Crystal Reports

Using ODBC XML Data with Crystal Reports

Overview
This document discusses Extensible Markup Language (XML) concepts,
provides sample XML scripting, and illustrates the best methods to
report off XML in Crystal Reports (CR) using ODBC. The focus of this
document is working with ODBC connections to XML data but Crystal
Reports 10 and later can connect to XML using the Crystal Reports
Native XML driver. A link for downloading the Native XML driver is
provided. This document applies to Crystal Reports 8.5 and later.

Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 3
BEFORE YOU BEGIN.................................................................................... 3
Validate the XML ........................................................................................3
Steps to Test the XML..................................................................................... 3
DOWNLOADING THE CR XML NATIVE DRIVER .............................................. 4
CONFIGURING THE CR XML ODBC DRIVER ................................................ 4
Steps to configure the CR XML ODBC driver in CR 9 ..............................4
General Tab...................................................................................................... 7
Advanced Tab ................................................................................................. 8
Options Tab ................................................................................................... 10
Steps to configure the CR XML ODBC driver in CR 8.5 .........................10
General Tab.................................................................................................... 12
Advanced Tab ............................................................................................... 13
Options Tab ................................................................................................... 15
XML FORMATS THAT CRYSTAL REPORTS CAN REPORT OFF...................... 15
Raw XML ..................................................................................................15
ADO XML ................................................................................................16
Data Island XML.......................................................................................17
XSD ...........................................................................................................18
XML DATA TYPES .................................................................................... 18
TABLE AND ROW HINTS ............................................................................. 20
Additional Table and Row Hint Examples From Online Help............... 23
ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATION FOR XML .................................................... 26
Multiple XML Documents Vs Multiple Tables In One XML Document 26
Configuration of String and Memo Fields................................................. 26

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CONNECTING NATIVELY TO AN XML OR XSD FILE ...................................... 26

Steps to Connect............................................................................................ 27
CREATING XML FILES THROUGH THE CR XML ODBC DRIVER ................. 27
LIMITATIONS ............................................................................................. 29
FINDING MORE INFORMATION .................................................................... 29
CONTACTING BUSINESS OBJECTS FOR TECHNICAL SUPPORT ..................... 29

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Introduction
Crystal Reports 8.5 and later allows you to report off XML data. XML is
a markup language much like HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
However, XML and HTML were designed with different intentions.

HTML was designed to display data and concentrate on how data

appears. However, XML was designed to describe data and concentrate
on what the data is. While HTML contains predefined tags, XML allows
you to create customized tags for the structure of the XML document.
Each element is contained between opening and closing tags.

Before You Begin

Validate the XML
Before you begin, ensure that the XML is valid and without errors.
Opening the XML as a local XML file through an Internet Explorer
browser 5.5 and higher does not guarantee that the XML has a valid
schema or structure. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you
test the XML.

Microsoft offers a utility on their support site called the XML Validator.

Download the XML Validator from the following link:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-
us/samples/internet/xml/xml_validator/default.asp

The XML Validator will verify that the XML is well formed, valid and
error free. Also, this utility indicates elements such as parent/child tags
and any attributes associated to elements within the XML and the XML
hierarchy structure. You will be able to correctly identify any Table or
Row hints for the CR XML driver to use. Table and Row hints are further
discussed later in this document.

The XML Validator can be used with both XML schemas and Data Type
Definitions (DTDs) and allows you to verify unsecured URL XML, and
to paste any particular XML to test.

Steps to Test the XML

1. Click the link Microsoft’s site to the XML Validator provided above.
2. Click the Demo link. The XML Validator appears. (If available, you
are able to download the utility as well.)
3. Enter the XML path or URL path. Or, click the Paste button to enter
the XML.
4. Ensure that the Validation check box is selected.
5. Click the Validate button.

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6. Correct the XML if an error message appears.

