Create a Crystal Report template

Summary

Most Crystal Report files can be used as templates. Some types of report files, such as Mailing Label reports, are not 'standard' reports, and cannot be used with the ESRI wizard that ships with ArcGIS 8.1. In this case, you must use the Crystal Reports designer, installed with Crystal Reports, to create the report.

Once a non-standard report is created, it cannot be used as a template for the reason mentioned above.

Procedure

1. Select Tools -> Reports -> Crystal Report Wizard from ArcMap.
2. Select the layers you want to use in your report template.
3. Enter the GeoDatabase file name you want to use with your template. When you click the <Next> button, the GeoDatabase is created for you. After the next dialog is displayed, you can click Cancel; this step is just to create the GeoDatabase.
4. Select File -> New from Seagate Crystal Reports and select the type of report you want from the report gallery.
5. Click OK.
6. Click Database and select the GeoDatabase you created in step 1. If you don't see the GeoDatabase listed in the Data Explorer's file list, you can add it by selecting 'Find Database File' under 'Database Files' and clicking Add. If you created the GeoDatabase in the default location, you will find the GeoDatabase in the 'ESRI Crystal Reports' folder under My Documents.
7. Select the fields you want for your report from the GeoDatabase.
8. Click Add, and close the Data Explorer dialog.
9. Proceed through the rest of the wizard steps to create and customize your report as desired.
10. Go back to ArcMap.
11. Start the ESRI Crystal Report wizard, and you can then use the report you created as a template. Be sure to include the same layers you selected for your template.