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The Crystal Reports Underground News:

Archive for years 2018 and later
Archive for years 2010 - 2017 (48 issues)
Archive for years 2005 - 2009 (34 issues)
Archive for years 2001 - 2004 (38 issues)

 Archives for years 2010 to 2017:

Volume 2017.11

• Crystal Reports formula function libraries (2017)
• Microsoft breaks spreadsheet drivers with update
• Formula that calculates all US federal holidays
• SQL Function "cheat sheet" for writing commands
• Report hyperlinks that export to a PDF
• New Crystal Reports viewer
• Find it EZ partners with reportal
• Save money on reportal
• Gems from the Archives:   
  • Free MICR font turns blank security paper into checks - Nov 2007
  • Don't rouse sleeping tables - Sept 2007

Volume 2017.09

• Updated comparison of Crystal Reports viewers (2017)
• Crystal Reports Language for Notepad++
• Using NotePad++ for formulas or SQL Commands
• Doing a Maximum "horizontally" as opposed to "vertically"
• 25% off Find it EZ products
• Free software for the Houston area
• Set Location in a Progress database
• Additional parameter values are needed ….
• Gems from the Archives:
  • ToNumber() vs Val() (2007)
  • Using table inflation to generate multiple labels (2007)

Volume 2017.07

• RPT management utilities for 2017
• Crystal Reports versions over time (2017)
• Possible solution the cascading subreport failure
• Refresh prompt when you change pages?
• Caution when using "Select Distinct"
• Sorting numbers that come after letters
• Date range parameters for dates stored as strings
• A switch to turn "stealth" subreports on and off
• Gems from the Archives: 
  • Recover a corrupted RPT File (Nov 2006)
  • Formula naming tips (Nov 2006)

Volume 2017.05

• Server-based scheduler comparison (2017)
• Reports on a phone with no server to setup
• Adding an inflation table (Part 1)
• Adding an inflation table (Part 2)
• Creating a master "dates" table on the fly.
• Using OLEDB to read MS Excel or MS Access files
• Recurring subreports cause "cascading" failure
• How to "break" specified order grouping
• Gems from the Archives:  
  • A line that grows based on a condition (Sept 2006)
  • When "Repeat Group Header" won't repeat (Sept 2006)

Volume 2017.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2017 update)
• Security vulnerabilities in Crystal Reports web apps
• Visual Cut adds RPT management
• Save money on rePORTAL
• Finding the last day of the month
• "Poor man's" row level security
• Today's date in SQL Server
• Using the NthSmallest() Function
• A simpler way to maintain formatting conditions
• Gems from the Archives:
  • Date parameters in a command with DateTime Fields July 2006
  • One parameter for 2 different commands July 2006

Volume 2017.01

• Web based deployment options compared (2017)
• Reduced prices for the "Expert" series
• New web portal from ChristianSteven Software
• ReCrystalize releases ReCrystalize Server web portal
• Group-specific subreport that only hits the database once
• Renaming image objects
• Putting a watermark under lines or boxes
• Adding comments to formulas
• Gems from the Archives:   
  • Setting section height numerically May 2006
  • Printing "Continued on Next Page" July 2006

Volume 2016.11

• Crystal Reports formula function libraries (2016)
• Save 10% on Crystal Reports
• Automatically translate report text to another language
• Using Crystal's pre-programmed date ranges
• Custom date format in charts
• Sorting on a memo field
• Date vs DateSerial
• Slope, intercept and correlation of x-y coordinates
• Gems from the Archives
  • Copying Objects Within a Report (March 2006)
  • Copying Objects to Another Report (March 2006)

Volume 2016.09

• Milestones
• Updated comparison of Crystal Reports viewers (2016)
• Deleting all unused formulas at once
• Mixing (AND and OR) or (AND and IF THEN ELSE)
• More ways to find where a field is in use
• A very old way to find where a field is in use
• Field is in use? The last resort
• Questions related to commands
• Adding a ratio calculation to a cross-tab
• Gems from the Archives:   
  • How to format a paragraph with a "hanging indent" (Nov 2005)
  • Conditional Drill-Down (Jan 2006) 