7. Repeat the steps if necessary.
Upon completing these steps, you will receive a message stating, “Your
XML is well formed and is validated” or an error message related to the
XML.
Below the message “Your XML is well formed and is validated”, there is
parser information for the XML and any parent/child tags or elements
sorted by hierarchy. If any attributes are found, this will also be listed
according to hierarchy level. This information indicates the XML version
and if the XML is Unicode compliant. Based on this information, you can
identify any Table or Row hints.

Downloading the CR XML Native Driver

New to Crystal Reports 10 is the Native XML driver. With Crystal
Reports XI, the Native XML driver automatically installs with a complete
product installation. With Crystal Reports 10, you can download the
Native XML driver by clicking “Download Windows JDBC, XML and
DB2 Unicode drivers” at
http://www.businessobjects.com/products/downloadcenter/crystalrep
orts.asp

After downloading, consult the included documentation (install.pdf and

new_drivers.pdf) for installation assistance.

Configuring the CR XML ODBC Driver

Crystal Reports retrieves data from XML documents using the CR XML
ODBC driver, included with Crystal Reports 8.5 and later. Before XML
data can be retrieved, an ODBC data source must be configured using
this ODBC driver.

CAUTION Do not name the XML file "Test.xml" or with the suffix "...test.xml". An ODBC error will
occur. For more information regarding this issue, refer to the knowledge base
article,c2011224, on our support site at:
http://support.businessobjects.com/search

Steps to configure the CR XML ODBC driver in

CR 9
1. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator, usually found in the
Windows Control Panel.

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2. Click Add to create a new data source. From the list of available
ODBC drivers, select CR ODBC XML Driver 4.10. Click Finish.

3. The ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box appears.

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In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, left-click the General tab
and enter the following:

Data Source Name: Enter the name you would like to assign to this
data source.

Description: May be left blank or a simple description can be

added for this data source.

Location: Contains the path or URL to the folder

containing your XML document(s).

NOTE For the Location field, ensure that the folder containing the XML files is specified, and not
the XML files.

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General Tab

Once you click Add or Edit you will be prompted with the Configure
Location window.

In the Configure Location dialog box under the General tab, enter the
following information:

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Location Name: Provide a name for the location of the XML file.

Location Type: This is either the Folder, File or HTML file in

which the XML is located.

Location: Browse to the location of the XML source by

clicking the … button or enter the URL.

NOTE If a file name is not specified in the URL (for example, http://www..../xml_samples),
Crystal Reports prompts you to specify the table name. That is, the file name without the
“.xml” extension.

NOTE If a file name is not specified in the path (for example, c:\yourxmlfiles), the Database
Expert displays each XML file from the directory c:\yourxmlfiles as a table.

Advanced Tab

In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, left-click the Advanced tab
and enter the following:

Table Hint: Enter the table hint needed to interpret the XML
document, if applicable.

Row Hint: Enter the row hint needed to interpret the XML
document, if applicable.

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NOTE Table and Row Hints are discussed, at length, later in this document.

Validate Schema: This option is unselected by default. This option

enables the CR XML ODBC driver to check the
XML document to ensure that the data it
contains matches its schema (data structure). If
unselected, the XML document will be
processed regardless. It is recommended that
this option be checked.

Resolve External References:

This option is unselected by default, this option

will enable the CR XML ODBC driver to use
files used by the XML document, such as DTDs,
Schemas, Entities, and Notations. It is
recommended that this option be checked.

Flush Every Change: This allows for the XML file to have flushing of
the twig (an extension of the TREE\Branch) up
to and including the current element, enabled.
Flushing is done in the XML code.

Require User Id / Password:

This option is checked by default. This option

prompts for a user ID and password when
connecting to this data source. Unless there is
security placed on the XML document(s), this
item should be unselected.

Table Creation: This option determines the style of XML file that
is produced when this data source is used as a
means to create XML documents. This option
has no effect when retrieving data and reporting
off XML documents.

International Sort Order:

This option affects the order that records are

retrieved when issuing an ORDER BY clause in
the SELECT statement passed to this data
source. For more information on this option,
please see the CR XML ODBC Online help, via
the Help button.

