Output to Crystal Reports

Extractor's integration with Crystal Reports allows you to create Crystal Reports based on extract definitions.

  • Output To - To create Crystal Reports, select the option Crystal Reports in the Output To tab. Enter the file name in the Report Name field.
  • Report Format - If Crystal is selected and the browser used is not Internet Explorer (i.e. without Active X), a tooltip appears to the right to advise steps to take to successfully download and review the Extractor.
    • Running Edge in IE mode will allow existing Active X behaviour to continue working. Please contact your IT Department to enable this - full instructions can be found in the this Microsoft Documentation. Then you can activate the IE mode on the Preceda logon page.
    • For those without ActiveX, it is a manual process to set the data for the Crystal report.
    • In the case of other Crystal formats such as Excel, CSV, and Text, a browser dialog with options to Save or Open the file will be displayed. The generated file will then be available in Console datafiles and Alerts Inbox.
  • Report Location - The is displayed above the Report Name. If you want to change the location, select the Change button.
  • Data Location - This refers to the exact location where your data will be saved.
  • Auto Save Extract - Ticking this option means that the extract definition will be automatically saved so that it may be retrieved at a later date using the File/Open options.
  • Column Headings - Use the radio buttons to select either Field Descriptions or Field Names.

    If Field Names is selected, any changes that have been made to the Label when selecting fields will be overridden.

  • Public Permissions - This allows you to stipulate other user's ability to Use, Change or Delete the created extract.
  • Record Retrieval - You may opt to retrieve only a limited number of records. This option is useful if you are testing the extract to ensure you have the data you want.
  • Run - Select this option to run your extract and choose either interactively or in the background from the Run Options display. Click OK.
    • Using the Internet Explorer browser (i.e. with Active X): The CSV and Scheme.ini file will be delivered to the specified location and the Crystal Report Output will be opened.

    • Using other browsers (i.e. without Active X): Need to take the steps advised in the tooltip next to the Report Format = Crystal to move the downloaded files to the correct location for review.

 

If you are creating a new report definition, and you have specified the name of an existing file, Extractor will prompt you to overwrite the file.

If working on a new Crystal Report, the report definition must manually be created (using Crystal Reports) once the run option is complete.

 

If the report already exists, Extractor will open it. To get the latest data, select Refresh Report Data from the report menu. You may also need to synchronise your Crystal Report definition with your Extract definition if you have made changes to your Extract since creating Crystal Report.

 

You have the option to automatically or manually download files in Crystal Report format via Extractor as well as download it in Console.

  • When automatically downloading files (i.e. Manually Download File not ticked), your Internet Explorer browser may have difficulty processing large files. When this happens, a pop-up window will display providing you a link to download your files. Otherwise, manually download your files.

  • A tick box called Manually Download File is available in Extractor's Options tab. Clicking this tick box will prompt you to save the output files. It is recommended to use the Save As option when being prompted to save the output. Likewise, make sure that the Data Location Folder is set to C:\PRECEDA\CRYSTALDATAFILES before running the Crystal Report. You can then manually open the file in the Crystal Report upon saving.

     

Console's Datafiles tab has View option on the Toolbar. This gives you the option to either View or Download the selected file. You can download outputs in Excel, Crystal Reports, Presenter, and Export once the Status is Ready. This option enables you to download the files right away without having to rerun the extracts.