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(For recent updates read my BLOG, The Crystal Reports Underground )

The Crystal Reports Underground News - Volume 2003.06 (June 2003)
an independent source for Crystal Reports Information by Ken Hamady
Contents for June, 2003:
** Crystal Response to Broadcast Scenarios
** "Best Class I've Taken.."
** Microsoft Reporting Services Beta program
** Crystal Decisions Going Public?
** Parameter Fields with an Up-To-Date Pick List
** The Expert's Guide to Crystal Reports Formulas
** RAS ePortfolio parameter limits
** BC Users Group
** Report File Name without the path in v7
** Quick Reference to Crystal Reports in Visual Basic
** Read back issues at http://www.kenhamady.com/news.html

Crystal Response to Broadcast Scenarios:
Last month I mentioned the new Crystal Decisions Broadcast licensing policy.  The highlight is that the license to do automated distribution (broadcasting) now comes for free when you buy (and register) the CR9 Advanced Edition.  That makes broadcasting into a $2,000 expense instead of the $100,000 landmine that I described in April.  This is a move in the right direction.

If you have CR already, you qualify for an upgrade price which is less than $1,400 from web sites like Atomic Park.  At this price, the precise definition of broadcasting has become much less of an issue to many users.  They will simply upgrade to V9a rather than worry about the murky license games I have been describing for 2 years.

The good news is that all of the distribution scenarios that I outlined for CD are allowed under the new Advanced Edition license scheme. A summary of these scenarios is below.  Now, I hate to seem ungrateful after a $98,000 reduction in the price.  But, here is the not-as-good news:

1) You must *register* the Advanced Edition to be eligible for this license. 
2) It still costs $100,000 to get broadcast rights for any v8.x report.
3) The definition of broadcasting in both versions has been broadened by CD.

With these points in mind, some of you might still need to know the precise definition of broadcasting.  I have posted on my web site the current response from CD to some example scenarios.  It is now clear that CD changed the definition of broadcasting between the fall of 2002 and the spring of 2003.  It no longer matters if the files were generated manually.  What matters now is the last step in the delivery process.  Below are some examples that highlight the line between allowable distribution and broadcasting.

Assume that you have an audience of more than 50 users, and you share reports with them "regularly" .

Web Sites - If you schedule exports to a local folder, and then manually transfer the files to the web for viewing, this is not Automated Distribution.  But if you schedule exports that go directly to a web accessible folder, that is automated distribution.

Web Site "Autoresponders" - If a user sends an Email and automatically receives a response with instructions to download a file, this is in itself not automated distribution.  But, if the user receives an Email with an attached report file, this is "automated distribution".  Also, if the RPT file was posted to the web folder automatically, this is also automated distribution even if it is downloaded.

Email Distribution- Take an application that allows you to generate 51 Email messages with one click, and queue them up in your Outbox.  This is not automated distribution as long as it takes another click to send them.  But if your application both generates and sends the Email messages with one click, this is automated distribution. 

In the fall, the only one of these that was considered broadcasting was scheduling to a web folder, because that is fully automated from generation to distribution.  To read the latest on these, use the following links and go to the bottom of each page:

    http://www.kenhamady.com/license9.html
    http://www.kenhamady.com/cbl9.html


"BEST class I've taken":
This past week I taught 2 classes in Leesburg, VA.  One student came all the way from Red Bank, New Jersey.  And, like last month, most of the students rated my class as the BEST technical class they've taken.  They also like the fact that my classes usually have 5 students or less, so they have lots of time for discussing real life reporting issues. 

In addition to Leesburg I also offer Crystal classes in Frederick, MD.  Dates, course outlines and registration info are on my website at:
    http://www.kenhamady.com/public.html

Or better yet - schedule a private class at your office, with your data.  This is my favorite way to teach, and I charge about half of what Crystal charges for on-site classes.  I have taught over 1500 satisfied students so far.  Call for more information at (540) 338-0194.


Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Beta Program:
Microsoft's SQL Server Reporting Services is scheduled to go Beta in August and is supposed to be released by the end of the year.  They are accepting applications for the Beta program.  I have links to the Beta program on my Rosetta page below:

http://www.kenhamady.com/rosetta.html


Crystal Decisions Going Public:
Crystal Decisions has just announced that they are starting the process of going public.  Taking a company public usually means trying to time the sale to the peak of the company's value, so maybe CD management feels that the company is now nearing peak value.  Read more about it on Crystal's web site.

http://www.crystaldecisions.com/about/press/releases/2003/052301.asp


Parameter Fields with an Up-To-Date Pick List:
This month I would like to show you 2 products that help you manage parameter fields in Crystal.  As my students know, Crystal parameter prompts can provide the user with a 'pick list' of default values.  This pick list can be taken from the database at design time, but it is not dynamic at runtime.  To update the list with new database values, you normally have to open each  report in Crystal and refresh the list. 

Crystal has not shown much interest in improving this feature by providing a dynamic pick list, so the only solution has been to create your own front end application in something like VB.  This way you can query the database separately from the report, and then pass the chosen value(s) to the report through the code.  Of course, not everyone is a programmer.  Here are 2 other options to consider:

1) Chelsea Technologies has added a handy new utility to their web site called CView Pick ($110).  You select a group of reports that have the same parameter and then select a database field to query for parameter values.  CView Pick will query the field, and load the values into all of the reports at once.  You can even schedule CView Pick to run automatically, to keep your parameter fields up to date.  Use it with the CView Viewer and you can run your reports without Crystal Reports.

2) Millet Software provides a different solution in the Data-Link Viewer.  This product allows you to run any report without Crystal Reports.  It also allows you to create a mini-report to fill any parameter field.  When you run your primary report, the Data Link Viewer automatically launches the mini report to generate a real-time pick list.  And there is no limit to the number of entries in the list.

Find both of these products on the LINKS page of my web site.


The Expert's Guide to Crystal Reports Formulas:
Learn to write and understand formulas like a Pro with "The Expert's Guide to Crystal Reports Formulas".  I take you from the basics all the way through variables, arrays and looping logic.  I explain HOW, WHY and WHEN to use these techniques and provide tips and tricks that are rarely taught in classes.

The guide includes 28 annotated reports and 45 no-nonsense pages of detailed explanations.  The cost is only $36 and you can download it immediately with most Credit Cards.  For more details, visit my website at:

    http://www.kenhamady.com/form00.html


RAS ePortfolio Parameter Limits:
The RAS version of Crystal Enterprise comes with an 'out-of-the-box' front end, the ePortfolio lite.  One user recently shared an "undocumented feature" of this application with me. 

As mentioned above, parameters can have a list of default values.  When you load these from the database you will usually get the first 500 values in the list.  To get beyond 500 you can tweak your registry.   When a report is refreshed from a local client viewer or from within Crystal Reports, the 500 parameter values will all appear in the pick list.   But ePortfolio lite will only show the first 50 values at runtime, not the full 500.  CD Tech Support confirmed that this is a "fixed limitation", and that there is no way to alter this with ASP code or in the registry.   Their suggestion is to create your own interface instead of using ePortfolio lite. 


BC Users Group:
The Crystal Decisions Regional User Group of BC (CDUGBC) is having their June meeting on Friday, June 27 from 8:30am to 12:15 pm.  It will be held at BCIT in Burnaby, and there will be 2 tracks of workshops to choose from.  The meeting is free but registration is required.  See the following link for details.

    http://www.cdugbc.org/register.asp.


Report File Name without the path:
One of my favorite special fields is he "File Path and Name" field.  This prints the name and location of the RPT being run.  However, it always prints with the complete path, which is often not needed.  So, I have added a new formula on my Formulas page to extract just the file name (with our without the extension).  I have written the formula so that it works in V7 - V9.  See formula number 20 on the formulas page of my web site.


VB Quick Reference Guide, updated for v9:
If you use Crystal Reports in VB applications, you should get my Quick Reference Guide.  It gives an overview of the different integration methods, syntax examples for the most common commands and troubleshooting tips.  It also comes with source code examples including a simple report viewer.  It is only $16 and you can usually have it within an hour.  Follow the link below for more details:   

    http://www.kenhamady.com/vbref.html
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Contact Information
Ken Hamady, MS
525K East Market St.  PMB 299
Leesburg, VA 20176
(540) 338-0194
ken@kenhamady.com
http://www.kenhamady.com

Copyright 2003 by Ken Hamady
All rights reserved - Republishing this material requires written permission