Delete Linked Schema: This option does not directly affect

reporting. For more information on this option,
please see the CR XML ODBC Online help, via
the Help button.

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Logging: This option does not directly affect reporting.

For more information on this option, please see
the CR XML ODBC Online help by pressing the
Help (F1) button.

Options Tab

In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, under the Options tab is
the Driver Options.

The Driver Options does not directly affect reporting. For more
information on this option, please refer to the CR XML ODBC Online
help by pressing the Help (F1) button.

Steps to configure the CR XML ODBC driver in

CR 8.5
To configure the CR XML ODBC driver:

8. Open the ODBC Data Source Administrator, usually found in the

Windows Control Panel.

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9. Click Add to create a new data source. From the list of available
ODBC drivers that appears, select CR XML v3.6. Click Finish.

10. The ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box appears.

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General Tab

In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, left-click the General tab
and enter the following:

Data Source Name: Enter the name you would like to assign to this
data source.

Description: May be left blank or a simple description can be

added for this data source.

Location: Contains the path or URL to the folder

containing your XML document(s).

CAUTION For the Location field, ensure that the folder containing the XML files is specified, and not
the XML files.

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Advanced Tab

In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, left-click the Advanced tab
and enter the following:

Table Hint: Enter the table hint needed to interpret the XML
document, if applicable.

Row Hint: Enter the row hint needed to interpret the XML
document, if applicable.

NOTE Table and Row Hints are discussed, at length, later in this document.

Validate Schema: This option is unselected by default. This option

enables the CR XML ODBC driver to check the
XML document to ensure that the data it
contains matches its schema (data structure). If
unselected, the XML document will be
processed regardless. It is recommended that
this option be checked.

Resolve External References:

This option is unselected by default, this option

will enable the CR XML ODBC driver to use
files used by the XML document, such as DTDs,
Schemas, Entities, and Notations. It is
recommended that this option be checked.

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Require User Id / Password:

This option is checked by default. This option

prompts for a user ID and password when
connecting to this data source. Unless there is
security placed on the XML document(s), this
item should be unselected.

Table Creation: This option determines the style of XML file that
is produced when this data source is used as a
means to create XML documents. This option
has no effect when retrieving data and reporting
off XML documents.

International Sort Order:

This option affects the order that records are

retrieved when issuing an ORDER BY clause in
the SELECT statement passed to this data
source. For more information on this option,
please see the CR XML ODBC Online help, via
the Help button.

Delete Linked Schema: This option does not directly affect

reporting. For more information on this option,
please see the CR XML ODBC Online help, via
the Help button.

Logging: This option does not directly affect reporting.

For more information on this option, please see
the CR XML ODBC Online help by pressing the
Help (F1) button.

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Options Tab

In the ODBC XML Driver Setup dialog box, under the Options tab is
the Driver Options.

The Driver Option does not directly affect reporting. For more
information on this option, please see the CR XML ODBC Online help by
pressing the Help (F1) button.

XML Formats That Crystal Reports Can Report Off

Crystal Reports, via the CR XML ODBC and native drivers, can report
off 3 different XML formats:

• Raw
• ADO
• Data Island.
These three formats use a hierarchical structure and all formats use
opening and closing XML tags to define each data element.

Crystal Reports, via the CR XML native driver only, can also report off:

• XSD files

Raw XML
Unlike ADO and Data Island formats, Raw XML does not explicitly
define a schema (data structure). The CR XML ODBC driver will apply a
structure for the XML document based entirely on the XML data
contained within that document.

