Features

• Comprehensive, easy-to-understand manual
• Highlights functionality within Crystal Analysis 10
• Explains various features with pictures and hands-on exercises
• Offers both practical instruction and conceptual information
• Provides a better understanding of program, databases, and reporting

Amazon.com Review

Structured Query Language (SQL), the standard means of specifying what information you want to extract from a relational database, was designed by programmers for programmers. In order to extract values from tables with straight SQL, you have to formulate convoluted statements from field names and cryptic keywords--which doesn't usually leave time available for making business decisions. The makers of Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition understand that writing SQL statements isn't everyone's favorite thing to do, so Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition provides tools that make it easier to extract meaningful information--in the form of charts, tables, and calculated values--from the contents of database management systems like Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server. The developers of Crystal Reports also knew that some people love to manipulate data at a low level with SQL and other programmers' tools, so the package contains goodies for them, as well.

As is often the case with enterprise solutions, this product consists of two separate applications. The core package, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer, is for accessing the contents of database tables and generating reports based on their contents. Wizards make this process extremely easy. You just specify the database you want to operate on, which can be local or accessible via an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) link. Having done that, you can choose the tables and fields you want to extract values from. The wizards make it easy to specify which fields should serve as headers, and simplify the process of doing calculations on extracted values. In a report on the monthly sales of a multinational chain of stores, for example, you could group individual stores' sales figures by country, and calculate total sales figures for each country and for the chain as a whole. Wizards also handle formatting, so it's pretty easy to get neat-looking reports customized with your organizational logo. Wizards aren't limited to tabular reports: you can use them to generate reports that reveal details in response to clicks (so-called drill-down reports) and personalized form letters for mass mailings.

Going beyond the wizards, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer offers a tool for visually creating joins among tables (by which you can consolidate the fields in multiple tables into a single report). It also makes it relatively easy to build SQL queries, mostly by exchanging syntax memorization in favor of a logically organized set of expandable trees from which you choose the commands you want. With SQL queries, you can do things like find the maximum value in a field across many records, or perform complicated text-searches on the contents of text fields. Managers and others who have been taught to revere database queries as a black art known only to database administrators will be delighted by the ease with which they can create reports to support their business decisions.

The other product in this package is Crystal Enterprise 8, which is capable of taking report documents from Crystal Reports and distilling them into publications that it then serves to network users. There are several ways to go about preparing reports for network publication, the simplest being nearly automatic conversion of Crystal Reports documents into Dynamic HTML (DHTML) files that standard Web browsers can read. With a little more work, Crystal Enterprise will serve reports in streaming form--meaning they're updated dynamically as their underlying data changes. It'll also generate Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files, as well as reports delimited by Extensible Markup Language (XML) tags. The XML feature is especially cool, because it means you can use Crystal Enterprise as an engine for generating business documents (such as invoices and purchase orders) that are fed to business partners via an XML-based information-exchange system, such as Microsoft BizTalk Server.

Because it's easy to use and flexible in its output, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition belongs in the toolkit of anyone who's responsible for sharing complicated information--especially numerical information--with others via a network. --David Wall ... Read more

Features

• Integrate reports into Web applications
• Build applications that contain any of the reporting components
• Integrate reporting server technology with Crystal Enterprise Embedded Edition
• For internal applications that meet simple to moderate reporting needs
• Developer for test environments; Advanced for production environments

Reviews (1)

A must have for web based reporting!
I have been an avid R&R user since Version 2 in the late 1980's.
RattleRR moves all of this to the web simply and economically. If you are overwhelmed by Crystal Reports, do check out R&R! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Long past it's prime
I use this one at work, still. But not by choice.

This is a product which was programmed for a 16-bit operating system, and which is much more at home on it. Form package names are only supported in 8.3 DOS format.

The largest fustration with this software is when working with a form, the font on the screen will jumble, forcing you to go back a page, then forward again to refresh the page.

There are better form software out there, such as Acrobat, but I'm stuck using FormFlow. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Structured Query Language (SQL), the standard means of specifying what information you want to extract from a relational database, was designed by programmers for programmers. In order to extract values from tables with straight SQL, you have to formulate convoluted statements from field names and cryptic keywords--which doesn't usually leave time available for making business decisions. The makers of Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition understand that writing SQL statements isn't everyone's favorite thing to do, so Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition provides tools that make it easier to extract meaningful information--in the form of charts, tables, and calculated values--from the contents of database management systems like Oracle, Sybase, and Microsoft SQL Server. The developers of Crystal Reports also knew that some people love to manipulate data at a low level with SQL and other programmers' tools, so the package contains goodies for them, as well.

