Crystal Reports for .NET SDK Samples

 clipped from wiki.sdn.sap.com

Crystal Reports .NET SDK Samples

General
Viewing
Database
Parameter
Exporting/Printing
Report Modification

General

Crystal Reports .NET - All Sample Applications
This set includes the following samples:

• cr_net_sdk_tutorial_samples_en.zip
• crsdk_net_samples_12.zip
• NET-CPP2005_CRNET_CR115_Change_Record-Selection-Formula.zip
• NET-CS-Win_CR12_Creating-Custom-Addins.zip
• NET-CS_CRNET_CR115_Get_SQL-Query.zip
• NET-CS2003_RAS-Unmanaged_CR115_Modify_Command-Table-SQL.zip
• NET-CS2005_CRNET_CR115_Modify_Image-Location.zip
• NET2003-CS-Web_CRNET_CR115_change_graphic-location.zip
• NET-Cplus-Win_CRNET_CR115_Get_Viewer-Events.zip
• NET-CPP-Win2005_CRNET_CR115_view_report.zip
• NET-CS2005_CRNET_CR115_Set_Viewer-Locale-by-Page.zip

Crystal Reports 2008 .NET SDK Tutorial Samples
This sample contains Visual Studio 2005 Web sample code projects that highlight features of the Crystal Reports .NET SDK, including viewing and exporting reports, filtering data and setting parameters, and connecting to different data sources.

Crystal Reports .NET SDK - Sample Applications from Tutorials
This file contains C# and VB .NET Windows and web sample applications. These samples were built using the tutorials provided in the 'Crystal Reports .NET SDK - Additional Documentation and Tutorials' (cr_net_sdk_additional_en.zip). These sample applications apply to Crystal Reports 9 and 10, and Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET 2002 and 2003.

Csharp (C#) Web Sample Applications for use in Microsoft Visual .Net 2002 and Later
This set includes the following samples:

• csharp_web_accesssubreport.zip
• csharp_web_adonet.zip
• csharp_web_discreteparams.zip
• csharp_web_export.zip
• csharp_web_rangeparams.zip
• csharp_web_serverfilereports.zip
• csharp_web_simplelogonengine.zip
• csharp_web_simplelogonviewer.zip
• csharp_web_simplepreviewreport.zip
• csharp_web_sub_daterange_param.zip
• csharp_web_subreport_logon.zip
• cr10_csharp_web_clientprinting.zip

VB.NET (VB) Web Sample Applications for use in Microsoft Visual .Net 2002 and Later.
This set includes the following samples:

• vbnet_web_adonet.zip
• vbnet_web_simplelogonengine.zip
• vbnet_web_simplelogonviewer.zip
• vbnet_web_export.zip
• vbnet_web_discreteparams.zip
• vbnet_web_multirangeparams.zip
• vbnet_web_rangeparams.zip
• vbnet_web_simplepreviewreport.zip
• vbnet_web_sortfields.zip
• vbnet_web_accesssubreport.zip
• vbnet_web_subreport_logon.zip
• vbnet_web_sub_daterange_param.zip
• vbnet_web_reportpartsviewer.zip

Csharp (C#) Windows Sample Applications for use in Microsoft Visual .Net 2002 and Later
This set includes the following samples:

• csharp_win_adodotnet.zip
• csharp_win_classicado.zip
• csharp_win_dbengine.zip
• csharp_win_dbviewer.zip
• csharp_win_DynamicImage.zip
• csharp_win_dynamic_report_formula.zip
• csharp_win_export.zip
• csharp_win_exporttopdf.zip
• csharp_win_multirangeparam.zip
• csharp_win_oraclelogoninfo.zip
• csharp_win_paramengine.zip
• csharp_win_paramviewer.zip
• csharp_win_pass_dataset_main_sub.zip
• csharp_win_printtoprinter.zip
• csharp_win_rangeparameters.zip
• csharp_win_serverfilereports.zip
• csharp_win_sortfields.zip
• csharp_win_sub_daterange_param_engine.zip
• csharp_win_subreport_basic.zip
• csharp_win_subreport_logon.zip
• csharp_win_viewer_events.zip

VB.NET (VB) Windows Sample Applications for use in Microsoft Visual .Net 2002 and Later.
This set includes the following samples:

• vbnet_win_adodotnet.zip
• vbnet_win_changefont.zip
• vbnet_win_classicado.zip
• vbnet_win_custompapersource.zip
• vbnet_win_customviewer.zip
• vbnet_win_dbengine.zip
• vbnet_win_dbviewer.zip
• vbnet_win_dynamicimage.zip
• vbnet_win_dynamic_report_formula.zip
• vbnet_win_export.zip
• vbnet_win_exporttopdf.zip
• vbnet_win_multirangeparam.zip
• vbnet_win_oraclelogoninfo.zip
• vbnet_win_paramengine.zip
• vbnet_win_paramviewer.zip
• vbnet_win_pass_dataset_main_sub.zip
• vbnet_win_printtoprinter.zip
• vbnet_win_rangeparameters.zip
• vbnet_win_serverfilereports.zip
• vbnet_win_simplepreviewreport.zip
• vbnet_win_sortfields.zip
• vbnet_win_sub_daterange_param_engine.zip
• vbnet_win_sub_daterange_param_viewer.zip
• vbnet_win_subreport_basic.zip
• vbnet_win_subreport_logon.zip
• vbnet_win_viewer_events.zip

Report Application Server .NET Sample Code
Contains Visual Studio 2005 Web sample code pages that highlight features of the RAS SDK, including report parameter and formula modification, database logon, and exporting.

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Viewing

NET-CS2005_CRNET_CR115_Set_Viewer-Locale-by-Page
This sample shows you how to change the multilingual settings for the .NET web form viewer control (CrystalReportViewer) to any locale of your choice. The locale is set via a QueryString variable. The settings are changed on the webform page level instead of using the web.config. Changing the Regional Settings or IE Language Settings will not impact this sample. Note: This has only been tested on Crystal Reports XI R2 with Visual Studio .NET 2005

Crystal Reports .NET C++ - Get Viewer Events
This C++ .NET sample Windows application demonstrates how to access the Viewer Events for the business objects windows forms viewer.

Crystal Reports .NET C++ - View Report
This sample application shows you how to preview a Crystal Report in a .NET C++ application.

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Database

Crystal Reports for Delphi 2005 .NET - Connect to Secure Database
This Delphi 2005 sample Windows application demonstrates how to connect to a secured database using the Crystal Reports for Visual Studio .NET Engine object model.

NET-VB2005_CR2008_SET_DB_USING_VIEWER
This sample demonstrates how to view a report by passing the database logon information to the report via the viewer. You can not use this method to change databases at runtime. It must be the database the report is designed against.

NET-CS2005_CRNET_Modify_Logon-Viewer
This sample demonstrates how to modify the userID and password used to log onto the report database using the Crystal Reports .NET Viewer SDK. There is no ReportDocument used in this sample because it is demonstrating how to pass logon info via the Viewer SDK.

NET-CS2005_CRNET_Modify_Database-ConnectionInfo
This sample demonstrates how to modify database server and logon information using the Crystal Reports .NET SDK. The code modifies the ConnectionInfo object and uses the ApplyLogonInfo method to apply the changes to the main and subreports.

NET-CS2005_CR12_SetDatabaseLogon
This sample demonstrates how to view a report by passing the database logon information to the report.  You can not use this method to change databases at runtime.  It must be the database the report is designed against.  This passes the user name and password to connections with a specified server and database name.

NET-CS2005_CR12_SetDatabaseLogon_2
This sample demonstrates how to view a report by passing the database logon information to the report.  You can not use this method to change databases at runtime.  It must be the database the report is designed against.  This passes the user name and password to all database connections in the report.

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Parameter

Crystal Reports for Delphi 2005 .NET - Pass Mulitple Parameter Values to the Viewer
This Delphi 2005 .NET sample Windows application demonstrates how to pass multiple values to a single discrete parameter field using the viewer's object model.

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Exporting/Printing

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Report Modification

NET2003-CS-Web_CRNET_CR115_change_graphic-location
This sample application shows how to change an image in a Crystal Report at runtime using the graphic location formula in the CR .NET SDK (C#).

NET-CS2005_CRNET_CR115_Modify_Image-Location

This sample application shows how to change an image in a Crystal Report at runtime using the graphic location formula in the CR .NET SDK (C#).

NET-CS2003_RAS-Unmanaged_CR115_Modify_Command-Table-SQL
This sample application shows how to retrieve and change the text of a SQL command table from a Crystal Report using the CR .NET SDK and in-process Report Application Server (RAS) Report Creation API (RCAPI). Note that you must have SP2 for Crystal Reports XI R2 for this sample to work. Previously you could access the RAS .NET SDK from the ReportDocument object only if you had a dedicated RAS server. Now you can use RAS in-process to accomplish this.

