The Crystal Reports Underground News:

 Archives for years 2010 to current:

Volume 2013.05

• Server-based scheduler comparison (2013)
• Crystal Reports vs SSRS
• Formula for age in years and months
• Date groups that don't do what you expect
• Saved data vanishes when you narrow the criteria.
• Copying text into Crystal Reports
• SQL union vs cross join
• Better way to change the row/column field of a cross-tab
• Using SQL commands in ABRA HR
  

Volume 2013.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2013 update)
• Discount on purchases of Find it EZ
• Using metric rulers in design or preview
• Font sizes inside charts
• CR versions over time 2013
• Using auto-complete in Crystal Reports formulas
• SQL expression bug in v9, v10, v11(XI)
• Using SQL commands in ABRA HR

Volume 2013.01

• Crystal Reports Server-based deployment options (2013)
• A better way to suppress sections
• Table-based reports vs custom written SQL
• Days between (excluding Sundays)
• Strange behavior with IIF
• Mixing Number and Currency Values
• Comparing Pentaho to JasperSoft\
• My new employee, "Crystal" (?)

Volume 2012.11

• Annual review of Crystal Reports formula UFLs
• Accurate totals in a Many-to-Many situation
• The third way to split a section
• Doing a UNION across databases
• Crystal Reports and QuickBooks
• New Features in Find It EZ
• DataLink Viewer adds a Visualizer
• A new way to Tweet report data
• Another free PDF generating printer driver

Volume 2012.09

• Updated comparison of Crystal Reports viewers
• Why is CR Splitting into two versions?
• Named User Licensing in CR 2011
• Using Crystal Reports to read a MS Windows file folder
• Display strings and null values 
• Using Visual Cut to turn Email messages into useable data
• DataLink Viewer's new 'click' interaction
• Report processing flow chart dropped from the CR help file?
• My class now available in Australia and New Zealand
  

Volume 2012.07

• Comparison of RPT management utilities for 2012
• Another change to PeachTree database
• Beat the rate increase
• A Shared variable that refuses to work
• Slow performance caused by a "split" DSN
• Using 'Set Datasource Location' with a SQL command
• How CR adjusts date values for DateTime fields
• Compliance percentages in a cross-tab
• Old reports with 'new' features?
  

Volume 2012.05

• Update to server-based scheduler comparison
• Custom Function lets your report send a 'tweet'
• New specialized tool to help you "Set Location"
• Do you have your reports backed up?
• New version of rePORTAL, and a 20% discount
• New features in Find it EZ, and a 25% discount
• Using formula fields and calculations in the selection formula
• Exporting to Excel when you have a subreport.
• Calculating the first weekday of the month
  

Volume 2012.03

• Desktop schedulers comparison for 2012
• Vendor responsiveness (good and bad).
• Printing QR codes within your Crystal Reports
• CR versions in use by year
• Creating the text-shadow effect with Crystal Reports fonts
• Creating a hanging indent
• Stripping numbers off the end of a string
• Don't start your formula names with spaces
• Making SQL commands more efficient
• Other recent blog articles:
• More on controlling colors from formulas
• Confusion over 32-bit and 64-bit ODBC
• Visual Cut now exports to XLSX format
• Problems with the new PeachTree upgrade

Volume 2012.01

• Server based deployment options compared (2012 update)
• Another Free Viewer for Crystal Reports
• A total of a formula instead of a formula of totals
• Controlling the color of many objects from one formula
• Case sensitivity in Crystal Reports
• Find it EZ adds support for Dashboards and SQL
• Strange printer behavior at runtime
• Dynamic parameter limit on "list of values"
• Other recent blog articles:
• Running v8.5 reports in later versions of CR
• Five intangible metrics

Volume 2011.11

• Crystal Reports formula function libraries (2011 update)
• CR 2008 service pack 4
• Find it EZ offers a 30 % discount
• ReCrystallize Pro v14 is released
• Grouping transactions by season
• Why distinct count subtotals don't add up to the distinct count grand totals
• Mystery line in PDFs
• Resetting the toolbars and the 'explorer' panels
• Null values and the selection formula