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Example:

<Sample_Raw_XML_Document>
<record>
<MovieName>Star Wars</MovieName>
<LeadActor>Mark Hamill</LeadActor>
<YearReleased>1977</YearReleased>
<MovieDescription>Set "a long long time ago in a
galaxy far, far away", Star Wars set the standard
for science fiction films.</MovieDescription>
</record>
<record>
<MovieName>The Terminator</MovieName>
<LeadActor>Arnold Schwarzenegger</LeadActor>
<YearReleased>1984</YearReleased>
<MovieDescription>This film placed Arnold
Schwarzenegger in the A list of Hollywood
actors.</MovieDescription>
</record>
</Sample_Raw_XML_Document>

NOTE This sample XML script can be pasted into a normal text editor and saved as an XML file.

ADO XML
ADO XML documents contain the data schemas (structures) followed by
the actual data.

Fields for this XML code are defined within the <s:AttributeType> tags
in the first block of code. Each field is primarily defined with a name
and a data type. Secondary attributes, such as field precision, are also
included. Data for these fields is contained within the <rs:data> tags.

Example:

<xml xmlns:s="uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-
00AA00C14882" xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-
00AA00C14882" xmlns:rs="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset"
xmlns:z="#RowsetSchema">
<s:Schema id="RowsetSchema">
<s:ElementType name="row" content="eltOnly">
<s:AttributeType name="MOVIENAME" rs:number="1"
rs:nullable="true" rs:writeunknown="true">
<s:dataType dt:type="string"
dt:maxLength="25" rs:precision="25" />
</s:AttributeType>
<s:AttributeType name="LEADACTOR" rs:number="2"
rs:nullable="true" rs:writeunknown="true">
<s:dataType dt:type="string"
dt:maxLength="30" rs:precision="30" />
</s:AttributeType>
<s:AttributeType name="YEARRELEASED"
rs:number="3" rs:nullable="true"
rs:writeunknown="true">
<s:dataType dt:type="string"
dt:maxLength="4" rs:precision="4" />
</s:AttributeType>
<s:extends type="rs:rowbase" />

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</s:ElementType>
</s:Schema>

<rs:data>
<z:row MOVIENAME="Star Wars" LEADACTOR="Mark
Hamill" YEARRELEASED="1977" />
<z:row MOVIENAME="The Terminator"
LEADACTOR="Arnold Schwarzenegger"
YEARRELEASED="1984" />
</rs:data>
</xml>

NOTE This sample XML script can be pasted into a normal text editor and saved as an XML file.

Data Island XML

Data Island XML differs from ADO XML in that the data schema
(structure) is held in a separate XML Data Definition document. The
primary XML data document holds the actual data and references the
Data Definition document. The Data Definition document should reside
in the same location as the primary XML data document.

Example:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>

<XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE xmlns="x-schema:DD_16394.xml">
<_Record>
<MOVIENAME>Star Wars</MOVIENAME>
<LEADACTOR>Mark Hamill</LEADACTOR>
<YEARRELEASED>1977</YEARRELEASED>
</_Record>
<_Record>
<MOVIENAME>The Terminator</MOVIENAME>
<LEADACTOR>Arnold Schwarzenegger</LEADACTOR>
<YEARRELEASED>1984</YEARRELEASED>
</_Record>
</XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE>

All data is held within the <XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE> tags,

where XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE is the name of the primary XML
data document. The opening <XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE> tag
also specifies the Data Definition document that provides the schema
information for the data, DD_16394.xml in this case. The code for this
document is shown below.

<Schema xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:xml-data"
xmlns:dt="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:datatypes">
<ElementType name="XML_DATA_ISLAND_SAMPLE"
content="eltOnly" order="many">
<element type="_Record" />
</ElementType>
<ElementType name="_Record" content="eltOnly"
order="many">
<element type="MOVIENAME" />

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<element type="LEADACTOR" />

<element type="YEARRELEASED" />
</ElementType>
<ElementType name="MOVIENAME" content="textOnly"
dt:type="string" />
<ElementType name="LEADACTOR" content="textOnly"
dt:type="string" />
<ElementType name="YEARRELEASED" content="textOnly"
dt:type="i2" />
</Schema>

NOTE • These sample XML scripts can be pasted into a normal text editor and saved as
XML files.
• Data Island schemas define data types for fields but do not define field precisions
(like String length).