NET-CPP-Win2005_CRNET_CR115_Change_Record-Selection-Formula
A .NET C++ Windows application that demonstrates how to change a record selection formula at runtime.

Crystal Reports . NET C# - Get SQL Query
This sample application shows how to retrieve the SQL query from a Crystal Report using the CR.NET SDK and RAS in-process. Previously you could only access the RAS .NET SDK from the ReportDocument if you had a dedicated RAS server. Now you can use RAS in-process to accomplish this.

Crystal Reports 2008 .NET C# - Creating Custom Addins
These samples show how to create a Custom Add-In for Crystal Reports 2008. Custom Add-Ins can be used to create custom tools for the Crystal Reports designer. Samples for Visual Studio 2003 and 2005 are both included.

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Six Quick Crystal Reports Design Tips

 clipped from aspalliance.com

Published: 27 Feb 2008
Abstract
Creating reports can be a daunting task. Reports can demand a great deal of effort and time, especially if you have not worked with Crystal Reports much. In this article, Jeff provides six quick Crystal Reports Design Tips to assist in creating killer reports with style and speed. Among other tips, you will learn how to add WaterMarks to your reports. Each tip has been deeply examined with the help of relevant explanations and screenshots for better understanding. by Jeff McWherter
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Article Contents:

• Introduction
• Using Templates
• Copying with Formatting between fields
• Evaluating Performance
• Highlighting Data
• Showing a Check Box on a Report
• Tool Tips
• Text Watermark
• Conclusion

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Introduction

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I have found myself working on projects where reports have been last minute additions that demanded a great deal of time and a certain touch of detail. Many times, reports are cobbled together, with good design and performance falling to the wayside.  Reports are the primary representation of the data on your system; after putting so much hard work into the application that is collecting data it is important to put a little extra effort forth to design truly "killer" reports for your application.

The development tips in this article are primarily intended for developers without much experience with Crystal Reports.  This article assumes the reader has a basic knowledge of Crystal Reports data access.

We will cover six quick tips that will enable you to quickly create reports that are richly featured. We will start with a basic report that a manager of a project may ask for; order fulfillment. The following examples will be created from the SQL Server 2000 Northwinds Trading Company sample database. The sample report referenced throughout this article pulls data from the Orders, Customers, and Products tables. The report is intended to be a representation of a typical order fulfillment report. It groups orders together, and displays information about each product under the order. The examples below are using Crystal Reports 2008, but have also been tested with Crystal Reports XI.

Using Templates

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Using templates helps with one of the most important aspects of delivering quality products, being consistent. Crystal Reports 2008 ships with twelve built in templates, but the power comes from the ability to create your own templates. 

Report templates are existing Crystal Report (.rpt) files which will allow you to "inherit" many design related formatting settings including:

·         Page headers and footers

·         Color formatting

·         Charting settings

·         Lines, Borders and Boxes

·         Logos and images

·         Addition of Standard Functions

·         Addition of Special Fields

·         Field highlighting

Figure 1: A report that does not have a template applied

To apply a template, select the "Template Expert" found on the report menu.  

Figure 2: Crystal Reports Template Expert

 

To apply a custom template, select "Browse" on the Template Expert and navigate to an existing report you would like to use as a template for your new report. In our example we will use the "NorthwindTemplate.rpt" file.

Figure 3: A report with a custom template applied

The Northwind Template report file contained header information with company detail and a logo that our new report has now inherited.    

Copying with Formatting between fields

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This tip may be one that many readers are already aware of, but it is still worth mentioning. Formatting objects on a report can be a tedious task, when there may be multiple formatting options applied to each object on your report. Including labels, the formatting may need to be applied to over a hundred objects on a report, which increases the possibility of errors. To help minimize errors, use the "Format Painter" tool.

Figure 4: Format Painter Tool

To use the "Format Painter" tool, follow the following steps:

1. Select an object from which to copy formatting.

2. Select the "Format Painter" tool from the menu.

3. The cursor will change to a paint brush; use it to select the object from which you would like to copy the formatting.

4. Double click the "Format Painter" tool from the menu.

5. Click on any other object to apply the formatting to that object.

Now the formatting from the original object you selected will be applied to each of the objects you select. To turn off the "Format Painter" tool, click on the tool again in the menu.

Evaluating Performance

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It is important to monitor performance from the start of development when you are creating Crystal reports. This will save time later in the development cycle trying to figure out why a report is slow. Code profiling is the amount of time that various behaviors of your application take to run. You should be running a profiler on your SQL statements before the data even gets to the report, to be aware of how long your queries take to run. 

