Excellent examples Brenda, sorry if my answer sounded a bit cryptical. My only excuse is, I come from a programming background :) Mvh /Mehrdad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mehrdad Ravanbod IT/Database Admin Email: [log in to unmask]<blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]> Moderna Museet Tel mobil: 0708 945795, ankn. 5246 Box 16382 103 27 Stockholm ________________________________ Från: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] För Brenda Podemski Skickat: den 22 oktober 2010 19:15 Till: [log in to unmask] Ämne: Re: Crystal reports inquiry Hi Michelle, I don't know if Mehrdad's reply was enough to get you going, but here's a quick example of how you might use formula fields for this purpose: Formula field: ConstituentDates IF ISNULL({CONSTITUENTS.DISPLAYDATE}) THEN "" ELSE IF ISNULL({CONSTITUENTS.NATIONALITY}) THEN {CONSTITUENTS.DISPLAYDATE} ELSE " , " + {CONSTITUENTS.DISPLAYDATE} Formula field: ConstituentNationality IF ISNULL({CONSTITUENTS.NATIONALITY}) then "" ELSE {CONSTITUENTS.NATIONALITY} Formula field: ConstituentNationalityDates IF {@ConstituentNationality<mailto:%7b@ConstituentNationality>} = "" AND {@ConstituentDates<mailto:%7b@ConstituentDates>} = "" THEN {CONSTITUENTS.DISPLAYNAME} ELSE {CONSTITUENTS.DISPLAYNAME} + " (" + {@ConstituentNationality<mailto:%7b@ConstituentNationality>} + {@ConstituentDates<mailto:%7b@ConstituentDates>} + ")" You would use the ConstituentNationalityDates formula field for display. Handled in this way your full constituent string will display properly, even if DisplayDate or Nationality (or both) are missing. Exporting to Excel is sometimes tricky business. Typically, a format that looks nice on screen does not export cleanly and vice versa. If the intent is to get a clean Excel export I use ListViews when possible. Best, Brenda ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~ Brenda Podemski Business Applications Administrator Collection Information & Access The J. Paul Getty Museum www.getty.edu v. +1 310-440-7087 | f. +1 310-440-7752 | e. [log in to unmask] >>> Mehrdad Ravanbod <[log in to unmask]> 10/18/2010 7:47 AM >>> Hi I suggest you use a formula, formulas provide much better means of concatenating Strings and literals than simple combining of database fileds and text fields! Mvh /Mehrdad -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mehrdad Ravanbod IT/Database Admin Email: [log in to unmask]<blocked::mailto:[log in to unmask]> Moderna Museet Tel mobil: 0708 945795, ankn. 5246 Box 16382 103 27 Stockholm ________________________________ Från: The Museum System (TMS) Users [mailto:[log in to unmask]] För Michelle VanAuken Skickat: den 4 oktober 2010 21:20 Till: [log in to unmask] Ämne: Crystal reports inquiry Crystal report experts, expert-wannabe's, and/or anyone able to offer assistance (not intended to sound too desperate); I'm struggling with a Crystal issue that goes beyond my limited knowledge, and wonder if anyone could offer assistance with this matter. I'd like a report that returns the Constituent 'DisplayName', followed by 'Nationality' and 'DisplayDate'. Perhaps an easy task (for some), but with two additional variables: 1 - I'd like parenthesis after 'DisplayName' surrounding 'Nationality', 'DisplayDate'. A typical way to display, but I cannot get it to work properly. ie: Henri Lebasque (French, 1865-1937) 2 - when I export the report to Excel, I need all three fields (DisplayName, Nationality, DisplayDate) to appear in ONE column, not three separate columns. And lastly, during the export to Excel, any tips on why some records, at random, don't appear in their respective columns? ie: 'Dimensions' falls under 'Medium' column, 'DisplayName' falls under 'Dimensions' column. Anyone else experience this odd behavior and might offer advice? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks, in advance. -- Michelle VanAuken Picker Art Gallery, Colgate University 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346 315.228.7692 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>