XSD
XSD files are models for describing and validating the structure of an
XML environment. XSD files point to data sources. Crystal Reports can
connect to these files natively.

XML Data Types

The following table lists the data types used in XML and the data types
as they appear in Crystal Reports.

NOTE These data types can be specified for ADO and Data Island XML formats. Since Raw
XML does not include schema (data structure) information, data types cannot be specified
for Raw XML format.

Crystal Reports
XML Data Type Description
Data Type

BOOLEAN 0 or 1, where 0 = "false" and 1 BOOLEAN

="true"

STRING (255 Character data up to 255 STRING

characters or less) characters in length

STRING (256 Character data over 255 MEMO

characters or characters in length

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more)

CURRENCY Money data, with a decimal NUMBER

precision of 2

DATE Date in a subset ISO 8601 DATE

format, without the time data.
For example: "1994-11-05".

FIXED.x.y Same as "number" but no more NUMBER

than x=14 digits to the left of
the decimal point, and no more
than y=4 to the right.

FLOAT Positive or negative value, NUMBER

values range from
2.2250738585072014E-308 to
1.7976931348623157E+308

I1 Integer represented in one byte. NUMBER

A number, with optional sign,
no fractions, no exponent. For
example: "1, 127, -128". Values
range from –128 to 127.

I2 Integer represented in one NUMBER

word (2 bytes). A number, with
optional sign, no fractions, no
exponent. For example: "1, 703,
-32768". Values range from –
32768 to 32767.

I4 Integer represented in 4 bytes. NUMBER

A number, with optional sign,
no fractions, no exponent. For
example: "1, 703, -32768, 148343,
-1000000000". Values range
from –2147483648 to
2147483647.

INT Number, with optional sign, no NUMBER

fractions, and no exponent.

NUMBER Number, with no limit on NUMBER

digits; can potentially have a
leading sign, fractional digits,
and optionally an exponent.
Values have same range as
most significant number, R8,
1.7976931348623157E+308 to
2.2250738585072014E-308

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R4 Real number, with no limit on NUMBER

digits; can potentially have a
leading sign, fractional digits,
and optionally an exponent.
Values range from
3.40282347E+38F to
1.17549435E-38F.

R8 Same as "float." Real number, NUMBER

with no limit on digits; can
potentially have a leading sign,
fractional digits, and optionally
an exponent. Values range from
1.7976931348623157E+308 to
2.2250738585072014E-308.

TIME Time in a subset ISO 8601 TIME

format, with no date and no
time zone. For example:
"08:15:27"

UI1 Unsigned integer. A number, NUMBER

unsigned, no fractions, no
exponent. For example: "1, 25

UI2 Unsigned integer, two bytes. A NUMBER

number, unsigned, no fractions,
no exponent. For example: "1,
255, 65535".

UI4 Unsigned integer, four bytes. A NUMBER

number, unsigned, no fractions,
no exponent. For example: "1,
703, 3000000000".

Table and Row Hints

XML documents are set up in a hierarchical structure. They begin with
parent tags containing child tags, which contain child tags of those tags,
and so on. However, the CR XML ODBC driver is designed to
understand only one hierarchy level. As a result, table and row hints
may be needed to indicate which hierarchy level represents the table and
which hierarchy level represents the rows.

Here is an example Raw XML code that illustrates the use of hints.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>

<Inventory>

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<Books>
<Fiction>
<Item>
<CODE>16-041</CODE>
<CATEGORY>Horror</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-03-07</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>IT</TITLE>
<SALES>127853</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-048</CODE>
<CATEGORY>Science Fiction</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-04-21</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Contact</TITLE>
<SALES>375298</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-105</CODE>
<CATEGORY>Classics</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-05-10</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Diary of Samuel Pepys</TITLE>
<SALES>297311</SALES>
</Item>
</Fiction>
<Non-Fiction>
<Item>
<CODE>17-041</CODE>
<CATEGORY>HTML</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-03-07</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant HTML</TITLE>
<SALES>127853</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>17-048</CODE>
<CATEGORY>Scripting</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-04-21</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant JavaScript</TITLE>
<SALES>375298</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>17-105</CODE>
<CATEGORY>ASP</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-05-10</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant Active Server Pages</TITLE>
<SALES>297311</SALES>
</Item>
</Non-Fiction>
</Books>
</Inventory>

NOTE This sample XML script can be pasted into a normal text editor and saved as an XML file.