As is often the case with enterprise solutions, this product consists of two separate applications. The core package, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer, is for accessing the contents of database tables and generating reports based on their contents. Wizards make this process extremely easy. You just specify the database you want to operate on, which can be local or accessible via an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) link. Having done that, you can choose the tables and fields you want to extract values from. The wizards make it easy to specify which fields should serve as headers, and simplify the process of doing calculations on extracted values. In a report on the monthly sales of a multinational chain of stores, for example, you could group individual stores' sales figures by country, and calculate total sales figures for each country and for the chain as a whole. Wizards also handle formatting, so it's pretty easy to get neat-looking reports customized with your organizational logo. Wizards aren't limited to tabular reports: you can use them to generate reports that reveal details in response to clicks (so-called drill-down reports) and personalized form letters for mass mailings.

Going beyond the wizards, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer offers a tool for visually creating joins among tables (by which you can consolidate the fields in multiple tables into a single report). It also makes it relatively easy to build SQL queries, mostly by exchanging syntax memorization in favor of a logically organized set of expandable trees from which you choose the commands you want. With SQL queries, you can do things like find the maximum value in a field across many records, or perform complicated text-searches on the contents of text fields. Managers and others who have been taught to revere database queries as a black art known only to database administrators will be delighted by the ease with which they can create reports to support their business decisions.

The other product in this package is Crystal Enterprise 8, which is capable of taking report documents from Crystal Reports and distilling them into publications that it then serves to network users. There are several ways to go about preparing reports for network publication, the simplest being nearly automatic conversion of Crystal Reports documents into Dynamic HTML (DHTML) files that standard Web browsers can read. With a little more work, Crystal Enterprise will serve reports in streaming form--meaning they're updated dynamically as their underlying data changes. It'll also generate Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files, as well as reports delimited by Extensible Markup Language (XML) tags. The XML feature is especially cool, because it means you can use Crystal Enterprise as an engine for generating business documents (such as invoices and purchase orders) that are fed to business partners via an XML-based information-exchange system, such as Microsoft BizTalk Server.

Because it's easy to use and flexible in its output, Crystal Reports 8.5 Developer Edition belongs in the toolkit of anyone who's responsible for sharing complicated information--especially numerical information--with others via a network. --David Wall ... Read more

Features

• Report design and developer tools for integrating reports into applications
• Easily access and format data into dynamic information
• Flexible integration for Web and windows applications
• Powerful deployment; use as a common cross-platform standard
• Includes development and test licenses of Crystal Enterprise Editions

Features

• Enhanced features for greater productivity and easier reporting
• Increase application performance by offloading report processing
• End-user report creation and modification for more application interactivity
• Advanced exporting capabilities: Excel, XML, and Text/CSV
• New developer documentation and samples

Amazon.com Product Description

Effectively manage your billing and cash collection with MyDeluxe Invoices & Estimates. Create accurate invoices, estimates, and customer statements. Track your business expenses and manage inventory levels of products and supplies you need to run your business more efficiently. With just one click, you can print monthly statements to send to all of your customers. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Just the basics - no free tech support
I purchased this program instead of the more complex Quickbooks to bill on a hourly basis and to provide estimates. Although most of the features I used so far worked fine, I was disapointed with the options for printing a statement. I could only print open invoices instead of the customer's invoices and payment history. Seeking technical assistance, I discovered that www.elibrium.com offers no free techical support whatsoever, not even free web-based support.

MyDeluxe Invoices & Estimates is good enough for the beginner with limited needs, but not recommended for more complex tasks.

P.S.: The name of this software package may also be "MyInvoices & Estimates Deluxe." This review is based on version 5.5 of "MyInvoices & Estimates Deluxe."

Keep Looking for a Small Business Application
I use this program in a business that sells products and hourly based services. While it is simpler to use than Quickbooks or something similar, it is not intuitive enough that a beginning computer user can sit down and employ it easily. Even an experienced computer user with substantial accounting experience can find it frustrating.

