Dictionaries Overview

Why use a dictionary?

A dictionary is a structured and simplified view of data that you can create for some or all of the individuals in your organization that are using Seagate Crystal Reports.

Unlike some systems that force users to access data through a data distribution metalayer, dictionaries are optional components. Data can still be accessed directly by the user. Dictionaries simply provide all of the convenience without the restrictions.

Dictionaries let you:

●design a single, dynamic view of all the data that is necessary to create organizational reports and queries,

●organize the data and rename tables and fields to make it easier for users to understand the content and purpose of the data, and

●create complex data-manipulation formulas that users can access without the need to understand formula concepts.

Dictionaries reduce support cost and time, increase user productivity, and reduce data misuse, loss, and damage. They are a powerful component of Seagate Crystal Reports.

Dictionaries are often designed and distributed by Information System (IS) Managers or Network Administrators who control and manage a company’s databases. These databases are often complex collections of data spread throughout several tables with hundreds or even thousands of fields. A user, trying to locate and use a small set of data for a report, can easily get lost among database, table, and field names.

By creating a customized dictionary that contains a small amount of data specific to the work performed by a small group of users, you provide those users with clear and easy access to all of the data they need. For example, the Accounting department’s dictionary can be different than the Sales department’s dictionary, or the Personnel department’s dictionary. Some data may overlap between dictionaries, but it can be named and organized in a fashion that best suits the users accessing it.

492	Seagate Crystal Reports User’s Guide