Crystal Reports provides a tool to estimate how long the report will take to load (render time). In my opinion if you are working with data and you're not profiling your code then you're not doing your job.

The Crystal Reports Performance Information tool can be found on the report menu.

Figure 5: Performance times for the order fulfillment report

So, what is an acceptable load time? It depends. Load times of not more than six seconds are a good goal, but there are always exceptions. Keep reports as simple as possible, and query only the data needed for the report. Use SQL to perform as many functions as possible before the data is passed to the report, such as ordering, or in some cases grouping data.  If you see a section of data that can be broken out into a new report, doing so may help with load times.

Highlighting Data

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Often times the style of certain types of items needs to be changed to make them stand out on the report. This is commonly used to indicate negative numbers, or numbers over or under a certain threshold. Crystal Reports has built in support for this that makes this easy to accomplish.

In this example, the formatting of the "Units in Stock" objects needs to be changed when the value is less than 15. To accomplish this, first select the field by clicking on it once. Select "Highlighting Expert" from the Format menu; then select "New".

Figure 6: The Highlighting Expert

You will then be able to set options for when and how the highlighting will occur. For this example, I set the font color to red and the background to yellow, when the "Units in stock" object is below 15.

Figure 7: Highlighting when Units in Stock is below 15

Showing a Check Box on a Report

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One of the most important things I have learned with Crystal Reports is that many times you need to "think outside of the box". Crystal has support for Boolean operators to be displayed as the following:

True or False

T or F

Yes Or No

Y or N

1 or 0

Crystal Reports does not have built in support to display a check box for Boolean operators, but with a little creativity and the Wing Ding font, this task can be easily accomplished. The following example will illustrate how to use check boxes to replace true/false statements in the "Discontinued" field. The simplest way to accomplish this task is to change the display string of the value, and then set the font of the object to Wing Ding.  First a formula will need to be added to change the display text of the field. Right click on the Boolean field you would like to change, and select "Format Expert". On the Common tab, click the X+Y button for the "Display String" option.

Figure 8: Format editor display string

Ensure that "Crystal Syntax" is selected and copy the following formula:

Figure 9: Changing the display string

The character code 0xFE in the Wing Ding font represents a box with check mark. In contrast, the character code 0xA8 represents an empty box. The Character Map tool, which can be found in the Accessories folder in the Windows Start menu, will assist you in discovering the hex values for character codes of the items you would like to display. After you have found the character code for the value you would like to display, add it to your formula. It is much simpler to use the decimal representation of the ASCII value instead of the hex value. This is a great site http://www.asciitable.com/ to find all of the ASCII values, including their hex and decimal representations. After you have set your formula, make sure you set the font for the object to Wing Ding, on the "Format Editor "screen.

Figure 10: The Windows Character Map tool

Figure 11: Fulfillment report with discontinued check boxes

Tool Tips

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Objects on a Crystal Report allow for the addition of a Tool Tip. What's great about features like this in Crystal Reports is the ability to apply formulas.  This example will illustrate how to add a Tool Tip to the "Units in Stock" field that will indicate how many units are on order when the user hovers over the object. The Tool Tip will generate this data from a formula.

To add a Tool Tip to a report object, right click your object and select "Format Editor". Select the Common tab and click on the X+Z button next to the Tool Tip text box.

Ensure Crystal Syntax is selected, and enter the following for the formula:

Figure 12: Tool Tips for units on order

Figure 13: The Tool Tip over the Units in Stock field

Text Watermark

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A common report request is the ability to add a watermark to a report indicating that it is a draft. This example will show you how to accomplish this. In order to create the watermark, create a new header section, add a text object for the watermark and select the "Underlay Following Sections" option. This allows for new header to be above the rest of the sections of the report.

Figure 14: The Section Expert

Figure 15: The watermark in the designer

The text object that was added has a silver 72 point font set, font spacing of 80 and the text turned 90 degrees. The text rotation option is found off the common tab in the Section Expert.

Figure 16: Fulfillment report with draft watermark

Don't forget that you can suppress sections in Crystal Reports via code if you would like to provide an option to print the report without the watermark. Suppressing sections through code is out of scope of this document.

Conclusion

[ Back To Top ]

The six tips in this article are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to developing Crystal Reports. The tools available within Crystal Reports make it easy to design professional, scalable reports for those without a fine art degree or advanced-level knowledge.

