HP Intelligent Management Center Standard Software Platform - Manual (Page 737)

Excel
You can convert Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into databases that can be
read by Crystal Reports through ODBC. In Excel 4.0 and earlier, use the Set
Database command on the Data menu. In Excel 5.0 and later, use Define
on the Name submenu of the Insert menu. Once converted, spreadsheet
rows become records, and spreadsheet columns become fields. (For more
information on converting your spreadsheets to database format, refer to
your Excel documentation). Once the spreadsheet is converted, you can set
up an ODBC data source for the file, and then select it from Crystal Reports.
Note:
If you are using Excel 7 or later, you can export your spreadsheets as Access
database tables, and read them from Crystal Reports as you would read any
other Access tables. For more information, refer to your Excel documentation.
You can set up an ODBC data source for Excel spreadsheets using the DAO
engine. The DAO engine is installed on your system when you install Crystal
Reports. However, you must set up an ODBC data source manually for your
Excel spreadsheet. Search for the topic called "Setting up an ODBC data
source" in the Crystal Reports Online Help.
Informix
Crystal Reports accesses Informix databases through ODBC. The Informix
client should be installed on your machine. Otherwise, Crystal Reports will
provide the driver that ODBC uses to communicate with the Informix database
engine.
Note:
The Informix ODBC driver is part of the DataDirect drivers download that is
available from the Business Objects Download Center at:
http://www.businessobjects.com/products/downloadcenter
SQL databases through DataDirect
There are many different SQL Database Management Systems available on
the market, and most of them can be accessed through ODBC. Crystal
Crystal Reports 2008 SP3 User's Guide 737
26 Accessing Data Sources
ODBC data sources