Advanced Reporting Service Offering & Crystal Reports Advanced Tips & Tricks Tamir Podhurst Implementation Team Leader Sparta Systems Sagie Twig Senior Solutions Consultant Sparta Systems
Advanced Reporting Service Offering We offer a set of reports that provide immediate access to your operational information to help you proactively manage your business: Generic report templates Project specific report templates Supporting validation documentation
Benefits Obtain a comprehensive and up to the minute the view of company data Enable end users to predict future performance Translate your data into actionable information for better decision making Provide a holistic view of your business performance Maximize transparency Provide a comprehensive snapshot of key metrics
Report Example
Crystal Reports: Advanced Tips & Tricks How to create drill down buttons Create monthly and weekly calendars Additional tips and tricks for better reports Questions and answers
How to Create Drill Down Buttons
Working with Multiple Columns Multiple columns on the report can spread the report throughout the screen and create a set of separated boxes of information like the following:
Working with Multiple Columns These boxes can then be used for various purposes p like calendars and buttons Creating them will require to utilize the Multiple Column feature of in the details part of the Section Expert Checking this Checkbox will open the Layout tab In the Layout tab you can determine the size of each box and its printing direction (horizontal or vertical)
Working with Multiple Columns By knowing the page size e(e.g. A4, A3, letter e etc.) ec)you can determine how many buttons will appear on the screen. A4 width is 21 cm so setting the width to 3 will create 7 buttons on every row on the screen. Checking the Across then Down will ensure that the information will be printed horizontally. Checking the Format Groups with multiple column will add the reports group to the column layout.
Creating Drill Down Link Now that we know how to create 7 buttons in each row all we need is to know how each button can be used as Drill Down link Subreports can be called on demand and be presented on the screen only as a text link The text in the link can show a Field s content (On Demand Subreport Caption) The subreport is triggered after clicking the link and can show information that is based on data from the main report
Create Monthlyand Weekly Calendars
Creating the Calendar Layout So let s take these 7 buttons layout and create a monthly calendar It s easy to create the titles with the Days in the Page Header The first calendar day can be calculated easily with built in functions in Crystal Reports For each month there is a need to save maximum of 6 rows (42 records) Each calendar box represent a day in the month which can be linked to TrackWise datefields.
Calendar Subreport The calendar box is a subreport that multiplies in the number of days in each month. The date fields we would like to use can be linked to the specific date in the current location of the box Then we will present the desired data in the subreport for all records withthatthat specific date (e.g. Short Description, Assigned To etc.) The logged in user can also be linked to show only tasks related to them with the nuserrelid parameter.
Additional Tips and Tricks for Better Reports
Creating a Link to TrackWise Record With dynamic link created in the report the user can go directly from a dashboard report to the specific record on the desktop The link should use the TrackWise URL link rules so we need to add the system _ flags table to the report (where the URL link is kept) p) We need to open the Select Expert and choose System_Flags.Name is equal to TrackWise Web TeamAccess URL We need to Right click on the record ID presented on the report click format field ld go to the Hyperlink tab and pick A Website on the Internet The link can then be built in the formula editor as: {System_flags.s_value} + "/Gateway.html? + totext({pr.id},0,"")
Dynamic Assignment Calendar By formatting fields and boxes and with a lot of patience you can create a Gantt chart in crystal reports. By creating a box and a title field for each day and conditionally color each box or suppress each field an audit program can be printed.
Dynamic Assignment Calendar The final result can be staggering and can definitely demonstrate the power of formatting.
Adding a Watermark to a Report A watermark is a graphical or textual element that is placed behind the data of your report. Examples of useful watermarks are your company logo, or the word Draft. We should Insert the graphic or text to appear behind the rest of the report in a page header section. In the Section Expert of the section we ve used (where we placed the watermark graphics) we will check Underlay Following Sections
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