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Text Parsing in Visual Basic

 clipped from bytes.com

Text file parsing

 clipped from bytes.com

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/bytes/development

• algorithms
• asp
• asp.net
• c / c++
• coldfusion
• c sharp
• flash
• html/css
• java
• javascript
• mobile dev
• .net
• perl
• php
• python
• ruby
• software dev
• vb.net
• visual basic
• xml

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/bytes/it

• access
• apache
• careers
• db2
• iis
• macosx
• mysql
• networking
• oracle
• postgresql
• sql server
• unix
• windows

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SQL Server Reporting Services and Crystal Reports: A Competitive Analysis

 clipped from www.crystalreportsbook.com

When deciding which tool to standardize on, it's important to look at the architecture of each tool. Within this paper I listed the differences between the two products and also mentioned how each design decision comes with certain advantages and disadvantages. Remember to test each reporting tool against the functionality that is critical to your reporting requirements. Determine which product best fits your needs before making your choice.

Overall, both tools are an excellent choice for implementing reporting capabilities into your applications, but they cater to different audiences. Crystal Reports has the benefit of being the veteran in the field and supports almost every conceivable reporting requirement there is. It has versions for developers as well as business users. SSRS is the new kid on the block and it is focused only on the developer market. SSRS is a 1.0 release and still has some growing pains to go through. If your company's users have a broad range of reporting requirements and expect their reports to look a certain way, then Crystal Reports could be your best bet. If your developers want to use the latest tools and you have the resources to write the code for the missing functionality, then SSRS could be your choice.

Reporting Tools Feature Summary

Feature	Crystal Reports XI	Reporting Services
Version	11.0	1.0
File Format	Binary (.RPT) Uses SDKs to access objects	XML (.RDL) Editable with Notepad
Target User	Business User and Developer	Developer
Designer Interface	Banded	Object based
License Cost	CR.NET - Free Dev Edition - $300 Upgrade CR Server - $7,500	Included with SQL Server 2000 Additional Server - $5,000 Enterprise License - $20,000
Extensibility	Closed architecture	Open architecture
Data Connectivity	Single point of entry CR Server - Shared data source	Shared data sources
DataSet Reporting	Supported	Not Supported
Table Object	Not Supported	Supported
Forms Authentication	Supported	Not Supported Enterprise license support
WYSIWYG formatting	Precise	HTML focused
Formula Library	50+ financial functions 4 dozen date functions	13 financial functions Half dozen date functions
Sub-reports	One level deep	20 levels deep Object based reporting improves on sub-reports
CSS	Supported	Minimal support
Export granular control	Not Supported	Supported

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SQL Server utility Tools

 clipped from searchsqlserver.techtarget.com

INSTALLATION AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS

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Free! SQL Server FineBuild (CodePlex)
Installs SQL Server -- and best-practice configurations -- with one click. Download SQL Server FineBuild.

Free! SQL Job Manager (Idera)
Streamlines the process of cross-server SQL Server job management, reducing job failure rates and the amount of time spent on job management activities. Download SQL Job Manager.

RazorSQL (Richardson Software)
SQL query tool, database browser, SQL editor, and database administration tool for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris. Download RazorSQL.

SQL Partition Manager (DonWellSoft)
Ideal for large databases, simplifies partitioned table maintenance by automating management tasks. Download SQL Partition Manager.

Free! YourSQLDba (Société GRICS)
Script file of T-SQL stored procedures that automate routine database maintenance. Download YourSQLDba.

Free! Object Search (Microsoft)
Built-in feature in SQL Server Management Studio 2008 that helps find objects in a particular datatbase. More on Object Search.

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MONITORING AND PERFORMANCE TUNING TOOLS

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SQL admin toolset (Idera)
Set of 24 administration tools for monitoring, troubleshooting, administering, and reporting including Password Checker, Job Editor and Patch analyzer. Microsoft MVPs receive a free license. Download SQL admin toolset.

myLittleAdmin (myLittleTools)
Web-based application that administers SQL Server and Desktop Engine databases over the internet. Download myLittleAdmin

Free! SQL Permissions (Idera)
Moves logins and applies permissions across all databases on the target server or single database. Download SQL Permissions.

Event Manager (SQL Sentry)
A scheduling, alerting and response system for SQL Server jobs and other events that impact performance that allows problems to be solved as they arise. Download Event Manager.

Performance Advisor (SQL Sentry)
An advanced performance dashboard that deliver Windows and SQL Server metrics in a single view along with details regarding heavy SQL blocking, deadlocks and disk bottlenecks. Download Performance Advisor.

Free! Performance Studio (Microsoft)
Built-in administrative console that helps monitor speed and efficiency of databases, and collects real-time performance data from multiple databases and stores them in a central repository. More on using Performance Studio.

