I have just tried using Crystal reports for the first time and I am importing a database into crystal reports inorder to use that information in my report.   Well I have gotten my report setup and it pulls in all my contact and address information fine. But when I go to preview the report it will not show up a contact if they do not have a phone number.  How do I get it to show contacts regardless of a phone number being there or not.

 

Thank you for your time,

 Michael

 

I am using Crytsal Reports Version 11

 

Have a great day,

 Michael

are you using more than one table adn if so are you doing outer joins?

If you are doing outer joins are you using a select statement?

- There are NULL values because some contacts have never had phone numbers.

- I'm not sure if I am using select statements. I just clicked and dragged the fields over.

 

Thank you for the help so far.

 

How many tables are in the 'Selected tables' window?

If there are more than 1 go into the Links tab of that window.

double click on the joni line and see what the join type is.

If it is an inner join you need to make it an outer join. Left or Right depends on whcih way the tables are set to.

This is odd...

 

If you remove the phone# field from your report all the records show up, but if you drag and drop the phone # field onto the detail section records start to disappear.

is that a correct description?

 

I think it is a DB. the top of the tree is Field explorer says "Database Fields"

 

 

Likely you have a CONTACTS table and a PHONE table which are joined togther as an inner join on the CONTACT ID field.

IN your Field explorer (top of your tree), expand the Database Fields.

Now you should see 2 or more table names (CONTACTS and PHONES). If you expand the table names you will see the fields/columns in each table.

 

Here is what I am pretty sure is happening.

Crystal does not enforce joins just by making the join (like in SQL). You have to tell it to be enforced in the join set up or it will enforce the join when you use fields from both tables anywhere in the report. So when you exlude the phone number all the contact names appear. As soon as you use the phone number the join is enforced and the names disappear becase ther eis no row in the PHONE table to match to any row in the CONTACTS table.

Is this more on track?

select DB Expert

click on the LINKS tab

You will see your tables and lines drawn beteen them.

THis is the diagram of how your tables are joined (and on what fields)

double click on the line joining your PHONE and CONTACTS tables

A box opens

on the lef tis  ajoin type

at the top of the link options it describes the join

if CONTACTS is listed first use a left outer join

if PHONES is listed first use a RIGHT outer join

Yo can also "enforce" in here but it is redundant to enforcing when you use the fields in the report itself.

Link type should remain as "="

Go back into your report and test it out.

If you are still missing data reverse the join type ...if you picked LEFT swithc to right, etc.

 

 

 

Thank you for your help!!!