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New to Crystal

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Katfra
Advanced Member
Posts: 30
Advanced Member
3/19/2010 1:05 PM

    Hello,

    I have some very basic questions so please bear with me.   I had crystal training for Lawson in March of last year and after returning, I had learned a lot but my company was going through some changes which required me to direct my attention to other pressing issues.  So, basically i have forgotten the core of what i need to know. 

    First, I'm using Crystal Reports XI along with Lawson Query Builder.  We discussed Lawson query builder breifly on the last day of training and so i'm not sure what teh differences between DME, Passthrough, AGS, IDA, Get Attachments and Metadata Commands are. 

    Secondly, what is the best practice when in crystal to access the data in the Query Builder?  My first question is do i select my fields in Lawson Query Builder before i open Crystal or do i access Query Builder when i'm in Crystal by selecting "Make New Connection"?  I'm currently using OLE DB. 

    Again, when going through the training classes, we didn't use the Lawson Query Builder or if we did, it didnt' have the look and feel as the one i'm using now. 

    If anyone could help get me started, i would greatly appreciate it and i'm sure it may only prompt more questions on my end. 

    Thank you,

    Frank

    mark.cook
    Veteran Member
    Posts: 444
    Veteran Member
    3/19/2010 1:30 PM
      When you use the query builder, do the make a new connection (you can also select from Historical after you've done this the first time), then choose your fields. This will bring the query into the report with the fields selected. This is a good way if you are unfamiliar with tables to get your feet wet with relationships between tables without having to go through a bunch of documentation.

      I'd say if you build a good deal of reports or need them to run faster you will find OLEDB to hold you back in what you can accomplish with other connections, commands, stored procedures, etc.

      Chris Martin
      Veteran Member
      Posts: 277
      Veteran Member
      3/19/2010 6:21 PM
        If you are using Query Builder/OLEDB Connection, then the command you want to select is DME (8.x) or Report (LSF9).

        As Mark indicated, you start with Crystal and add an OLEDB connection. If the Query Builder is installed on the same machine as the Crystal Reports app that you are using, it will prompt you to log in. After you are logged, select the DME/Report command to develop your query.

        Regarding OLEDB vs ODBC, there are definitely advantages to both. Since OLEDB hides the often complex relationships between tables, it can be very useful for adhoc querying by users not intimately familiar with the tables. I wouldn't definitely recommend ODBC for your enterprise level production reporting needs for performance reasons, but also for the ability to develop complex sql queries not possible with OLEDB. There have been some good writeups on OLEDB vs ODBC, including on this site.
        John Henley
        Posts: 3353
        3/19/2010 7:14 PM
          If you look at the articles on this page, you will see there are some dealing with Crystal and the OLEDB provider:
          https://www.lawsonguru.co...eportingCrystal.aspx

          Thanks for using the LawsonGuru.com forums!
          John
          Katfra
          Advanced Member
          Posts: 30
          Advanced Member
          3/31/2010 12:17 PM
            Thank you to everyone that replied, everything was very helpful to get me started.