Introduction

Chapter 2, "Selecting and Grouping Data," and Chapter 3, "Filtering, Sorting, and Summarizing Data," introduced the importance of grouping and summarizing in report generation. When doing so for business users, it is often effective to present these groups and summarizations using various visualization techniques. The charting and mapping features in Crystal Reports provide a very effective way to communicate relevant information using powerful visualization techniques.

Charts and maps with Crystal Reports provide an extensive array of data visualization options to report designers. In addition to familiar chart types including bar charts, pie charts, scatter charts, line charts, and bubble charts, new chart types in recent versions include the following:

• Histogram charts (v.XI)

• Funnel charts (v.10)

• Gantt charts (v.9)

• Gauges (v.9)

• Numeric Axis charts (v.9)

Geographic Mapping with color-coding and integrated charting options provides another effective method of conveying macro-level information to report consumers.

This chapter introduces various charting and mapping techniques, including

• Enhancing the sample reports from previous chapters with charts and maps

• A review of the Crystal Reports charting expert

• An introduction to the newer chart typesGantt, Gauge, Numeric Axis, Funnel, and Histogram charts

• A review of the Crystal Reports mapping expert

• Manual chart and map formatting

The Chart Expert is a good place to begin adding visualizations to your reports.