Acknowledgments

Joe Estes: With utmost veneration and gratefulness, I want to thank my wife, Aimee, for her unwavering encouragement and support through all my endeavors. Special thanks to my mother and father, who have taught me the value of perseverance and hard work.

A special thank you to Steve Lucas for your guidance and wisdom, and for completing the vision behind so many ideas that you inspire everyone around you to succeed. To Michelle Newcomb and the entire team at Sams Publishing, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to lead this authoring project. I also want to thank each contributing author and technical editor Neil, Kat, Ryan, Donald, and Marc who has dedicated themselves to making this book a reality. It could not have been possible without your hard work and support. Finally, thank you Crystal Decisions for creating exceptional products and allowing us to write this book, and to many of my colleagues who are as enthusiastic and excited as I am when it comes to providing world-class Business Intelligence solutions.

Neil FitzGerald: Thanks to Steve Lucas, Michelle Newcomb, Joe Estes, Kathryn Hunt, Ryan Marples, and Marc Borbas for the opportunity and experience of participating in this great endeavor with you guys you are all truly world class.

Special recognition goes to a few people who have made this possible without even knowing it: Arlene for inspiring and tolerating me throughout; Paul Sochan, Mike Voloshko, Tim Weir, Gravy Man (Steve Holzgraefe), Larry Skiscim, and the entire technical Crystal team for exposing me to creative uses of the Crystal products and all the brains in Vancouver and Ipswich responsible for shaping this world class product specifically the top notch Product and R&D teams.

Kathryn Hunt: There are so many people to thank, where do I begin? At the beginning, I guess. Mom and my brothers, David and Mark: "Love ya for who you are and who you are destined to be. All the best!" Recently passed away Bob Brassington VE7BBB: "Grandpa, if it wasn't for you letting me play on that computer when I was 8, who knows where I'd be today. I miss you." Areni Kelleppan and Matteusz van Wollen: Thanks for keeping me going through requests for progress on my writing and words of wisdom during this adventure. "Through everything, you've kept me grounded and you've reminded me of who I am. No matter what." "

Thanks to Joe, Neil, and Ryan. I've so enjoyed working with you on this. Thanks for making it so much fun. From "pink." Thank you Steve, for asking me to contribute in the first place and for reminding me of the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to Marc for being our technical editor. And thanks to Michelle and the whole team at Sams Publishing.

Thanks to everyone at Crystal Decisions who I've had the pleasure and honor to work with over the past 8 years. I've had such a great time with the people and the products, that I can't imagine having as much fun anywhere else. Thanks for keeping life challenging.

And finally, I'd like to thank all my family and friends; you know who you are. If it wasn't for your love, laughter, and support, I wouldn't have been able to accept Steve's invitation to write.

Steve Lucas: Thank you Shelley for being the best friend and companion I could ask for and more. You are amazing. Thanks to my family and friends for all your support and encouragement.

Thank you Joe, Kat, Ryan, and Neil for keeping me involved in this book: You are all very talented individuals. Thank you Michelle and everyone from Sams Publishing who were involved in this book: You are incredible professionals.

I also want to thank some very intelligent and inspiring people at Crystal Decisions who I've worked with over the last three years: Roger Sanborn, Tim Weir, Steve Holzgraefe, James Church, Sandra Lutz, Donald MacCormick, Nigel Stoodley, Fred Tummonds, Bev Coxford, and James Luiken.

Paul, you are a true Wozniak!

Ryan Marples: I'd like to thank the other authors and the team at Sams, including Michelle Newcomb, for their patience and drive to make this a great book. I'd also like to acknowledge our Research and Development team, who put endless long hours into this product. It's all paid off with a great product.