By examining this code, it is clear that the <Item> tags should represent
the rows. Within the <Item> tags, <CODE>, <CATEGORY>,
<RELEASE_DATE>, <TITLE>, and <SALES> are field tags that contain
the data. <Item> can be identified as the row hierarchy level by using
row hints.

<Fiction> and <Non-Fiction> both behave as parent tags of <Item> and

should represent tables in this XML code. Table hints can be specified

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for <Fiction> and <Non-Fiction> but not at the same time since <Fiction>
and <Non-Fiction> represent different hierarchies on the same level.

Table and Row Hints can be specified in the CR XML ODBC driver data
source setup in the Advanced tab:

If the <Fiction> hierarchy is to be used, table and row hints can be

specified using either of these methods:

• Method One:

Table hint: /Inventory/Books/Fiction

Row hint: ./Item

The table hint specifies the <Fiction> hierarchy as the table and the
row hint indicates the <Item> tag, within <Fiction>, as the row.
Notice that there is a “.” at the beginning of the row hint.

NOTE A “.” is included at the beginning of the row hint to specify that on the <Item> elements
from the <Fiction> hierarchy are to be used.

• Method Two:

Table hint:
Row hint: /Inventory/Books/Fiction/Item

The row hint is specified by completely qualifying the <Item> tag.

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NOTE • The <Non-Fiction> hierarchy for table and row hints is specified in the same way.
• Table and Row Hints are case sensitive

Additional Table and Row Hint Examples From Online Help

This section provides XML code and example hints. There are 3 Raw
XML file samples, followed by 6 XML code samples. This XML code also
appears in the Crystal Reports Online Help.

CAUTION When changing the hints in the CR XML ODBC driver, the ODBC data source must be
logged off and on again (in Crystal Reports Designer) before the new hints can take
effect.

BookstoreHintSample1.XML:

<Bookstore>
<Books>
<Item>
<CODE>16-041</CODE>
<CATEGORY>HTML</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-03-07</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant HTML</TITLE>
<SALES>127853</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-048</CODE>
<CATEGORY>Scripting</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-04-21</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant JavaScript</TITLE>
<SALES>375298</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-105</CODE>
<CATEGORY>ASP</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-05-10</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant Active Server Pages</TITLE>
<SALES>297311</SALES>
</Item>
</Books>
</Bookstore>

BookstoreHintSample2.XML:

<Bookstore location="Raleigh">
<Books>
<Item>
<CODE>16-041</CODE>
<CATEGORY>HTML</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-03-07</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant HTML</TITLE>
<SALES>127853</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-048</CODE>

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

<CATEGORY>Scripting</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-04-21</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant JavaScript</TITLE>
<SALES>375298</SALES>
</Item>
<Item>
<CODE>16-105</CODE>
<CATEGORY>ASP</CATEGORY>
<RELEASE_DATE>1998-05-10</RELEASE_DATE>
<TITLE>Instant Active Server Pages</TITLE>
<SALES>297311</SALES>
</Item>
</Books>
</Bookstore>

BookstoreHintSample3.XML:

<Bookstore>
<Books>
<Item CODE="16-041" CATEGORY="HTML"
RELEASE_DATE="1998-03-07"
TITLE="Instant HTML" SALES="127853" />
<Item CODE="16-048" CATEGORY="Scripting"
RELEASE_DATE="1998-04-21"
TITLE="Instant JavaScript" SALES="375298" />
<Item CODE="16-105" CATEGORY="ASP"
RELEASE_DATE="1998-05-10"
TITLE="Instant Active Server Pages"
SALES="297311" />
</Books>
</Bookstore>

Example 1:

Table Hint:

Row Hint: //Item

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample1.xml

The row nodes are the nodes named Item. The table node is the parent of
the row nodes. Use this form only when all of the Item nodes reside
under one parent. If some Item nodes have different parents, use a table
hint or a more specific row hint to select the set of Item nodes.

