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Searching Crystal Reports 2008 for hard coded value

Hi,

We are renaming one of our locations. Instead of adding a new one, the organization wants to edit all existing reports that contain a hard coded value. So we have about 400 of Crystal Reports. Other then opening each one and searching the formula for the hard coded value is there an easier way. To minimize the steps, I thought maybe I could create a report definition and use a program windows grep.

Is there a better way.

Thanks,
Nigluc

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Mike McCracken

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SOLUTION

vasto

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James0628

If you're considering exporting Report Definitions and searching those, I'd start by testing one, to see if it even contains the value that you're looking for. The last time I looked at Report Definitions was ages ago, in CR 10, and I found that they did not include a lot of things, so I stopped using them. Hopefully they've improved since then, but I'd check the definition for a report that you know has the value that you're looking for, before you spend too much time on that.

FWIW, this might be a good time to consider replacing any hard-coded location names with values that are stored in a db, or somewhere else that's easier to maintain. Then at least you won't have to go through this again in the future.

James

Mike McCracken

Good point on saving them elsewhere so they could be updated once.

One idea would be the repository. Save a formula that just returns the name. It could be updated once then available to all reports

The Report Definition will help you find all instances but you will still have to open each report in turn and fix the issues.

mlmcc

Brock

ASKER

Hi,

I have decided to try the R-TAG trial and see what that does.

Thanks to all for your responses.

(BTW Mlmcc -- you have been responding to my request over a span of 15 years now :-) -Thanks ! )

Nigluc