Re: SQL Server and Crystal Reports
Recent projects (not related to migrating away from U2, fortunately) have landed two of these on my desk: "Mastering Crystal Reports 9" by Cate McCoy and Gord Maric "SQL Server 7: A Beginner's Guide" by Dusan Petkovic The CR manual is pretty sharp -- I only ran into trouble when trying to develop custom VB and web interfaces, and then only because of some less-documented "features" that a lot of other people on the community site ran into. If you want things like that solved quickly, be prepared to pay for support. (Note: CR version 10 was released just last month, and this book was published before CR 9 was available.) I can also offer VB source code for a standalone viewer. The SQL manual steps fairly lightly, introducing basics before going into details, and it covers the various parts of SQL Server pretty well. I've had to use trial and error to make some fairly basic relational tables with useful constraints, but having a decent client like SQLExecMS (www.laplas-soft.com) is a tremendous help. You might want another book that focuses on Transact-SQL to flesh this one out. Just an observation: I was really disappointed that with version 9 CR has completely abandoned the standalone report viewer as a means of distribution. I'm sure doing so simplifies their support, shows their ability to support web interfaces, and generates better licensing revenue, but I didn't appreciate all the extra work it took to distribute a few reports to just a handful of users. HTH, David Beahm Mark Johnson wrote: I would like to know the best beginning books for either of these two topics. I don't yet want a reference, rather to know if 'Dummies' Books are appropriate or if anyone else has better beginning selections. My UD client migrating to these wants to keep me and this is the environment. thanks. -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
Re: SQL Server and Crystal Reports
Mark, I don't know about SQL books, but I have found the Crystal manuals to be all that I needed to customize forms for our clients who have used Crystal Reports. The manuals are pretty good - they included enough examples to get me going! Susan M. Lynch F.W. Davison & Company, Inc. - Original Message - From: "Mark Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 7:16 AM Subject: SQL Server and Crystal Reports I would like to know the best beginning books for either of these two topics. I don't yet want a reference, rather to know if 'Dummies' Books are appropriate or if anyone else has better beginning selections. My UD client migrating to these wants to keep me and this is the environment. thanks. -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
RE: SQL Server and Crystal Reports
Mark, Not quite an answer to your question, but the first thing I would do would be to get your client to set up an MSDN subscription. The library will help you loads once you get past the initial learning curve and need to see how to do things, and has sample applications to check out. Remember that if you want to 'play', you can load a copy of the MSDE (Microsoft Data Engine) which is fully SQL server compatible (available with professional versions of Office, Visual Studio 6 and .Net) but has a smaller footprint and no licence requirements. As well as SQL Server, (SQL and TransactSQL) you will probably need to know about the various interfaces, so the MSDN is a good choice for reference materials on subjects such as OleDB (ADO). I don't know what the various editions cost - we get the Enterprise edition which is pricey, but not for what you get, and includes a 10 user SQL server licence as well as licences for all the MS platforms, office versions, development tools etc. If your client wants to retain you this could be a very good investment on their part. Regards, Brian Leach -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mark Johnson Sent: 11 February 2004 12:17 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: SQL Server and Crystal Reports I would like to know the best beginning books for either of these two topics. I don't yet want a reference, rather to know if 'Dummies' Books are appropriate or if anyone else has better beginning selections. My UD client migrating to these wants to keep me and this is the environment. thanks. -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users This email was checked by MessageLabs SkyScan before entering Microgen. This email was checked on leaving Microgen for viruses, similar malicious code and inappropriate content by MessageLabs SkyScan. DISCLAIMER This email and any attachments are confidential and may also be privileged. If you are not the named recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose, or store or copy the information. In the event of any technical difficulty with this email, please contact the sender or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Microgen Information Management Solutions http://www.microgen.co.uk -- u2-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.oliver.com/mailman/listinfo/u2-users
