Chapter 2: Getting Started with Crystal Reports.NET

Overview

In the first chapter, we had a look at Crystal Reports.NET, and had a brief overview of some of its features and benefits. With that out of the way, it is time to actually get started using the tool.

In this chapter, we will be looking at the Crystal Reports Designer within Visual Studio .NET and learn how to create and import reports for use in Windows or Web applications. This will include:

Planning Your Report Design

Creating a Report Using an Expert

Working with the Report Design Environment

Report Design Basics

Advanced Report Design Techniques

Optimizing Report Performance

By the end of the chapter, you will have the skills to develop your own basic reports and can move on to the actual integration of these reports into your application. If you have used Crystal Reports before, some of the material in this chapter will be familiar. Crystal Reports.NET builds on the features and concepts found in previous versions of Crystal Reports, but there are some things that are unique to this version, which will be identified throughout this book.

Keep in mind that this book is not designed to be the exhaustive reference on report design - that could take an entire book by itself (and there are a few out there). We have deliberately focused on the integration side, on how to use Crystal Reports with your application. As the title says, this chapter provides just enough information to get you started with Crystal Reports.NET.