Getting Started with SQL Reporting Services

Hosted by Kacie FreyPresented by Jeff Lininger

SSRS Terminology

• Report Items– Text boxes, Rectangle, Image

• Data Regions– An item that displays repeated rows of data– List – data arranged in a free form fashion– Table- a banded, tabular report– Matrix- a cross-tab (or pivot table) report– Chart- a graph

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SSRS Terminology (cont.)

• Data Source – a database• DataSet – a query against a datasource• Sub Report

– Report embedded within a report.• Drill Down Report

– Allows information to collapsed / expanded on the report.

• Drill Through Report– Report link to jump to more detailed reports.

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What is SSRS

• Report Server• Report Manager• Report Builder• Model Designer• Report Designer• Report Viewer

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SSRS Components• Report Server

– Processes report requests and makes on demand access or scheduled distribution.

• Report Manager– View, Search, Subscribe to reports

• Report Builder– Designed for users familiar with Office to quickly build

reports.– Uses predefined Report Models to drag and drop

report items onto data regions.– A ClickOnce Winform application which runs on the

client’s machine and publishes reports as RDL files to the Report Server.

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SSRS Components (cont.)

• Model Designer– Used to define, edit, and publish models used

in Report Builder• A Report Model

– A business description of the underlying database.

– Describes data in terms of entities, attributes and relationships (roles) which users can use to build ad hoc reports using Report Builder.

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SSRS Components (cont.)

• Report Designer– Tools hosted within Visual Studio environment– Design– Preview Layout– Publish to a Server

• Report Viewer– Allows WinForm apps to display SSRS reports

in local mode– Report Viewer wrapped in additional

functionality (ROI) is used in Dynamics SL

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SSRS Environment

• Local Mode – report viewer, ROI• Native Mode – Report Server, Report

Manager, etc.• Integrated Mode –

– SharePoint integration – Web parts available to view reports– SharePoint security access of report

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SSRS Environment (cont.)

• Multiple data bases• Multiple data sets• Easy to integrate .NET code with report

– More complex functions than SSRS functions– .NET code can integrate other data sources

(for example data from a web service)– Secure customized reports

• Extensible interfaces to access data from non database data sources

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Q & A