Volume 2011.09

• Comparison of Crystal Reports Viewers (2011 update)
• Helpful features of the linking window
• Using CRLogger.dll to troubleshoot database issues
• Resetting SQL Errors
• Why does CR sometimes add '1' to a table name?
• CUT Light UFL provides distance calculation
• Ninite.com installs and updates free software applications.
• Other recent blog articles:
• Free copy of Report Runner by Jeff-Net
• CR XI dynamic parameters in CR Server 2008 

Volume 2011.07

• Comparison of RPT Management Utilities (2011 update)
• New Crystal Server 2011 and BO Edge 4.0 for Small/Medium Businesses
• CR 2011 free developer features vs full developer features
• SAP discontinues most prior versions
• Generating an Excel pivot table from a Crystal Report
• Price drop on cViewMANAGER
• Exporting to RPT format
• DataLink Viewer now available with the CR 2011 runtime 
• Other recent blog articles:
• Date parameter prompt errors
• Free printer drivers solve issue with Zebra printers
• Doing a "distinct count" in Excel 

Volume 2011.05

• New features in Crystal Reports 2011 
• License changes in Crystal Reports 2011 
• Comparison of server-based schedulers (2011 Update)
• Tools for troubleshooting
• Case study for UNION of daily files 
• New Crystal Reports licensing overview 
• Formatting chart dates (part 2) 
• Mysterious blank pages 
• Other recent blog articles: 
• Crystal Reports 2011 release notes 
• Evaluate CR Server "in the cloud" (or maybe not) 
• Odd error using ODBC to IBM U2 
• Classic VB runtime and PDF exports

Volume 2011.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2011 Update)
• Crystal Reports suggestion box
• Drawing tables in a Crystal Report
• Generating a UNION from the Linking window
• Formatting chart dates
• Number formats in the legend of a pie chart 
• Other recent blog articles:
• Row Level Security in CR Server
• Dynamic parameters stop working with CR 2008 SP3?

Volume 2011.01

• Crystal Reports 2011 (coming soon)
• Take my new Crystal Reports test
• Export to a PDF that allows for drill-down
• Server based deployment Options compared (2011 update)
• Using Approximate Joins
• Does IsNull() let you filter a Left Outer Join?
• Other recent blog articles:
• Sample "Time Master" Report from SAP
• Missing export formats in an application
• Grey background when printing an image

Volume 2010.11

• Crystal Reports Function Libraries Compared
• Shortcut Keys in Crystal Reports
• Using Autosave in Crystal Reports
• Exports to ODBC and null dates
• When Crystal is too helpful
• Other recent blog articles:
• Restore Characters Per Inch prompt in text exports
• Crystal Reports Service Pack 3 and saved data problems

Volume 2010.09

• Crystal Reports Viewers
• Free download of Xcelsius
• Crystal Reports on Windows 7, 64-bit
• Fixed length text exports using Cut Light
• Setting the RGB color of multiple fields at the same time
• Mixing single values and ranges in the select expert
• Other recent blog posts:
• Reportapalooza
• Embedding an XSD into an XML file

Volume 2010.07

• RPT Management Tools
• Reporting on XML data
• Numeric parameters without commas
• Percentages in Crystal Reports vs Excel
• Preventing Drill-Down
• Other recent blog posts
      Dealing with data types that change at runtime
      Modification date/time bug
      CR rebranded as SAP Crystal Reports, v13 in 2011
      Unlocking the chart "marker size" property

Volume 2010.05

• Server Based Scheduling Engines
• Placing a group of fields onto the report in a column
• Setting a Crystal Report to Any Datasource
• Crystal Reports and barcodes
• The history of Crystal Reports SDKs
• Dynamic images in .NET applications
  

Volume 2010.03

• Desktop Based Scheduling Engines (Review)
• Changes coming for the SAP/BO certification exams
• Advertising on Ken Hamady.com
• Finding all uses of a variable
• Reporting on the Database Schema
• Superscript numbers in a Crystal Report
• Vanishing data in Btrieve
• Screen Problems in the Standard Report Wizard

Volume 2010.01

• Server based options for Deploying Crystal Reports (Review)
• Advertising on KenHamady.com
• Crystal Reports 2010?
• Buying older versions of Crystal Reports
• Using unlinked tables (cross joins)
• "ALT" key temporarily releases guidelines and grid
• Using negative subscripts
• Using the parameter "batch" interface toolbar