Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Sessions 6‐1, 6‐2, 6‐3, 6‐4
Basic Crystal Reports Lab
(Activities)
Presented By:
David Hardy
Progressive Reports
David.hardy@ProgressiveReports.com
WWW.PROGRESSIVEREPORTS.COM
971‐223‐3658
Credits/Revision History
Original Author(s): David Hardy, Progressive Reports
Revised Date: May, 2016
Major Revisions Include:
Monday, October 17
8:30am – 4:15pm | Galleria III
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 1
Pre‐Activity 1: Setting Up ODBC
The Timberline Data Source is automatically created the first time you open Sage 300
Construction and Real Estate. However, you must configure the Timberline Data Source before
you customize reports and invoices.
To set up portability options for a report in the ODBC Setup window, follow these steps.
1. From the Start menu, select All Programs > ODBC > 32bit ODBC Administrator to open the
Data Source Administrator window. (Note: or type “32” from Start > Search Programs and
Files)
2. From the User DSN, System DSN, or File DSN tab, select Timberline Data Source and click
[Configure].
3. In the Timberline Data ODBC Setup window, click [Options] to open the Data Source
Options.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 2
4. Click on [Select Folder] and select Sage Construction Sample Data (or your Live Data folder if
doing this activity in your office).
5. Click on the Options Button at the bottom right and make sure to Remove the check mark
from Shorten field and table names. Leave the check mark on Use maximum table segment
size checked.
1. Click [OK] twice.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 3
Activity 1A: Design Basics
Use the Sage 300 CRE Construction Sample Data. Create a report by doing the following:
Use The Timberline Data Source DSN when building Crystal Reports for Sage 300 CRE.
Open Crystal Reports and start a New report from Scratch. Remember, don’t use the
wizard but rather pick “Blank Report”.
Select the APM_Master__Invoice table and push that table from the left side to the
right side in the Database Expert.
Click [OK].
Drag the following fields from the Field Explorer onto the report and place them directly
in the Detail section:
Vendor ID
Invoice
Description
Amount
Status
Preview the report by clicking the [F5] Key or from the View Menu select [Print
Preview].
If you see data then you know your report is successfully connected to your data.
From the File Menu, Save your report as My Activity 1A.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 4
Activity 1B: Design Basics
Use Report 1A and make the following changes:
Arrange the fields in the following order across the page:
1. Invoice
2. Description
3. Vendor
4. Status
5. Amount
Resize the fields to match the data printing. Also change the size of the headings.
Format the Amount field to print with two decimal places, a comma and currency
symbol once per page.
Right justify the Invoice field and Center justify the Status field.
Change the column headings to print bold and blue.
Save as report 1B.
Preview the report.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 5
Activity 2: Using Text Objects
Use your report 1B as a basis for these changes:
Save as Report 2.
Create text object as a report title.
Increase the font size of the text.
Add a border and drop shadow.
Change the color of the text inside the title.
Center the text object so it will print in the center of the page.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 6
Activity 3: Special Fields
Use your report 2 as a basis for these changes:
Save as Report 3.
Add page number N of M to the page footer in your report.
Decrease the size of the font and right justify.
Add the File Path and Name to the Page Footer section at the left edge.
Decrease the font size and change the color of the font to a gray so that it is lighter.
Print Preview to make sure the report is looking, as you would like it to.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 7
Activity 4: Using Conditions
Use Report 3 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 4.
Add criteria to include only invoices with open status.
Preview the report.
Add another condition to include vendors between 100 and 300.
Refresh your data print preview.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 8
Activity 5: Using Sort Options
Use Report 4 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 5.
Remove the criteria placed on the report in Activity 4.
Sort the report to print in Invoice number order.
Save again and preview the report.
Try adding another sort for a field that is not an actual report field, i.e. invoice date,
Vendor Type, etc. You may need to add another table to the report if you want to sort
on a field from that table.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 9
Activity 6: Add the Vendor Table and Link
Use Report 5 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 6.
Open up the Database‐Database Expert and add the APM_MASTER__VENDOR table to
the report.
Click [OK].
o You will be taken to the Links tab.
Click the button on the right named “Clear Links”.
Drag the Vendor from the Left Table (Invoice) to the Right Table (Vendor) dropping the
vendor field from the Invoice on top of the Vendor Invoice field.
Make sure the Link type is an Inner Join.
Click [OK] when you are done.
Preview the report to make sure you have not lost or gained any records.
Save the Report again.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 10
Activity 7: Using the Grouping Feature
Use Report 6 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 7.
Verify all selection criteria have been removed that was set on previous reports.
If you haven’t already done so, add the Vendor table to the report and link the Vendor
ID from the Invoice table to the Vendor table. Make sure to clear the automatically
created links and then create your own.
Group by Vendor ID, sorted in ascending order
Customize with the Vendor Name as the Group Name field (rather than Vendor ID)
Save again and preview the report.
Add another Group for Status in ascending order.
Delete the Vendor ID field out of the details section.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 11
Activity 8: Summary Options
Use Report 7 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 8A.
Insert a sum type summary to create subtotals for the invoice amounts for both groups
Insert a count of the number of invoices per vendor – print without decimals
Insert text labels for each summary
Save again and preview. (Bronson Signs has both Open and Paid Invoices)
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 12
Continue:
Save as Report 8B.
Add a field to the report that will show the total number of vendors on this report –
print without decimals
Add another field that shows the grand total of the amount (if not already on the report)
Add text labels for each count.
Format the labels and grand total fields to stand out on your report.
Save again and preview.
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 13
Activity 9: Introduction to Formulas
Use Report 8 and make the following changes:
Save as Report 9.
Add “Amount Paid” from the Invoice Table to the right side of the report in the detail
section.
o This may require you bunch things up a bit closer or you may have to turn the page
to landscape.
Create a new formula called “Balance”.
The Balance formula will take the Invoice Amount minus the Invoice Amount Paid fields
from the Invoice table.
Once you have built the formula, drag it too into the design at the far right. Place it in
the details section.
Make sure your column headers have been formatted to look similar to other column
headers in size, font and overall appearance.
Add Subtotals to both the Paid Amount and Balance Columns for Vendor, Status and
Report sections.
Save again and preview
Basic Crystal Reports Lab ‐ 14