I wrote this book from the perspective of a programmer wanting to learn how to integrate reports within a .NET application. I've been working with Crystal Reports since Visual Basic 3 and it's always been difficult to find technical information on report writing. I spent a year and a half researching what .NET programmers need to successfully create, implement and deploy a Crystal Reports application. I even put the book on the internet for everyone to read for free all of last year. This generated an incredible number of emails from programmers telling me what they liked, disliked, and what was missing from the book. I learned that there are two distinct types of .NET programmers using Crystal Reports. The first type of programmer doesn't have much experience with Crystal Reports and wants a series of tutorials to help them build reports from scratch. For this programmer I wrote 13 chapters which teach you everything about adding reports to ASP.NET and Windows applications. It starts with the basics of building reports to adding charts, crosstab reports, sorting and grouping, subreports and using the formula editor with Basic syntax and Crystal syntax. The second type of programmer has been using Crystal Reports for years and is mostly concerned with how to do technical runtime customization of reports. For this programmer I researched and diagrammed the undocumented report object models. I included dozens of examples in both VB.NET and C# to show you how to modify reports, manipulate different data sources (XML, ADO.NET, ODBC, OLE DB, stored procedures with parameters), modify formulas and report parameters, and integrate .NET with the RAS and RDC. The dozens of emails I received when the book was online were instrumental for doing a major revision of many chapters before publishing the book in hardcopy format. Since releasing the book I continue to receive more emails from people. They regret that the free book isn't online anymore, but understand that it couldn't last forever and that the hardcopy version is even better. I hope you like it and that it helps you achieve your reporting goals. September 2004 Update: Due to high demand, I did a second printing of the book. I took advantage of this opportunity to go through the book and remove all grammatical errors. The content is the same, but the typos have been corrected.

Written with experienced .NET programmers in mind, this volume provides in-depth information for integrating Crystal Reports into various applications, fully maps out the Crystal Reports object model, and enables developers to create windows, Web, and enterprise-level reporting solutions. Featuring code samples that can be copied and pasted into the reader's own applications, this manual explores all platforms and programming languages. Completely examining the latest VS.NET 2005 version of the software, this edition is updated with detailed tutorials on every aspect of the program to speed users through the process of creating reports.

What is this book about? The addition of Crystal Reports 9.0 to Visual Studio .NET 2003 offers developers a reporting tool that allows you to turn almost any data into interactive, dynamic content through portals, wireless devices, and Microsoft Office documents. This code-intensive guide takes you step by step through developing reports and incorporating them into applications. First, you gain a thorough understanding of how this version of Crystal Reports differs from previous versions and how it fits into the .NET platform. Then you begin creating reports and learn how to integrate them into both Windows and Web-based applications. You explore XML Web services, find out how to work with ADO.NET, and learn to use formulas and logic in your reports. Finally, you develop distributed reporting applications and discover how to deploy the applications you have created. Packed with real-world examples of working applications, this comprehensive second edition provides a complete understanding of commonly used features, examples of integration with a variety of databases and platforms, and much more. What does this book cover? Here are some details on what you'll discover in this book: Advanced report design Methods for creating reports using the Expert How to integrate reports into Windows and Web-based applications Development and deployment of distributed reporting applications How to create XML Report Web Services and work with ADO.NET Tips for using parameters with Crystal Reports and customizing the report content at run-time Options for working with different data sources How to use the features contained in the properties, methods, and events associated with the Crystal Reports engine Who is this book for? This book is for programmers seeking a comprehensive guide to the functionality of Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET. You should have some experience with .NET and Visual Studio .NET. Some familiarity with Crystal Reports is helpful, although this update includes a large section on report design.

The power of SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services is now available for client-side reporting in Visual Studio 2005. This hands-on guide takes readers step-by-step through the design, development, and deployment of a variety of professional reports for Windows, Web, and Mobile clients. It is the most complete single source of information on this important new feature of Visual Studio 2005. Written for all VS users writing any kind of report, this is the only book that tells the full story of client-side Reporting Services. Its real-world examples clearly and carefully teach how to use and exploit this powerful and increasingly popular technology.

The ComprehensiveCrystal Reports Resource You've Been Looking For Mastering Crystal Reports 9 covers basic reporting skills, but its main purpose is to give you the complete coverage other books don't offer. You'll not only thoroughly learn the powerful features of Crystal Reports 9, but also how to develop custom applications to meet the specific needs of your organization. With Crystal Reports 9, this is more important than ever, because it provides unprecedented new ways to extend its analytical and reporting capabilities and make crucial information available throughout the enterprise. Coverage Includes * Building a report using all core report design elements * Sorting, grouping, and charting data * Connecting to various data source types * Working with multiple tables in a report * Creating custom functions * Adding custom functions, graphics, and SQL commands to the Crystal Repository * Understanding the multi-pass processing model * Creating and using reusable report templates * Retrieving data using SQL queries * Understanding object oriented programming concepts as they relate to Crystal Reports * Deploying reports to the desktop, corporate intranet, or Web * Deploying a report as a web service and with ASP * Creating Windows Crystal Reports applications using Visual Basic or the .NET platform * Using Report Application Server for web-based reporting and analysis

Crystal Reports is a powerful reporting tool that can seamlessly integrate into your application. In Crystal Reports Application Development, Craig Berntson shows you how to take advantage of the RDC so you can provide your users with printing, previewing, and report design capabilities. You'll also learn how to determine which components to distribute and how to troubleshoot problems when they occur on the user's computer. If you're developing reporting tools with Crystal Reports, this is a must have book.