Crystal Reports 8.5 - Feb/Mar '02

Crystal Reports 8.5

I like tracking information in our firm and turning the raw data into an informative report, such as how many clients we have per case style; how many new clients hire us each month and finding the percentage of the total people we saw; how the client found us; and who is past due on their bill — to name just a few items.

While I can manipulate data and create some terrific reports with most programs, such as a database, case management or billing program, sometimes I would like to dig down deeper for more statistics, but I can’t due to the limitations of the program I use.

Crystal Reports 8.5, by Crystal Decisions, is a program that uses the data stored in nearly any data source, such as Microsoft Access, Oracle and SQL, as well as legal-specific databases such as Amicus Attorney and Timeslips, to allow you to create reports containing the specific information you want to see and track.

New with Version 8.5, and included in the Professional and Developer editions, is Crystal Enterprise, which enables you to post your reports on the Web. To use Crystal Enterprise you need Microsoft NT 4 SP5 or Windows 2000 plus Microsoft Internet Information Services 3 or higher, Netscape Enterprise 3.6 or higher, Netscape FastTrack 3.01 or a Web server that supports the Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

Crystal Reports 8.5 comes in three versions: Standard, Professional and Developer. To do just quick reporting, the Standard version will be more than sufficient.

If you want to do a little programming, publish your reports to the Web or get fancy with your reports, check out the other two versions.

I consider myself an above average, but not expert, database programmer. After spending a little bit of time looking over the manual and the examples that came with the Developer edition, I was able to create a client report to use with the case management program, Amicus Attorney. I found the “Report Publishing Wizard” very helpful, but after a few reports found it easier to create a report “From Scratch.”

One feature I really like is the “Alert,” which is a message that will appear in a report when certain criteria that you decide on are met. I found this handy to create a client listing report that would provide an alert if I had worked more than 20 hours on the same client or if I had not had any contact with a client for more than three months, and another client receipts report to notify us if any client had paid less than a total of $500. After being “alerted,” I could then view the records that triggered the alert by clicking on the “View Records” button.

Another feature I like is “Parameters” (think query). Once set up, data is more manageable by showing only the portion you want to see, for example information pertaining to only bankruptcy or personal injury clients.

When Crystal Reports was installed, an icon was installed automatically on the toolbar of Excel and Access for reporting data automatically from these two programs. I easily created a report from Excel, which previously would have taken considerable time using only Excel to do the reporting. I was pleased to see that in the preview screen of the report there was a list of all the client names, and with just a click on a name, I was taken immediately to the associated data.

Crystal Reports can be a little intimidating and is not for the faint of heart or technologically timid.

However, if you want to make sense of your firm’s information or need more detailed reports than your current database is providing, this program is for you.

Crystal Decisions
(800) 877-2340
www.crystaldecisions.com

Price: $495, developer edition ($445 download); $259, upgrade ($233 download); $395, professional edition ($355 download); $199, professional edition upgrade ($179 download); $199, standard edition ($179 download)

Windows 95/98/2000/NT 4.0 or higher

Reviewed by Sheryl Cramer, a legal technology consultant and legal office manager at Cramer Law Firm in Lawton, Okla.

Feb/Mar '02 Issue

PROS
Make that data sing and create a report with the information you want to see.

CONS
All the features are a little overwhelming. If you have no programming experience, it will take time to learn.

VERDICT
Absolutely a must for anyone who wants to keep up with the information in his or her office. Awesome product.