Free! Data Collector (Microsoft)
Component of SQL Server 2008 that collects data and provides one central point for data collection across database servers and applications. More on Data Collector.

Performance Monitor (Teratrax)
Low-footprint technology that collects performance information, which can bedanalyzed by an easy-to-understand user interface. Free for SQL Server Express Edition. Download Performance Monitor.

Free! SQL Check (Idera)
Monitors performance and pulls together numerous statistics in a single screen. Functions as a secure screen saver. Download SQL Check.

More on SQL Server performance tuning dashboard.

Spotlight on SQL Server Enterprise (Quest Software)
Detects and diagnoses performance issues across a SQL Server environment and provides an overview of enterprise performance. Download Spotlight.

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BACKUP AND RECOVERY TOOLS

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SQL Backup (Red Gate)
Creates smaller, safer and faster backups of SQL Server databases. Download SQL Backup.

LiteSpeed (Quest Software)
Backup and recovery software that provides integrated high performance compression technology. Download LiteSpeed.

TimeData (DoubleTake Software)
Continuous data protection software that provides data recovery at any point in time, and allows workflow to resume without having to recover from tape. Download TimeData.

SQL safe Backup (Idera)
Accelerates, compresses and encrypts database backups. Download SQL safe Backup.

Free! SQL safe Freeware Edition (Idera)
Based on Idera's SQL safe product, includes a high-performance backup and recovery engine, a scriptable interface and can backup and compress any size and any number of databases. Download SQL safe Freeware Edition.

SQL virtual database (Idera)
Allows SQL Server backup files to be attached, queried as real databases and data to be accessed in SQL Server backup files without restoring. Download SQL virtual database.

Free! SQL Server Database Copy Tool (Codeplex)
Copies a SQL Server database from one instance to another by backing it up, copying the backup file to the destination server and restoring the database. Download SQL Server Database Copy Tool .

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SECURITY TOOLS

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AppDetective (Application Security)
Network-based, vulnerability assessment tool that locates, examines, reports and helps fix security holes. Download AppDetective.

NGSSquirrel (Next Generation Security Software)
Vulnerability assessment tool available for SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005. Download NGSSquirrel.

Metasploit (Metasploit)
Penetration testing and exploit tool. Download Metasploit.

QualysGuard (Qualys)
Vulnerability assessment tool that combines vulnerability management service with an IT compliance solution. Download QualysGuard.

Free! SQL Encryption Assistant (Devenius)
Manages encryption keys and certificates inside SQL Server, directly inside SQL Server Management Studio. Download SQL Encryption Assistant.

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DEVELOPMENT AND BI TOOLS

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SQL Compare (Red Gate)
Compares and synchronizes database changes quickly and simply. Download SQL Compare.

Toad (Quest Software)
Management and development toolset designed to bridge the gap between SQL Server Management Studio and Visual Server. Download Toad.

Performance Advisor for Analysis Services (SQL Sentry)
Monitors and optimizes SQL Server Analysis Services performance, and provides insight related to memory, storage systems, aggregation usage, queries and processing. Download Performance Advisor for Analysis Services.

Free! T-SQL Debugger (Microsoft)
Built-in tool that includes all the core debugging features -- the Locals, Watch, QuickWatch and Output windows – in addition to the ability to set breakpoints to stop execution. More on working with T-SQL Debugger.

Free! IntelliSense (Microsoft)
An auto-completion system supported in SQL Server Management Studio 2008 that provides easy access to language elements as you write your queries. More on IntelliSense.

Apex SQL Report (Apex)
Data driven, web-reporting solution for SQL Server. Download APEX SQL Report.

SQL Prompt (Red Gate)
Add-on application that provides auto-complete functionality while typing for programs used to create SQL statements. Download SQL Prompt.

More on SQL Prompt.

Free! ApexSQL Code (Apex)
Generates code from C# or VB.NET code templates. Free for a limited time. Download ApexSQL Code.

Free! ApexSQL Refactor (Apex) Formats SQL code for improved readability and to conform to team coding standards. Download ApexSQL Refactor.

Free! Instant SQL Formatter
Online tool that cleans-up SQL code, formats SQL into HTML and translates SQL code into other program languages like Java. Use Instant SQL Formatter.

Free! SQLinForm
Automatic web-based SQL code formatter. Access SQLinForm.

SQL Scripter (SQL Scripter)
Data export and scripting utility for SQL Server. Packages and transports table data. Download SQL Scripter.

