Chapter 5: Removing the Training Wheels: Building Basic Reports

Overview

In Chapter 4, you built your first reports using the Report Wizard. This is like learning to ride your first two-wheeler with the training wheels on. Now it is time for the training wheels to come off so you can see what this baby will really do! We are going to begin building reports from scratch. Hopefully, these next few chapters will provide the handholding you need so you can learn to ride sans training wheels without getting skinned knees.

First, we will work with the two types of reports you were introduced to in Chapter 4. We will begin by building a table report without the use of the Report Wizard. From there, we will do the same with a matrix report. After that, we will look at two new report types—the chart report and the list report. We will end the chapter by working with some of the basic report items that make up each report— namely, the line control, the text box control, and the rectangle control. Along the way, you will learn more about the Visual Studio .NET 2003 environment that serves as our development platform.

So, the training wheels are off and the wrenches have been put away. Don your helmets; it’s time to ride!