and mobile access for iOS and Android for 1 NUL and 5 CAL) Notes:. Recipients can also interact with static reports sent to them by using our free SAP Crystal Reports Viewer 2016.
- When you start Crystal Reports 10, generally you want to do one of three things: create a report, modify a report, or run a report against the data in your database. Reports take data from a database, process it, format it, and then output it to a printer, computer screen, or Web site.
- Hello and welcome to VTC's tutorial on Crystal Reports XI for Beginners. My name is Kurt Dunlap and I'll be leading you through this course. The main purpose of this tutorial is to introduce you to the basics of Crystal Reports working from the assumption that the student has little or no exposure to Crystal, SQL, or Database reporting we'll follow a project-based curriculum with the goal of.
History of Crystal Reports
- Terry Cunningham and his peers created the software in 1991
- In 1994, Crystal Services was acquired by Seagate Technology.
- Crystal Decisions software was acquired in December 2003 by BusinessObjects.
- In the year 2004, version 11 released.
- SAP acquired BusinessObjects on October 8, 2007
- Crystal Reports Version 14.0 released in 2011
- Version 14.1 released in 2013
- Version 14.2 released in 2016
Components of Crystal Reports
The Report Design Canvas helps you to design the structure of your report. You can include different elements like charts, test, data objects in the reports.
Rules:
Rules option displays a rule above the report canvas. However, the tool allows you to change the unit of measurement by changing the unit option on the design canvas tab.
Structure mode:
Structure mode and Page mode helps you to define the layout of the reports. Each object in the structure mode is represented by a frame.
Important components of structure mode are given below:
Structure mode Components
Component Name | Details |
Report Header | It is used for adding Report title at the top or any other information you want to add at the starting of the report. |
Page Header | Page header is used to present information at the top of each page. Header section generally includes document heading, chapter name, etc. |
Page Footer | Use to present page numbers or any other information at the end of each page. |
Body | This section displays the body of the report. All report data should be included in this section. |
Page Mode | Page mode view represents the actual data in the report when the report will be published or printed. |
Data Sources
Crystal Report helps you to connect to multiple data sources, which include:
- HANA view
- Relational Connection
- SAP BEx Query
- Excel Spreadsheets
Step 1) How to connect to the Data source,
Go to File -> New -> From Data Source
To select a data source, you must connect to the SAP Business Objects platform server.
File -> New -> From Data Source -> Choose a data source connection dialogue box appears -> Browse Repository -> Data Source Type list -> Select data source you want to connect -> Next.
Features of Crystal Report
- Allows you to interact with various data sources
- It can avoid the intervention of middle layers like Universes
- Easy interaction with SAP HANA
- Powerful report design
- Flexible application development
- Report management and delivery
- Administration via Web Interface
- Easy navigation system
- Tracks information and keep our data organized
- Live Connection to External Data
- Multi-Data Source Reporting
- OLAP (Pre-processed cube representation)
- ROLAP (SQL-layer querying)
Crystal Reports - GUI Navigation
Crystal Reports for enterprise offers an interface which allows you to create, format, and publish effective reports. The menu bar of crystal reports provides wide ranges of features shown in the following image.
The insert tab helps you to insert an object into your reports like text, line, box, groups, sections, pictures, and charts.
The Format tab helps you to use functions for formatting the selected file like changing the size or font and background color, alignment of text to center, left, right, etc.
Crystal reports support conditional formatting, like highlighting values above or below a particular value in the report.
Crystal Reports Xi Tutorial
When selecting a conditional formatting option at the top right corner, select the formatting box. In this box, you can give condition under which you want conditional formatting to appear.
Disadvantages of using Crystal Reports
Here, are drawbacks/cons of using Crystal report.
Crystal Reports Free Download
- Crystal report is not a very user-friendly tool for learning as error decryption is tedious and hard to figure out.
- Using sub-reports, which are embedded with main reports for different views of the same data sourced from different tables, makes the entire process very slow.
- Security is a big concern at times while accessing data.
- Crystal reports a new version doesn't work with older engines.
- Incorporating reports to webpages sometimes crashes.
- A stable internet connection is always needed for the software to function well.
- The company does not offer any free trial plan.
Summary:
- Crystal reports is a BI tool which helps business leaders to develop advanced level reports and take accurate/profitable decisions.
- Crystal reports help you to build personalized reports in your preferred language and format.
- Terry Cunningham and his peers created crystal reports software in the year 1991
- Important components of structure mode are 1) Report Header 2) Page Header 3) Page Footer 4) Body and 5) Page Mode
- Crystal Report helps you to connect to multiple data sources like HANA view, Relational Connection, Excel Spreadsheets.
- It allows you to interact with various data sources.
- Crystal Reports for enterprise offers an interface which allows you to create, format, and publish effective reports.
- The biggest of using drawback is that it is not a very user-friendly tool for learning as error decryption is tedious and hard to figure out
Crystal Reports Free Tutorial Youtube
The following tutorials have been developed to help you get started using the Business Intelligence Suite products.
New content is added as soon as it becomes available, so check back on a regular basis.
