How to Create a Spreadsheet in Crystal Reports
Crystal Reports is a powerful reporting utility capable of querying a plethora of data sources. After building a report, though, it is sometimes necessary to export the result to a spreadsheet application for further sorting, grouping, and massaging of data. Learn how to create such a spreadsheet using the Crystal Reports application.
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Instructions
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Build the report. To create a report showing useful data, you must have a basic knowledge of Crystal Reports and of the database you are querying. Build the report by connecting to the data source, selecting the fields you want to include in the report, and dragging those fields to the "Details" section of the Crystal Reports design view. You may perform grouping and data selection as necessary.
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Refresh the report. Once the report is designed in Crystal Reports, click the "Refresh" icon (the refresh icon on the toolbar looks similar to a lightning bolt). Crystal Reports will connect to the data source and retrieve all applicable records in order to create the most current version of the report. Depending on the availability of the data source and the complexity of the report, this process may take several minutes. If the report fails to refresh, or if the expected results are not displayed, verify that the report construction is correct.
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Export the data to a spreadsheet application. When the report refresh is complete and the proper results are displayed, locate the "Export Data" button (the "Export" icon on the tool bar looks similar to an arrow pointing into an envelope). When this button is clicked, a dialog box will appear and ask for the format of the export; select "Microsoft Excel" in the top box and select "Data File" on the lower box. When you click "OK," Crystal Reports will create a spreadsheet from the current report data.
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Tips & Warnings
Exporting data using the "Microsoft Excel" option in Crystal Reports will export all aspects of the report, including any report formatting. If you do not wish to export formatting, select "Microsoft Excel - Data Only."
You must have the Microsoft Excel application installed on your computer in order to export data in an Excel format.
