Connection Between SQL 2005 Data and Universe

Hi there!

I have some questions on this universe and crystal reports. I need to extract an amount of data (tables & fields) from MS SQL Database to create reports using Crystal Reports. Before that, do I need to use the Universe to create SQL structure to hold that amount of data and where can I insert conditions (For example: if else, case statements). After that, can I pump the those data into the crystal reports? Please enlighten me on this.

Thank you so much