Volume 2016.07

• RPT management utilities for 2016
• Crystal Reports 2016 new features
• SAP embraces the Crystal ecosystem
• Crystal Reports versions over time (2016)
• Special offer from Find it EZ
• When "Size and position" won't do what you want.
• Reading spreadsheets in XLSX format
• Extra characters in PDF export
• Gems from the Archives:
  • How to format a paragraph with a "hanging indent" (Nov 2005)
  • Conditional Drill-Down (Jan 2006)
    

Volume 2016.05

• Crystal Reports 2016 for sale by mistake?
• Server-based scheduler comparison (2016)
• Crystal Reports and duplex printing
• Suppress the Page Header on the last pages
• DateDiff gives some surprising results
• Custom functions in Crystal Reports
• Another option for sharing arrays
• Getting MAS 90 to run reports with SQL commands
• Bug in the Crystal Reports "Alert" feature
• Gems from the Archives:
  • "New Page After" on group 2 orphans group footer 1 (July 2005)
  • Chart on a Parameter Value (September 2005)

Volume 2016.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2016 update)
• Turn a Crystal Report into a web dashboard
• 2016 updates to Find it EZ
• Sage 50 update might disable some reports
• Find the first/last date that meets a condition
• Linking tables without dragging
• Document from SAP on Excel exports
• Shared array variable vs recurring subreport
• Gems from the Archives:
  • A few tricks I learned from my students (May 2005)
  • Copying and pasting cross-tabs to Excel (June 2005)

Volume 2016.01

• Web based deployment options compared (2016)
• Alternatives to Crystal Reports
• Crystal Reports 2016
• SAP "Idea Place"
• Troubleshooting a missing record
• Keyboard shortcuts in the Formula Editor
•  Failed to Export the Report (PDF)
•  Reset 'locked' SQL in Crystal Reports.
•  Gems from the Archives   
  •  A formula that finds Easter for any year (March 2015)
  •  An improved formula for getting the report file name (March 2015)

Volume 2015.11

• Crystal Reports formula function libraries (2015 update)
• Another free viewer, RptView
• Can Crystal Reports store passwords?
• Cross-tabs calculated before/after group selection
• Read a Google Sheets spreadsheet from Crystal
• SQL expression pulls values from a code table
• More efficient SQL for returning the last record
• Amazon joins the cloud based BI club
• ContinueContinued support for Crystal Reports
• Gems from the Archives
  • Selecting an ODBC Connection at runtime (January 2005)
  • Getting reports from spreadsheet data (February 2005)

Volume 2015.09

• RPT management utilities for 2015
• Updated comparison of Crystal Reports viewers (2015)
• Comparing Crystal to other reporting tools
• One useful free open source application (Crystal Report Exporter)
• Another useful free (or paid) application (DocumentBurster)
• Suppress trailing zeros in decimal values
• Export subreports to Excel with TTX format
• Missing dll for reading Windows folders
• The function to nowhere.
• Gems from the Archive
  •  SQL Expressions that do Correlated Subqueries (November 2004)
  •  When using a Command can Slow Things Down (November 2004)

Volume 2015.07

• RPT management utilities for 2015
• Crystal Reports versions over time (2015)
• PeopleSoft dropping support for Crystal Reports
• Date parameters when your dates are numeric
• Customizing the formula editor
• RPT management for the enterprise level
• Is your viewer or scheduler vendor AWOL?  Get 20% off from R-Tag
• Automating "Database > Set Location"
• Formula names that end with spaces
• Export file names forced to lower case
• Gems from the Archives
  • Distinct Sum when duplicates are not consecutive (October 2004)
  • Tricks to using the Mailing Label Wizard (October 2004)

Volume 2015.05

• Server-based scheduler comparison (2015)
• Comparing reporting tools
• Chart labels that include subtotals
• Testing a report that has to be run from application
• Harnessing the index, from 20 minutes to 8 Seconds
• Merging instances, another performance boost
• How to change the order of the links in Crystal
• Missing Sage custom functions
• Other articles:
  • SAP systems vulnerable to cyber attacks?
• Gems from the Archives
  • When Crystal tries to be "helpful" (and how to avoid it) (April 2009)
  • Alternate Method for Splitting a Section (April 2009)

