SQL Server Reporting Services

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is a server-based report generation software system from Microsoft. It can be used to prepare and deliver a variety of interactive and printed reports. It is administered via a web interface. Reporting services features a web services interface to support the development of custom reporting applications.

SSRS competes with Crystal Reports and other business intelligence tools, and is included in Express, Workgroup, Standard, and Enterprise editions of Microsoft SQL Server as an install option. Reporting Services was first released in 2004 as an add-on to SQL Server 2000. The second version was released as a part of SQL Server 2005 in November 2005. The latest version was released as part of SQL Server 2008 in August 2008.

In SSRS, reports are defined in Report Definition Language (RDL), an XML markup language. Reports can be designed using recent versions of Microsoft Visual Studio [including Visual Studio.NET 2003 and Visual Studio 2005] with the included Business Intelligence Projects plug-in installed or with the included Report Builder, a simplified tool that does not offer all the functionality of Visual Studio. Reports defined by RDL can be generated in a variety of formats [ [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.wssux.reportingserviceswebservice.rsexecutionservice2005.reportexecutionservice.render.aspx MSDN Library: Reporting Services Render Method] - See [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms155397.aspx Device Information Settings] ] including Excel, PDF, CSV, XML, TIFF (and other image formats [ [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms155373.aspx Image Device Information Settings] - SSRS can render BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF.] ), and HTML Web Archive. SQL Server 2008 SSRS can also prepare reports in Microsoft Word (DOC) format.

Third-party report generators offer additional output formats.

Users can interact with the Report Server web service directly, or instead use Report Manager, a web-based application that interfaces with the Report Server web service. With Report Manager, users can view, subscribe to, and manage reports as well as manage and maintain data sources and security settings. Reports can be delivered via e-mail or placed on a file system. Security is role-based and can be assigned on an individual item, such as a report or data source, a folder of items, or site wide. Security roles and rights are inherited and can be overloaded.

In addition to using the standalone Report Server that comes with SQL Server, RDL reports can also be viewed using the ASP.NET ReportViewer web control or the ReportViewer Windows Forms control. This allows reports to be embedded directly into web pages or .NET Windows applications. The ReportViewer control processes reports in one of two ways: (a) server processing, where the report is rendered by and obtained from the Report Server; and (b) local processing, where the control renders the RDL file itself.

SQL 2005 reporting services also support "ad hoc" reports: the designer develops a report schema and deploys it on the reporting server, where the user can choose relevant fields/data and generate reports. Users can then download the reports locally.

ee also

*Microsoft SQL Server
*Visual Studio

Notes

External links

* [http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/reporting/default.mspx Microsoft SQL Server: Reporting Services home page]
* [http://www.ssw.com.au/Ssw/Standards/Rules/RulesToBetterSQLReportingServices.aspx SSW: Rules to Better SQL Reporting Services 2008]
* [http://www.ssw.com.au/SSW/Standards/BetterSoftwareSuggestions/ReportingServices.aspx SSW: Microsoft SQL Reporting Services Suggestions]
* [http://www.dnrtv.com/default.aspx?showNum=26 DNR TV: Reporting Services Part A]
* [http://www.dnrtv.com/default.aspx?showNum=27 DNR TV: Reporting Services Part B]
* [http://www.dnrtv.com/default.aspx?showNum=28 DNR TV: Reporting Services Part C]
* [http://www.gotreportviewer.com/ ReportViewer Control in Visual Studio 2008: Got Report Viewer?]