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Report Options Dialog Box

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Use the Report Options dialog box to change the options for the current report. This dialog box appears when you right-click in the Report Designer, point to Report and select Report Options.

See Default Settings Dialog Box if you want to change the default values for the program.

Convert Database NULL Values to Default Select this check box to have the program convert null values from the database to a 0 (for numeric fields) or a blank (for non-numeric fields).

This option affects only null values found in the database used for a report.
Convert Other NULL Values to Default Select this check box to have the program convert non-database null values in the report to a 0 (for numeric fields) or a blank (for non-numeric fields).

This option affects only non-database null values in the report.
Show All Headers on Drill Down Use this check box if you would like report drill-down views to include headers for all sections above the drill-down records. This option is not selected by default.
Always Sort Locally Select this check box to ensure your records are sorted locally even if they were pre-sorted when retrieved from your data source.
Database Server is Case-Insensitive This check box specifies whether or not the SQL data you use in the report becomes case sensitive. If the data you are using contains fields where the data is in both upper case and lower case, and you do not wish to categorize the data by this aspect, select this check box.

Case Sensitive SQL data is not supported in the 32-bit standard edition of the program.
Perform Grouping On Server This check box is only available if the Use Indexes or Server For Speed check box is selected.

This option is not available for reports created from OLAP data.

Select this check box to have the program perform grouping on the server (server-side processing). Server-side processing allows you to set up a report that performs the majority of its processing on the server and pushes only relevant details to your computer. Server-side processing provides you with a number of benefits:

  • Less time connected to the server.
  • Less memory needed to process the report on your computer.
  • Lower transfer time from the server to the client.

Server-side processing works only for reports based on SQL data sources (you cannot, for example, use server-side processing for a report based on a query, since a query is not an SQL data source).

This option is not selected by default.
Use Indexes Or Server for Speed When you select this check box, the program uses available indexes/servers to speed the record selection process.

When you clear this check box, the program selects records without the use of indexes/specified servers (a much slower process).

If an index has a different name than the database it indexes, you need to identify the index for the program. You do this using the Link Options dialog box, which is accessed from the Links tab (Database Expert).
Verify on First Refresh When this check box is selected, the report refreshes with the current version of the active database (unless it is a stored procedure) and resets its record buffers to the current record size the first time you refresh it per session. This option is not selected by default.
Verify Stored Procedures on First Refresh When this check box is selected, the report refreshes with the current version of the stored procedure and resets its record buffers to the current record size the first time you refresh it per session. This option is not selected by default.
Respect Keep Group Together On First Page Clear this check box to ensure that Crystal Reports begins printing your first group on the first page of the report, even when you have selected the Keep Group Together check box on the Options Tab.

Select this check box along with the Keep Group Together check box to have Crystal Reports begin printing the first group on the second page of the report, when the first group extends beyond a single page.
Select Distinct Records Use this option to select only unique records from SQL tables in your database. By selecting this option in the Report Options dialog box, you set the option for the current report. Alternatively, you can set the option for all reports by switching on the Select Distinct Records command on the Database menu.

This option is not available for reports created from OLAP data.
Select Distinct Data for Browsing When you browse a field, by default you see the first 500 unique values of the field. You can change this for the current report by clearing this option. If Select Distinct Data for Browsing is not selected, browsing returns the unique values in the first 500 records.

Note that since most SQL servers do not support selecting distinct records for long data types such as memo and blob fields, selecting and browsing distinct records are not supported for such fields.
Retain Original Image Color Depth If you want images in your report to keep their original color depth when they are encapsulated, select this option. Otherwise, all images are converted to 8 bits per pixel before being encapsulated.
Initial Report Part Settings If you want to use objects from this report in the CrystalReportPartsViewer control, define the home object in this area. The home object provides the base for a path of Report Part hyperlinks; it also becomes the first object from the report that appears in the CrystalReportPartsViewer control.
Paste the Report Part Link Use the Paste Link button to paste the name and data context of a report object that you selected and copied earlier. The button has these options: Context Report Part and Preview Report Part. These options affect the kind of data context that is pasted.
Object Name Enter the name of the report object that you want to use as the home object.
Data Context Enter the data context (that is, the specific record or records) that you want to use in your home object.
Preview Pages Start With This list enables you to select the default level of magnification for displaying reports on the Preview tab.
  • Full size allows you to view your report at the highest magnification for easy reading. The page is larger than a standard VGA Preview tab. When you resize the Preview tab, the report size remains unchanged. All that changes is the amount of the report you can view at one time. You may need to use scroll bars to see all sections of your report.
  • Fit Width adjusts the width of the report to the width of the Preview tab. When you resize the Preview tab (within realistic limits), the page image resizes as well. To see a larger image, you can expand the window.
  • Fit Page adjusts the width and the length of the report to let you see a full page of your report in the Preview tab. When you resize the Preview tab (within realistic limits), the page image resizes as well. To see a larger image, you can expand the window.

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