Increasing my Crystal Knowledge

[woolade]

I have been writing reports using Crystal for 2 years and want to further my knowledge. I believe I have a fairly good knowledge of advanced report writing skills, including formulas, parameters, sub-reports etc.

What is the next step for me to further my knowledge. Currently I have only ever written reports within the Crystal Application. What other options are there available for me to learn and incorporate with my Crystal Reports? i.e. SQL, ASP etc.

I want to take it to the next level but am unsure as to where I start. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[FVTrainer]

The most important skill a report writer can have, I think (and apart from mastery of Crystal), is learning how to collect recordsets outside of Crystal. Primarily, learning to write stored procedures and create views for databases like SQL Server or Oracle. After that, I think what will move you into a position to do consulting (beyond report writing) is learning how to deploy crystal using vb/vb.net or vc++ as well as via the web with both the RDC and CE (which is a world unto itself). Those are starting points.

 

[synapsevampire]

Having strong database knowledge is key, including efficient SQL. Add to that Data Warehousing and OLAP and multi-dimensional databases, and you'll find yourself in an elite group. The difference in rates should almost double.

I would disagree that moving to VB/C/C# are always useful unless your intent is to become a VB/C/C# coder. There are plenty of whitepapers which demonstrate the basics of integration, and coding is a whole different world (I spent 15 years in dev., and I'd never go back to pure code).

If you enjoy Business Intelligence, read up on the various ways to implement it, and perhaps expand your toolset to include Cognos, BO, etc.

Also MS has released a reporting tool to BETA which you might try to participate in (if it's still open). Never underestimate what MS will do to an industry once it's in their crosshairs.

-k

 

[FVTrainer]

Well, sv, one's perspective is always shaped by experience, isn't it. But I would agree with your perspective. One of the questions woolade needs to answer for him/herself is whether to focus on depth (learning as much as possible about all issues around a tool) or breadth (several tools in the same field--over time, oh, say, 15 years, you get both!). For a person who is just starting out, it's probably best to pick a path of one or the other. And also, if we're talking consulting, deciding want kind of engagements you want to go after is an important decision that will shape the skills you focus on.