The video versions of these tutorials on YouTube include optional text captions that can be translated into a number of languages. Watch here to learn how.
Key Concepts |
Concept: What’s new in SAP Crystal Reports 2011 (2:16) video |
Concept: Navigate the interface (6:46)video |
Concept: Create a report (2:48)video |
Concept: Share report objects with other designers (2:09)video |
Concept: Describe how the semantic layer works (2:08) video |
Concept: Compare Crystal Reports 2011 and Crystal Reports for enterprise interactive |
Getting Started |
Connect to an ODBC data source (2:13) video |
Change the layout of the interface (1:06) video |
View the data for a field (1:08) video |
Add fields to a report (1:20) video |
Preview a report (0:57) video |
Refresh the data in a report (0:50) video |
Save a report (1:20) video |
Save a snapshot of a report (1:21) video |
Save a report to the Business Intelligence platform (1:47) video |
Export a report (2:24) video |
Share report objects using the Repository Explorer (1:46) video |
Set a schedule for a report process flow |
Run a schedule for a reportprocess flow |
Run a scheduled publication of a report process flow |
View a report instance when the page is in the cache process flow |
View a report instance when the page is not in the cache process flow |
View a report on demandprocess flow |
Connecting to Data Sources |
Connect to an SAP BW data source (3:29) video |
Connect to a universe (2:27) video |
Connect to an XML data source (2:51) video |
Connect to a web service (3:43) video |
Link data source tables (2:03) video |
Change the data source location (2:11) video |
Connect to an SAP ERP data source (2:58)video |
Connect to an Excel spreadsheet or a text file (1:41) video |
Connect to an OLAP data source and create an OLAP grid report (4:26) video |
Create a connection to SAP HANA using ODBC drivers (2:43) video |
Working with Charts |
Create a chart for summary data (1:37) video |
Create a chart for detail data (2:19) video |
Change the formatting of a chart (2:31) video |
Working with Tables and Crosstabs |
Create a crosstab (2:25) video |
Create a crosstab using the Crosstab Wizard (2:24) video |
Add a calculation to a crosstab (2:25) video |
Change the formatting of a crosstab (1:53) video |
Conditionally format cells in a crosstab (2:16) video |
Selecting, Sorting, Grouping, and Summarizing Data |
Select the data that appears in a report (1:12) video |
Edit the formula for record selection (1:46) video |
Sort the records in a report (0:54)video |
Sort records using a sort control (2:34) video |
Group records based on data (1:11) video |
Group records based on a custom definition (2:28) video |
Change the grouping order (1:13) video |
Select groups based on a summary (1:47) video |
Calculate totals and subtotals for data (02:00) video |
Create a running total (2:03) video |
Show the top or bottom N records in a report (1:22) video |
Create a summary report (1:31) video |
Setting up Interactive Elements |
Prompt for a value to select records (2:20) video |
Display the prompt value used to select records (1:36) video |
Prompt for multiple values to select records (2:56) video |
Prompt for a DateTime range to select records (3:14)video |
Create a cascading prompt to select records (4:30)video |
Group records based on a prompt value (4:05) video |
Create an alert (2:11) video |
Add a SWF file to a report (1:06) video |
Create a hyperlink to open a document in the BI platform (4:48) video |
Working with Formulas |
Create a formula (2:54)video |
Create a Boolean formula (2:04)video |
Create a conditional formula (2:36)video |
Create a formula to calculate numbers (2:09)video |
Create a formula to calculate a time interval (2:40)video |
Create a formula to change text (2:36)video |
Use variables in a formula (3:19)video |
Working with Subreports |
Add an existing report as a subreport (1:41) video |
Change the formatting of a subreport (1:46)video |
Applying Formatting |
Resize, move, and align fields in a report (1:30)video |
Position objects using guidelines (1:45)video |
Add text to a report (1:21)video |
Add a graphic to a report (0:49)video |
Add a dynamic graphic to a report (2:41)video |
Add a hyperlink to a report (1:31)video |
Add a watermark to areport (2:18)video |
Copy the formatting of an object (1:40)video |
Conditionally format data using the Highlighting Expert (1:30)video |
Conditionally format data using the Format Editor (1:44)video |
Customize an existing formatting style (2:03)video |
Customize an existing formatting style (2:03)video |
Change the formatting for a report section (0:59)video |
Conditionally format a report section (2:09)video |
Create a subsection in a report (1:40)video |
Embed database fields into a text object (2:12) video |
Apply a report template (2:01) video |
Create a report template without a data source (5:02) video |
Distributing Output |
Create a project in the Workbench (1:39) video |
Publish an object package to the BI platform (1:54) video |
To view the full SAP Crystal Reports 2011, 2013, 2016 playlist on Youtube, click here.
Other Links
Sap Crystal Reports Tutorial Free
- To submit and vote on ideas for enhancements to this product, click here.
- To download a free 30-Day trial of SAP Crystal Reports, click here.
- To view eLearning for the rest of the Business Intelligence Suite, go to sap.com/LearnBI.