Volume 2015.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2015 update)
• My new website layout
• Using regular expressions in Crystal formulas
• Returning the name of the database
• Extra headings for a cross-tab
• Ranking groups based on a 'ratio' formula
• Spreadsheet doesn’t list any tables
• ToText() function throws in an extra space.
• Calculating age for a ‘leap-day’ birth date
  Gems from the Archives:
• Using the Performance Info feature
• Finding groups where the last record meets a criteria

Volume 2015.01

• Web based deployment options compared (2015)
•  Is Crystal Reports in decline?
• Printing single-character fractions
• Eliminate zero bars in a bar chart
• IE security setting breaks parameters
• You should activate the AutoSave feature
• The ) is missing ?!?
• Group tree takes you to the wrong page
• Gems from the Archives:
• Doing a SELECT in a SQL Expression field:(Volume 2003.12)
• Vertical Height of a box gets locked (Volume 2004.03)

Volume 2014.11

• Crystal Reports formula function libraries (2014)
• Free report management tool from Jeff-Net
• Two new report management tools 
• Set Location" on a batch of reports
• ReCrystallize Light
• "Instant" Data Dictionary 
• Report changes triggered by rpt location
• Field disappears during Verify Database 
• Other blog articles
• Working with binary fields in SQL
• Java script error on the Crystal Reports start page  
• Gems from the Archives    
• The chart changes based on parameter values chosen? (Volume 2003.11)
• Some Functions not allowed when writing custom Functions (Volume 2003.11)

Volume 2014.09

• RPT management utilities for 2014 
• Updated comparison of Crystal Reports viewers (2014) 
• Highlighting individual rows and columns in a cross-tab 
• Reporting on 'multi-value' fields 
• Code Search Pro 2014 
• Eliminating trailing zeros in decimal numbers 
• Select records after the most recent business day 
• Finding fields in use outside of formulas 
• Prior versions, service packs, runtime and merge modules 
• Gems from the Archives 
• When "Select Distinct" doesn't work   
• "Convert Null to Default" is disabled?  

Volume 2014.07

• RPT management utilities for 2014
• Crystal Reports and dashboards
• My library of Crystal Reports materials
• Automatically fill in "Overridden Qualified Table Names"
• Formula failures without error messages
• Let me create your Crystal Reports
• Syntax error or access violation
• Add a blank section, and the totals change?
• Open enrollment Crystal classes in Frederick, MD
• Source Code for RPT management software for sale
• Crystal Reports for Enterprise
• Gems from the Archives 
•  Report File Name without the path
• Displaying values of multiple and range parameters

Volume 2014.05

• Server-based scheduler comparison (2014) 
• A calendar for multi-day events
• A Daily Appointment Calendar
•  Options for displaying zero values
• "Saved Data" Select Expert/Formula
• R-tag introducing a lower priced scheduler edition
• Searching for SAP support articles
•  Sage/PeachTree drops CR, adds a new BI tool  
• Gems from the Archives  
• Preventing Unwanted Drill-Down (Volume 2003.04)
• Section Background Color that fades gradually (Volume 2003.04)

Volume 2014.03

• Comparison of desktop-based schedulers (2014 update) 
• R-tag Report Manager for FREE 
• A single prompt for selecting a specific month
• New auto-refresh feature in DataLink Viewer 
• Applying the same format to many fields 
• Dashes and strange sorting 
• Changing page numbers to letters 
• CR versions over time 2014 
• Gems from the Archives
• Displaying Range Parameters with "No Lower/Upper Bound" (Volume 2002.11)
• Currency Symbol Codes (Volume 2002.12)  

Volume 2014.01

• Web based deployment options compared (2014)
• Save $100 on PDF-eXPLODE
• Cut Light brings VLookup to your formulas
• Crystal Reports 2013
• Grouping by multiple values in one record (multi-value field)
• Converting a scientific notation string
• Auto-linking tables by key 
• Subreports in a Sage/Mas environment
• Other recent blog articles:
• Limitations in the Crystal Reports .NET runtime
• Troubleshooting from Screen shots
• Gems from the Archives:    
• Reporting on Data that Isn't There (Volume 2002.08)
• "Cloaking" a group in a report (Volume 2002.10)