This book covers the features of Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET that you'll find yourself using time and again to build complex reports and integrate them into different .NET applications. We start by explaining how Crystal Reports fits into the .NET platform and how it differs from previous versions of Crystal Reports. Then, we discuss the key techniques we can use:
Creating reports using the Expert
Integrating reports into Windows and web-based applications
Creating XML Report Web Services
Working with ADO.NET
Using Formulas and Logic in our reports
Developing Distributed Reporting Applications
Deploying our applications
Chapter 1 - Crystal Reports.NET Overview: In this chapter, we take our first look at Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET (Crystal Reports.NET), including how the product is different from other version of Crystal Reports, how to find and run the sample applications that are included, and where to find the tutorials that will get you up to speed with the product. We will also take a look at the new Crystal Reports.NET architecture, and learn how it fits in to the .NET Framework. Whether you are an experienced application developer looking to move to Visual Studio .NET or you are developing your first application and have never heard of Crystal Reports, it all starts here.
Chapter 2 - Getting Started with Crystal Reports.NET: 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. By the end of the chapter, we will have the skills to develop our own basic reports and can move on to the actual integration of these reports into our application. If you have used Crystal Reports before, some of the material in this chapter will be familiar.
Chapter 3 - Report Integration for Windows-based Applications: In this chapter, we are going to look at how to integrate and view the reports that we created in the last chapter from Windows applications, and how to customize our reports at run time using the rich object models provided. Throughout the chapter we will be looking at code examples to illustrate the use of various features and by the end of the chapter, we should be familiar with the majority of report integration concepts, and be ready to apply them to our own application development.
Chapter 4 - Report Integration for Web-based Applications: In this chapter, we are going to look at how to integrate and view reports from within web-based applications created with Visual Studio .NET. In addition, we will look at some of the run-time customizations that can be made to our reports, as well as some issues around web-application deployment. As we go through this chapter, we will be building forms for use in web-based reporting applications, which demonstrate many of the features of Crystal Reports.NET that can be used in our own web applications.
Chapter 5 - Creating XML Report Web Services: We have now seen how to integrate reports into Windows and web-based applications, but now we need to learn how to leverage those skills and work with XML Report Web Services. This chapter will teach us to identify what an XML Report Web Service is and understand how it can be used in our application. We will also create a Report Service from an existing Crystal Report and utilize the service with the Crystal Windows or Web Viewer.
Chapter 6 - Working with .NET Data: In this chapter we take a step back to look at what lies underneath the reports we have created - the data our report is based on and how Crystal Reports.NET uses this data. We will look at the way Crystal Reports works with different data sources and how it interacts with ADO.NET. At the end of this chapter, we will have an understanding of how Crystal Reports.NET interacts with different data sources, the options for working with these data sources, and how to use ADO.NET as a data source for our report development.
Chapter 7 - Formulas and Logic: This chapter will narrow our focus to look at where the majority of Crystal Reports development time is spent: writing formulas and logic. We will discover the best way to add calculations and logic to our reports, and learn enough syntax and code to handle most situations. We will also see how to differentiate between the two different 'flavors' of the Crystal Formula Language, and how to write our own record selection and conditional formatting formulas.
Chapter 8 - Working with the Crystal Reports Engine: In this chapter, we will be looking at the Crystal Reports Engine, the functionality it provides and some of the advanced integration techniques that we can use in our own application. We learn to identify when to use the Crystal Reports Engine namespace, how to integrate it into our application, and how to use the features contained within the properties, methods and events associated with the engine.
Chapter 9 - Distributing Your Application: Finally, with our development and testing finished, we will, in this chapter, look at one of the last steps in the software development life cycle - the actual deployment of our application to the end users. We will examine the tools Visual Studio .NET provides to help distribute applications, and how these tools can be used to distribute applications that integrate Crystal Reports. This chapter has been designed so that if you are only interested in deploying Windows applications, you can turn immediately to that section and get started. Likewise, if you are developing web applications, there is a separate section for web deployment. By the end of this chapter, we will be able to identify the set-up and distribution tools within Visual Studio .NET, and understand how they can be used to package and distribute our application. We will also be able to create a set-up package from an application that integrates Crystal Reports and successfully install it on a target machine.