Getting started with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

Notes on SSRS from the Pluralsight course SQL Server Business Intelligence Overview and other online resources -

* SSRS is a server based reporting platform

* When you install SSRS it creates Report Server Databases in your SQL Server Instance. These databases are ReportServer and ReportServerTempDB

* Features:

  • Can report from a variety of data sources - Relational databases, XML files & feeds, multidimenstional data (OLAP), any ODBC or OLE-DB compliant source
  • Visualize data into a variety of formats - Tabular, matrix & free form reports, Charting & interactivity capabilities, Export to PDF, Excel, text, XML
  • Extensibility - Extend with managed code, Add new data sources, report logic & render formats

* SSRS is made up of 3 server components:

  • Report Manager – manages permissions, data sources, authorization settings
  • Report Server – Report processor/brain of SSRS, manages scheduling (auto generated reports) & delivery, URL access reports, provides Web Service API
  • SSRS Database – contains metadata, Report catalog & settings

* Report Server & Report Manager are bundled within a Windows Service, ReportingServicesService.exe

* Visual Studio Reporting Projects & Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS), a VS shell installed by SQL Server installation can both be used to design & deploy reports.

* RDL (stores query information) & RDS (data source) files created during report generation are XML-based.

* To changing Report data in BIDS, use the menu option – View > Report data. Report data displays parameters & fields for report to consume

* Add new items on the Report with View > Toolbox > Report Items

* Report Items lists controls & regions to place on a report:

  • Textbox – to display static or data bound text. Use expressions to manipulate text
  • Line
  • Table - can be associated with a data set.
  • Matrix  – pivot table
  • Rectangle
  • List 
  • Image
  • Subreport
  • Chart 
  • Gauge

* SSRS supports the reporting life cycle:

  • Author reports
  • Manage reports
  • Deliver reports
  • Secure reports

MSDN & BeyondRelational have friendly step-by-step tutorials to implement basic SSRS tasks.

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