NOTE Nodes can be thought of as levels or branches in a hierarchy in an XML document.

Example 2:

Table Hint:

Row Hint: /Bookstore/Books/Item

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample1.xml

The row nodes are the nodes named Item. The table node is Books,
which is a child of the Bookstore node.

Example 3:

Table Hint: /Bookstore/Books

Row Hint:

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample1.xml

The table node is Books, which is a child of the Bookstore node. The row
nodes are the children of the Books node. It is assumed that all of the
child nodes under the Books nodes have the same name. If the child
nodes do not all have the same name, the name of the first child node
encountered is used as the row node name. In that case, it would be
better to specify both a table and row hint.

Example 4:

Table Hint: /Bookstore [@location = “Raleigh”]/Books

Row Hint: ./Item

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample2.xml

The table node is Books, which is a child of the Bookstore node.

Bookstore has a "location" attribute with the value Raleigh. The row
nodes are the Item nodes that are children of the Books node.

NOTE The next 2 examples show the use of Column Mode Identifiers. See the Crystal Reports
Online Help for details.

Example 5:

Table Hint:

Row Hint: //Item \column attr

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample3.xml

The row nodes are named Item. The table node is the parent of the row
nodes. The columns are attributes of the row node.

Example 6:

Table Hint:

Row Hint: //Item \column child

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

Use with file: BookstoreHintSample1.xml

The row nodes are the nodes named Item. The table node is the parent of
the row nodes. The columns are attributes of the row node.

Additional Configuration For XML

Multiple XML Documents Vs Multiple Tables In One XML
Document
It is possible to have more than one table in an XML document (see Table
and Row Hints). However, if these tables are to be linked in Crystal
Reports, it is more efficient to have these tables in separate XML
documents (in the same folder on your computer).

Having separate XML documents allows each XML document to act as a

table. When you link these multiple tables, Crystal Reports creates a
single SQL statement to retrieve records based on the table joins from
one ODBC data source.

When multiple tables are contained within one XML document, one
ODBC data source needs to be created and configured for each table
referenced in the XML document. Hence, multiple ODBC data sources
would need to be linked in a report. This would reduce performance
since multiple SQL statements need to be passed to ODBC and Crystal
Reports would be responsible for filtering records based on the table
links.

For more information on working with ODBC data sources in Crystal Reports, please refer
NOTE
to the Crystal Reports User’s Guide.

Configuration of String and Memo Fields

In CR, fields greater than 255 characters are considered Memo fields. In
CR 8.5, the CR XML ODBC driver cannot report off Memo fields.

By default, the CR XML ODBC driver will truncate all Memo fields at
255 characters and read them as String fields. This is done to take
advantage of sorting, grouping, conditional formatting, and record
selection on these fields in Crystal Reports.

CR 9 can report off Memo fields.

Connecting Natively to an XML or XSD file

The following prerequisites are required to connect natively to an XML
or XSD file:

• Supported Operating systems from .NET include Windows

2000,Windows XP, and Windows CE.

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

• The Microsoft .Net framework must be installed. (This can be

obtained from Microsoft’s website).

• Crystal Reports 9 Developer and Advanced Developer editions

only.

Steps to Connect
1. Copy the crdb_a~3.dll from the Crystal Reports 9 Developer CD to
the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Crystal Decisions\2.0\Bin
folder.

