Chapter 1: Getting the Feel of Crystal Reports 10

Overview

It is now a forgone conclusion that the personal computer has replaced larger minicomputers and mainframes as the Information Technology choice for the vast majority of companies conducting business in North America and abroad. And, the way that many computer users interact with these systems is changing as well. While Windows-based applications are still very engrained in business, the Web is being looked to more and more as the next technology to support multiuser applications.

As part of this migration, the business world is also quickly adopting buzzwords to describe the new systems. Terms such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and business intelligence (BI) are being liberally tossed around more frequently. ERP systems from such vendors as PeopleSoft, Oracle, Baan, SAP, and others are organizing and managing human resources, accounting, inventory, and billing functions for businesses of all sizes. Microsoft, through acquisitions and development, is now offering CRM and accounting software. Other, more specialized PC-based applications used in manufacturing, medicine, service businesses, and countless other areas are also in wide use.

Most of these systems all have one core thing in common: an industry-standard database program to manage the data. But after thousands, or often millions, of pieces of data have been put into these databases, how can you extract the right data in a meaningful form? One rule that hasn t changed as computer systems have matured is the necessity to get out what you put in. A tool must exist to extract and summarize all of this data in a meaningful fashion ”in a way that allows key decision makers to know what s really happening with their business and how to move forward in the best possible direction.

While these varied information systems may have certain analysis and reporting capabilities out of the box, many users of database-based systems need more capabilities to create their own specialized views of their centralized data. There is a plethora of query, graphic, spreadsheet, and analysis tools. Still, probably the most often used method of garnering information from corporate information systems is the tried-and-true report. Enter the database report writer.