Question: The title of the question pretty much tells it all.

When using the java SDK provided by Crystal Reports to export a report as an Excel spread-sheet. Although the cells grow even now, only the first line is visible in the export XLS. 

In the Crystal Reports UI, this is achieved by setting the 'Grow' option from the Report Export options.

What parameter must be set so that the corresponding cell *visibly* grows to accomodate large/multi-line text?

Answer: 
I use NHibernate exclusively in my projects. I like the control and flexibility it gives me. There is a 'shortcut' called [Active Record](http://www.castleproject.org/activerecord/) that uses NHibernate under the covers but provides a really nice an simple interface to NHibernate.

NHibernate has a steep learning curve, but when you get past that - it is really smooth sailing. When (and if) you venture the way of NHibernate, check out [Ayende](http://ayende.com/blog) for cool tips.
I've had a great time using Entity Framework 4.0 (+ the CTP). I think you'd have a much easier time dealing with an ORM like that. EF4 provides *everything* you need to interoperate with MSSQL from C#/.NET. You won't have to write a single line of SQL, and it has full support for LINQ (through ObjectQuery).