Chapter 10. Reporting

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Reporting in Visual FoxPro

• Crystal Reports in Visual FoxPro

• Reporting in Visual Studio .NET

In many applications, reporting is the most important feature requested by users. Input is data; reports are information. The ability to sort , filter, and present views of your data can determine whether or not an application is worth building.

FoxPro has long provided an excellent reporting tool. It's easy to use and is completely integrated into the FoxPro IDE. Although it has often been regarded as primitive, clever users have found ways to extend it beyond anything the designers could have imagined.

In the Visual Basic, SQL Server, and other developer communities, reporting has always been done with the help of a third-party tool called Crystal Reports. In Visual Studio .NET, Crystal Decisions has managed to bundle their product with Microsoft while retaining joint marketing rights, a trick that I tried 22 years ago. I wish them well.