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MORE RESOURCES

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• More SQL Server security tool
  Check out the best places to find security tips and countless security tools.
• SQL injection tools
  SQL injection is a security exploit in which the attacker adds SQL code to a Web form input box to gain access. These tools automate testing of SQL injection.
• Top SQL Server products of 2008/2007 | 2006 |2005

SQL SERVER DATABASE TOOLS FOR:

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Sharepoint Business Data List Connector

 clipped from www.layer2.de

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The fast, easy and complete integration of external LOB data, e.g. from databases, is a common requirement in the use of Microsoft SharePoint technology. Existing solutions, such as the Business Data Catalog (BDC) in SharePoint 2007 or the Business Connectivity Services (BCS)  in SharePoint 2010, are often too complex at the facility, bring with them limitations or they are available for MOSS Enterprise Edition only.

The SharePoint Business Data List Connector by Layer2 on the other hand, connects a REAL SharePoint list (no Web Part) to external business data, using a very simple list settings dialogue. It can be configured easily with 3 simple settings only. The desired data can be populated to the list and presented without any restrictions, with the full read-only functionality of common SharePoint lists made available: views, sorting and grouping, filters, calculated fields can be created as usual.

Workflows and notifications per RSS or email can be used to take business actions if external business data records are changed.

 

Fig: To see the SharePoint BDLC presentation full-screen please select "full" and then play. 

 

The SharePoint Business Data List Connector is available for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS, all editions) and also for the free Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 (WSS). It will be released for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Windows SharePoint Servicves 4.0 with availability.

SharePoint Business Data List Connector (BDLC)  

• Features and Benefits
• Free Registration and Download
• How to buy this product
• Product description
• FAQs (below on this page)

Features & Benefits 

The SharePoint Business Data List Connector (BDLC) provides the complete read-only features of a common SharePoint list for almost any external LOB data sources in 3 simple steps only:

• To connect to your data source please enter the appropriate connection string (OLEDB.4) and validate it.
• To select the desired data, please enter a select statement that is supported by your external data source and validate it. Check the result in preview mode and select primary key(s), to make use of advanced features.
• Create the SharePoint list structure and update it using the command buttons with one click. If a primary key is available, only modified data is updated in the list with high performance (background batch update possible).
  
  So you can enable workflow or change notifications per RSS or email to take business actions, if your external LOB data records are changed.

Fig.: Sample usage scenario of the SharePoint Business Data List Connector

The solution is currently available as RC1 and will be finally released in Q3/2009. Please register to download RC1 today.

Free Registration & Download 

Please register to download an evaluation version for free now. Use the registration form on this page or contact sales@layer2.de .

How to buy this product  

To buy a license for this product, please click the shopping card symbol on this page.
The product is licensed on a per server base. No additional clients licenses (CALs) are required. If you have several servers (e.g. in a farm scenario) all servers have to be licensed. You need a license for every web frontend server. Infrastructure server, e.g. for indexing or search don't need a license. For more information about licensing please check our FAQs or contact sales@layer2.de directly.

Product Description 

INSTALLATION

The installation is done using a SharePoint Solution Package. The included wizard distributes all files to a SharePoint farm, if required, and does all necessary configurations. Before installation please make sure,

• that all servers are available online
• backup your current installation approve software on evaluation systems bevor installing in productive system
• use a regular service interval to install the solution The application will not be available for a short time, because the application pool is restarted (IISreset).

Start the installation process by executing the file "Install.Layer2.BusinessDataListConnector.exe" on the server, that hosts the SharePoint Central Administration with appropriate access rights.

Fig.: Starting the installation process

First the considerations for the installation are being checked.

Fig.: Checking of considerations for the installation process

If there are any problems, please take a look at our FAQs (General FAQ, Installation).
As a next step you have to accept the EULA.

Fig.: Accepting the license agreement

After successful installation please select the desired web applications for deployment of the new feature.

Fig.: Deployment of the new feature to the selected web applications only

This installation step can take up to 15 min.

FEATURE ACTIVATION

After successful deployment there is a new site collection feature available in all site collections of the selected web applications. To use it, the new feature „Business Data List Connector" has to be activated on Site Collection level by a Site Collection Administrator. That has to be done in Web Site Settings > Site Collection Administration under Site Collection Features. After activation the feature can be used.

Fig.: Activation of the feature "Layer2 - Business data List Connector" on site collection

After successful activation on site collection level the feature is generaly available as the new list type "Business Data List Connector" within the "Custom Lists" section.

USAGE OF THE BUSINESS DATA LIST CONNECTOR

In order to connect a SharePoint list with external business data, you  have to create a new custom list first of the special type "Business Data List Connector".