Some parts of the interface are workable - different parts of the program such as inventory, customer lists and payments are easy to spot and move to. Entries into the forms are also easy and clear. Almost everything else is difficult or confusing. This program does not provide the functionality to (1) produce usable customer histories including lists of all purchases and/or payments on one form, (2) provide a statement showing hours used and left on a retainer, (3) customize the invoice to any large extent, (4) switch between invoices easily, (5) correct typographical or other errors made in entering payments, and (6) apply payments to a specific invoice. This short list of items is by no means exhaustive. It is very easy to, inadvertently, change the customer on an invoice that is not being edited.

On the whole, a well designed Excel spreadsheet would be much more useful.

Good, Not Great
MYDeluxe Invoices and Estimates by Elibrium is a basic invoicing program, and this version (5.0) includes purchase orders as well. It will keep track of your sales and also includes an item list. It also includes a customer list.

There are a few things that hold it back from being really GOOD - namely it's limited customization of the forms. The purchase orders, for one, cannot be altered ONE BIT! Furthermore, the invoices themselves can be changed, but only to a very limited degree. One of my other major gripes is regarding its lack of an invoice search feature. It is mightily frustrating when you need to find an invoice and you must actually scroll through every invoice you have concocted since the one you are searching for.

HOWEVER, for the price, it contains enough usefullness to warrant a purchase for most small businesses that are still stuck on handwritten invoicing. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Seagate Crystal Reports Developer Edition builds on the Professionalversion's presentation-quality reporting and adds the development toolsneeded to integrate reporting with unprecedented power, control, andflexibility into your Web and Windows applications. You can create thereports your end users demand and integrate them directly into yourapplications. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Why get the lawyers involved? Whether you need to arrange a private loan, write up a lease, or draft your will, odds are you can do it yourself--with the right paperwork. Everyday Legal Forms and Agreements Made E-Z is a simple, no-frills package that contains over 300 forms you can print out and use right away.

Just like everything else in life, it's not quite that simple; you'll have to make sure that each form is in agreement with your local laws and regulations. Fortunately, this is usually the case and easy to confirm; generally you'll be able to tuck in or cut out a phrase here and there to get what you need. The package comes with Adobe Acrobat Reader, used for reading and printing the forms; navigating is simple and clear, so even computer novices should be able to get the goods quickly. Employment forms, basic contracts and waivers, credit notices, warranties, real estate forms, and many other important bits of paperwork will flow out of your printer and into your files and safe-deposit box as you take control of your life's minutiae with Everyday Legal Forms and Agreements Made E-Z. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (3)

E-Z Legal Forms is not worth the money
This software package is one of the worst that I have seen in a long time. I was hoping to do a simple promissary note and the forms they provide were not adequate for this. Their form has one paragraph that says penalties will be due if the payment is days late. It will not let you put in the number of days, pretty poor. I would definitely not reccomend this product.

Do-it-yourself legal forms
Great program with over 300 legal forms to choose from. My attorney friend recommended us to buy this software and avoid costly legal fees.

WHAT AN ATTORNEY SAYS...
This is an extremely helpful guide for anyone wishing to avoid the costly expense of an attorney to "do it themselves!" The forms and agreements are complete and of high quality. This will certainly save you thousands!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Deliver rich, interactive content from virtually any data source, publish it to the Web, and integrate it within applications with Crystal Reports. The professional edition of Crystal Reports allows you to design interactive, actionable content and deliver it to users across the enterprise. Generate report types like subreports, conditional, summary, cross-tabs, form, drill down, OLAP, top N, multiple details, and mailing labels. Build hyperlinks, charting, mapping, parameters, alerts, add-ins for Excel and Access, sorting, running totals, grouping, top N, and bottom N.

Crystal Reports Pro includes Crystal Enterprise Standard, which offers report viewers (including DHTML, ActiveX, and Java), a Web-based report management system, a Web server with licensing for five concurrent users, customizable Web desktop, and report delivery regardless of location orplatform. Get driver and support for more than 30 SQL-, ODBC-, OLE DB-, and PC-based data sources, including XML. Crystal Reports seamlessly integrates with Crystal Enterprise, the powerful next-generation enterprise reporting solution from Crystal Decisions. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

A complete collection of human resource forms for all your business needs. Save valuable time and money with these professionally prepared forms. The software includes all categories, including hiring, performance, policies, internal announcements and memoranda, and termination. Simply open the program, choose a category, and select your form. All forms can be used in common word processing applications, including Corel WordPerfect and Microsoft Word. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ok
This is adequate for the price. It doesn't have everything I expected, but I still got the job done. ... Read more