[n1ugu]

Hello Crystal Experts!!
I asked, via Case Central, if they could provide me with the export file they used to create the Past Due Report, as I would like to save the report as my own and just add 2 fields to it without altering the original report. I'm not interested in recreating the wheel when there are obviously formulas based on days past due. I was told:
"there is no saved export that is used with the past due reports. The canned reports in The Raiser's Edge are all set up through programming and cannot be altered beyond the available options. The only way to "customize" this report would be to create one using Crystal Reports."
So, they don't use Crystal to create the reports? Do they use SQL programming? Guess I don't understand how there can be a canned report that doesn't use an export file.
Not that I think the support person is lying or anything, but could someone tell me if this is true, that canned reports are not based on an export file created in RE? I'm going to have to recreate the wheel, aren't I??
We're on RE Enterprise version 7.83, CR version 8.5.
Thank you!!
Barbara

[DrewAllen]

The canned reports use VBA to create a rowset (query output) which is then passed directly to Crystal Reports. There are no saved export files.

You can make some cosmetic alterations to the Crystal Report, but you cannot add fields, because that would require changing the VBA code.

The canned reports also use the Crystal API to modify some of the reports on the fly, so some of your changes might not "stick".

Drew

[n1ugu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrewAllen

The canned reports use VBA to create a rowset (query output) which is then passed directly to Crystal Reports. There are no saved export files.

You can make some cosmetic alterations to the Crystal Report, but you cannot add fields, because that would require changing the VBA code.

The canned reports also use the Crystal API to modify some of the reports on the fly, so some of your changes might not "stick".

Drew

Thanks Drew.....

I miss the old Millennium product I used before everyone started converting to RE!!!

[DrewAllen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n1ugu

I miss the old Millennium product I used before everyone started converting to RE!!!

Millenium's custom reporting and queue were certainly much easier to implement than Raiser's Edge, but there were a lot of things about Millennium that gave me headaches. I do miss not being able to write directly to the tables.

Did you ever go to any of the NEMUG meetings? I presented at a couple of the Millennium conferences and some of the joint NEMUG/MAMUG conferences. Of course, I was using my first name at the time.

John "Drew" Allen

[n1ugu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrewAllen

Millenium's custom reporting and queue were certainly much easier to implement than Raiser's Edge, but there were a lot of things about Millennium that gave me headaches. I do miss not being able to write directly to the tables.

Did you ever go to any of the NEMUG meetings? I presented at a couple of the Millennium conferences and some of the joint NEMUG/MAMUG conferences. Of course, I was using my first name at the time.

John "Drew" Allen

I miss all that too, especially the direct table linking and updating!! Every product has something that can give one a headache! Sure, I used to go to as many of the UG meetings in the area and attended the conference for many, many years! Haven't been to an RE conference yet.....maybe this year!
I'm sure our paths crossed more than once, back in the day!
Barbara

[AChou]

I, too wanted to add fields to the past due report (and also to other canned reports). I find the canned reports irritating in RE because they are not very flexible. I will be investing time this summer into learning crystal reports.

In the meantime, I fould a workaround to add fields to the past due report:
Run report and create constituent output query
From Export, select the records from this query
Export donor Id, name, pledge amount, pledge balance, solicitor name (that's the part that I needed), installment frequency, installment schedule, last payment amount, last payment made, number of isntallments, etc....

You can then merge this information into a template if you want it pretty. This does not give you "days past due" but it does give you installment schedule and payments made, so you can create a formula in excel to calculate days past due.

Good luck!

[Melissa Siobhan]

I am not sure I would invest too much time learnign Crystal as i have heard that BB is going to be moving to SQL reporting services in future generations of RE. It is not bad to learn but do not be dissapointed when you later may need to learn something else.

[AChou]

What is SQL? Did you hear when it might be rolled out by Blackbaud? Forgive my ignorance...all I've been hearing is that crystal is the answer to my reporting headaches.

Thank you,
Ananda

YMCAof Honolulu
Ananda Chou, Donor Relations Coordinator

[Melissa Siobhan]

I am not a techie so I may need some additional help in explaining this but I will try. SQL (pronounced sequel) stands for Structured Query Language and it is a program that is the foundation for Raiser's Edge (and a lot of other databases). You can use SQL to run queries and functions by itself or underneath a program like RE.

SQL 2005 comes with an additional program called SQL reporting services which means that now not only can you query but you can also create reports. Since RE is already based on SQL - changing over means that they no longer will need to use a third program for reporting. It is likely a smart business move for them but one which means we may need to plan ahead in our thinking.

Since you now have Crystal you can continue to forever use it to report using exports from RE it is still a valid reporting tool. However you may be forever stuck at Crystal 11 unless you purchase updates yourself. Also ,eventually I can imagine the custom reports section inside RE to work only with reporting services which means your reports will be more of a manual export and run process than it currently is.

I don't mean to put anyone in a panic. You can continue to create crystal reports but within a few years you may want to begin converting to reporting services so I wouldn't put too much work into something if it can wait.

[AChou]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll still need to learn crystal because we needed it like yesterday.

On a side note (but having to do with canned reports), I want to do a detailed solicitor performance analysis, including only the donors who are past due. I think it will work by creating an output query from past due, and then pulling the solicitor performance analysis from that query. However, the totals at the bottom of the report automatically calculate [% gave/pledged, goal, total raised, total over(under)]. Is there a way to remove these from the report?

Thank you,
Ananda

[DrewAllen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melissa Siobhan

I am not a techie so I may need some additional help in explaining this but I will try. SQL (pronounced sequel) stands for Structured Query Language and it is a program that is the foundation for Raiser's Edge (and a lot of other databases). You can use SQL to run queries and functions by itself or underneath a program like RE.

SQL 2005 comes with an additional program called SQL reporting services which means that now not only can you query but you can also create reports.

Not exactly. RE runs on SQL Server and it's more accurate to call it a database platform rather than a program. The reporting tool is SQL Server Reporting Services.

It's probably in M$'s grand scheme of things to have SQL Server be identified with SQL, but I'd like to hold that off as long as possible.

I don't know what programming language RE is written in, but it's probably a combination of VB, C+, C#, and either T-SQL (SQL Server's version of SQL) or PL/SQL (Oracle's version of SQL).

Drew

[n1ugu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AChou

I, too wanted to add fields to the past due report (and also to other canned reports). I find the canned reports irritating in RE because they are not very flexible. I will be investing time this summer into learning crystal reports.

In the meantime, I found a workaround to add fields to the past due report:
Run report and create constituent output query
From Export, select the records from this query
Export donor Id, name, pledge amount, pledge balance, solicitor name (that's the part that I needed), installment frequency, installment schedule, last payment amount, last payment made, number of installments, etc....

You can then merge this information into a template if you want it pretty. This does not give you "days past due" but it does give you installment schedule and payments made, so you can create a formula in excel to calculate days past due.

Good luck!

Thanks for the possible workaround. I think I'm just lost in trying to figure out how to add anything to the report itself! I can export most of the fields, but haven't a clue where to find payments made! All fields prefaced by "next" are unavailable, BUT whoohoo, I can add my name to the list!!! (sarcastic snicker!)
What I ended up doing is exporting the report to excel, then used the output query and created an export file with the consid, name, sortname, and solicitor and exported that into excel. Sorted both files by sortname, and then copied and pasted the solicitor name into the Past Due Report. Sounds like a lot of steps, but it was easier and quicker than trying to recreate the wheel!