2. Rename this file to crdb_adoplus.dll

3. In Crystal Reports 9, on the File menu, click New.

4. Select the As a Blank Report option button and then click OK.

5. In the Database Expert dialog box, double-click Create New

Connection, and then double-click Database Files. Browse to your
xml file.

When the data or structure has changed you must log off/server and then log back on.
NOTE
The data changes will be seen within the report.

Creating XML Files Through The CR XML ODBC Driver

XML documents can be created via the CR XML ODBC driver. The CR
XML ODBC driver can be configured to produce ADO, Data Island or
DataDirect XML documents.

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

The Table Creation frame in the Advanced tab of the ODBC XML Driver
Setup dialog box controls the format of the XML document(s) that are
created, whether it be Data Island Format or ADO Format. Raw XML
cannot be created through the CR XML ODBC driver.

If the XML documents are created by exporting to a CR XML ODBC data

source from Crystal Reports, the report requires the proper format to
produce a readable XML document. Format the report with the
following:

• Only one Details section.

• All fields to be created in the XML document are inserted into the
Details section. If all the fields do not fit on one line, reduce the
width of the field objects so that all the fields can be contained on
one line in the Details section. It does not matter that the data from
these fields can only be partially seen.
• Export the report to a pre-configured ODBC data source for the CR
XML ODBC driver. An XML document name can be specified at this
time.

NOTE Although not generally recommended due to slow performance, this method is an
effective way of creating simple XML documents. To create more detailed XML
documents, it is recommended to use the Crystal Reports Export to XML feature. For
more information on this feature, please refer to the Crystal Reports Online Help and the
Crystal Reports User’s Guide.

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

Limitations
For information on limitations with the XML 4.10.00.00 ODBC driver
refer to the following knowledge base articles:

C2014594 - Cannot save changes to table and row hints in an XML ODBC
data source

C2014595 - Err Msg: "The database table <table name> cannot be

found..." connecting to XML

C2014596 - Crystal Reports does not recognize some XML field's data
types correctly

C2014597 - Changes to XML data are not recognized in Crystal Reports

The knowledge base can be found at:

http://support.businessobjects.com/search

Finding More Information

For more information on Crystal Reports and XML, please refer to the
Crystal Reports User’s Guide and the Crystal Reports Online Help.

For information about working with the Native XML driver for Crystal
Reports, search for cr_xi_native_xml_driver.pdf at:

http://support.businessobjects.com/search

In addition, search for XML knowledge base articles at:

http://support.businessobjects.com/search

Contacting Business Objects for Technical Support

We recommend that you refer to the product documentation and that
you visit our Technical Support web site for more resources.

Self-serve Support:
http://support.BusinessObjects.com/

Email Support:
http://support.BusinessObjects.com/support/answers.asp

Telephone Support:
http://www.BusinessObjects.com/contact/support.asp

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Crystal Reports Using XML and Crystal Reports

www.businessobjects.com
No part of the computer software or this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from Business Objects.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Business Objects does not warrant that this
document is error free.
This software and documentation is commercial computer software under Federal Acquisition regulations, and is
provided only under the Restricted Rights of the Federal Acquisition Regulations applicable to commercial computer
software provided at private expense. The use, duplication, or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to
restrictions set forth in subdivision (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at
252.227-7013.
The Business Objects product and technology are protected by US patent numbers 5,555,403; 6,247,008; 6,578,027;
6,490,593; and 6,289,352. The Business Objects logo, the Business Objects tagline, BusinessObjects,
BusinessObjects Broadcast Agent, BusinessQuery, Crystal Analysis, Crystal Analysis Holos, Crystal Applications,
Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Info, Crystal Reports, Rapid Mart, and WebIntelligence are trademarks or registered
trademarks of Business Objects SA in the United States and/or other countries. Various product and service names
referenced herein may be trademarks of Business Objects SA. All other company, product, or brand names
mentioned herein, may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Specifications subject to change without notice.
Not responsible for errors or omissions.
Copyright © 2006 Business Objects SA. All rights reserved.

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