Invetory Labels - Extended Description

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I am trying to add the extended item description to the inventory labels.  I am at a loss.  I've added the CI_ExtendedDescription in the Database Expert and added the field to the report - but when I try to print the labels, they are blank.   I'm not that familar with Crystal Reports.  I've done some searches and people refer to adding a formula, but I'm not sure where, or what formula to add.

I know it is a very broad question - and I don't have a lot of Crystal Reports experience.  But if anyone has some ideas on how to accomplish this - it would be appreciated.  I've already wasted a few hours experimenting and trying to figure it out!

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  • 0 in reply to rnssales

    With the outer join (which might actually be a right outer join, depending on the order the tables were added to the report), you need to handle NULL values in any formula referencing the extended description table.

  • 0 in reply to rnssales

    If you have a lot of items, adding those tables joins will affect the performance of the report on Standard & Advanced systems.

    Generally, when possible, it is recommended to instead created a UDF in the work table sourced from the table.  For your report, it would be added to the IM Inventory Labels Work table.

    Once the field is added to the table, you then have to use the "Verify Database" feature in the crystal report.

    It will prompt you to authenticate with the ODBC driver. 

    You may have to switch the report to use the SOTAMAS90 DSN to make sure it connects to your Sage 100 installation.

    Once the new UDF is visible in the table's list of fields, you can use it in the formula.

    If you link CI_ExtendedDescription into the main report, then it should be done like this.

    Now if you are on version 2015 or later, you should be able to use an "Inner Join" because Sage switched to using "0000000000" instead of a blank (NULL to ODBC) value in the ExtendedDescriptionKey field for items that have a description less than or equal to 30 characters.  I have however come across one install where there were still some items with a blank ExtendedDescriptionKey.

    Whether you use my approach to link in CI_ExtendedDescription or the other approach where you link in CI_Item and CI_ExtendedDescription, the gist of the formula for the description is as follows.

    If IsNull({IM_InventoryLabelsWrk.UDF_EXTENDEDDESCRIPTIONKEY}) Or {IM_InventoryLabelsWrk.UDF_EXTENDEDDESCRIPTIONKEY} = ["", "0000000000"] Then
    {IM_InventoryLabelsWrk.ItemCodeDesc}
    Else
    {CI_ExtendedDescription.ExtendedDescriptionText}

    If you do also link in CI_Item, then it should look like this.

    If IsNull({CI_Item.ExtendedDescriptionKey}) Or {CI_Item.ExtendedDescriptionKey} = ["", "0000000000"] Then
    {IM_InventoryLabelsWrk.ItemCodeDesc}
    Else
    {CI_ExtendedDescription.ExtendedDescriptionText}