Fig.: To create a new Business Data List Connector please first choose a custom list of the type "Business data List Connector".

Remark: It is currently not possible to connect existing lists of any other type - e.g. tasks or contacts etc. - with external business data using the BDLC.

As a next step you have to give a name and description to the newly created list of the type Business Data List Connector as usual, e.g. MyBDLC in this sample.

Fig.: Enter name and description of the newly created list

To connect this list with your external business data, goto list settings  and choose Business Data List Connector Settings to enter your connection string, select statement and primary key(s).

Fig.: Choose "Business Data List Connector Settings" in the common SharePoint list settings dialogue to enter your connection string, select statement and primary key(s).

BUSINESS DATA LIST CONNECTOR SETTINGS

In the settings dialogue please go the following steps to configure your list connection.

Fig.: Business Data List Connector Settings dialogue

STEP 1 - Connect the external data source using a connection string

Enter your connection string to your external data source and validate it. Connection strings are available for virtually any external data sources, e.g. databases like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Informix, DB2 etc, Microsoft Office data like Excel, Access or even text data files. Btw. connection strings are available for external SharePoint lists too...

Fig.: Step 1: Enter the connection string and validate it

More detailed information about connection strings you'll find in our FAQs. 

STEP 2 - Select the desired data using a select statement

Enter your select statement supported by your external data source and validate it. Select statements are available for virtually any external data sources, e.g. databases like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, Informix, DB2 eetc, Microsoft Office data like Excel, Acccess or even text data files. Btw. select statements are available for external SharePoint lists too. For most data sources you can start with e.g. "Select * FROM Tablename" where tablename should be a valid name of a table or view in your data source.

 

 

Fig.: Step 2: Enter select statement and validate it.

Fig.: Preview your result set to verify your select statement. You can paste the given field names, if required for primary keys.

 

More detailed information about select statements you'll find in our FAQs.

 

STEP 3 - Optionally enter primary key(s) to use advanced update features

In most cases your external data would have one or more primary key(s). A primary key of a relational table uniquely identifies each record in the table. It can either be a normal attribute that is guaranteed to be unique (such as Social Security Number in a table with no more than one record per person) or it can be generated by the DBMS (such as a globally unique identifier, or GUID, in Microsoft SQL Server). Primary keys may consist of a single attribute or multiple attributes in combination.
If a primary key is available, then advanced update features can be used. For more information about possible primary keys / field names please take a look into your result set using the Preview button.

 

 

Fig.: Step 3: Optionally enter primary key(s).

 

Remarks:

The validation function only validates, wether the entered field name(s) exists in the result set or not. If invalid primary keys are given, the resulting SharePoint list data could become invalid too.

If no primary key is given, with any update the whole result set of the given select statement is re-inserted again. That can cause performance problems and change notifications per RSS or email will not work as expected.

If valid primary key(s) are given, modified data will be updated only - very fast in background. Change notifications and workflows can be used in this case, to take business actions, if external data records are changed.

STEP 4 - Create your SharePoint list structure and update the data items

To create the list structure required to display your external business data, please press "Create" in SharePoint section of the settings dialogue. The fields of the result set of the given select statement are mapped to common SharePoint list fields automatically. You can rename the fields afterwards manually.

More about field mapping, supported field types etc. see FAQs.

Remark: Creating the lists structure is an irreversible action. It deletes all existing informations in the list. 

To update the data in your SharePoint list with your external business data, please press "Update" in the SharePoint section of the settings dialogue. As mentioned above, if valid primary key(s) are given, modified data is updated only.

STEP 5 - Enable background updates optionally

In this section you can optionally enable background updates. The updates are done automatically, one time per hour by default. You can modify this interval later on.

Fig.: The timer job enables fast background updates of your data items.

For more information, how to change the timer job options, please see FAQs.

RESTRICTIONS OF THE DEMO VERSION

In the evaluation version the number of managed entries in the result list is restricted to 25 items / records. 

LANGUAGES

The feature is currently available in German and English language. If used in other language context, the English language is applied by default. Requests for other languages please send to sales@layer2.de.

UNINSTALL

To completely uninstall the solution, go these steps to the other direction. Please first delete all lists of type Business Data List Connector. Otherwise these lists become inaccessible, after the feature is removed. Then deactivate the feature „Layer2 Business Data List Connector" on site collection level. Then start the installation wizard and choose "Remove". All installed files will be removed.

Fig.: Remove the Business Data List Connector Feature

FAQs

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