Server using SSIS 508
Creating the Report Server Web Service WSDL file 513
Providing the WSDL file to the Web Service Task 513 Adding a File System Task to the Control Flow page 515
Accessing reports from a Windows Presentation Foundations
classes project 517
Hands-on exercise 10.2 – accessing Report Server URLs in a
WPF project 518
Accessing Native Report Server reports from SharePoint
Web parts 524
Hands-on exercise 10.3 – viewing reports on the Native mode
Report Server using SharePoint Web parts 524
Accessing the Web parts 525
Summary 532 Index 533
Preface
From Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 there have been many great changes. The landscape of computing itself has changed with a proliferation of devices of various shapes and sizes. As you might have already learned, and I am sure you will learn from reading this book, Reporting Services has changed a lot especially as it relates to integration with SharePoint, another great product from Microsoft.
The initial motivation to write the 2nd edition of Learning SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services came from Packt. In my 1st edition, I had bypassed the part related to SharePoint. SharePoint Integration with SQL Server 2012 becoming much more robust leading to some great interactive features motivated me further. I wanted to experience the thrill of investigating what these new features are and communicate it to my readers. Also, Report Builder 3 came after the 1st edition, and the new features that came with it compelled me to write this book.
The style of writing this edition is very similar to the first edition, which my readers enjoyed. This style makes learning a pleasure, removing the drudgery of reading a lot of text before tackling what is essential for the task. The task is made easier because of Microsoft's wizard-based program flow, a keenly honed Rapid Application Development (RAD) technology. The content of the book is not just GUI-based, there is enough coding, but is kept to a minimum. All code has been tested and is available for download at the Packt site. The background material, a condensate of Microsoft documentation, is carefully added to each chapter giving it an entry point. Sometimes entire portions of Microsoft documentation has been added to leave out ambiguities. This is then followed by graded hands-on exercises supported by screenshots with concluding remarks highlighting what is learned.
In each chapter there are a number of links to material on Microsoft sites (mostly);
some of them may be broken by the time the reader may reach out, however these links are meant mostly for those who seek information beyond the book to further
I recommend readers start with Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012, and follow through. Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012, is mandatory as the book depends on the environment created in in this chapter. In Chapter 2, SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 Projects with Visual Studio 2012, the report viewer controlling both desktop and web applications will be described with examples. Chapter 3, Overview of SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 Architecture, Features, and Tools, is a summary of available documentation regarding architecture and features. Chapter 4, Working with Report Manager, describes the various tasks you can perform with Report Manager.
In Chapter 5, Working with Report Builder 3.0 (also part of Chapter 10, Applications Accessing Report Servers) you will work with Report Builder 3.0 and the new gadgets. Chapter 6, Power View and Reporting Services, is entirely devoted to Power View, new and interesting in SQL Server 2012, and so is Chapter 7, Self-Service Data Alerts in SSRS 2012, on Self-Service Data Alerts, both of which launched from the SharePoint Site. A large number of programming tools are presented in Chapter 8, Reporting Services and Programming, with a brief introduction to Power Shell in as much detail as it is essential for configuring SharePoint Reporting Services service.
Chapter 9, Windows Azure SQL Reporting, describes fully the way to get acquainted with the new Windows Azure SQL Reporting. Three applications accessing Report Servers are described in Chapter 10, Applications Accessing Report Servers, which in addition to those in the first edition completes the picture.
I am not new to reporting software and I have seen and worked with many. I believe that Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is one of the best as it delivers what is promised. Microsoft has tested and tried the various components that go into Reporting Services over many years to make this happen such as Windows, .NET Framework from v1.1 to v4.5, Microsoft SQL Server, Windows Azure, Microsoft SharePoint, and Silverlight to mention only a few and I have a feeling that I might have left out many others. Microsoft documentation has the last word and I would recommend readers to access the MSDN/TECHNET forums and the Microsoft Connect site to further their learning experience.
Writing this book was somewhat of a challenge. Windows 7 platform is not a recommended platform for SharePoint. Installing and configuring SharePoint on a Windows 7 platform was not easy. Two malware attacks during the writing period made it lot worse. My educational and research background over 25 years in academia has helped me a lot in delivering a book whose sole purpose is to take a reader with little initial background to be productive in a relatively short time.
Editors and reviewers have contributed a great deal of time and effort both
technically and otherwise to make this book possible. One could say, editors write the book. However, I hold myself totally responsible for any errors and omissions.
I will be looking forward to hearing from my readers to share with me their learning experience.
What this book covers
Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012, provides step- by-step instructions supported by detailed screenshots for installing/configuring SQL Server 2012 Enterprise in Native and SharePoint Integrated mode, configuring Reporting Services 2012 in Native mode, installing sample databases used in the book, guidance to install SharePoint 2010 on Windows 7, and installing Reporting Services 2012 in SharePoint Integrated mode.
Chapter 2, SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 Projects with Visual Studio 2012, gives details about Microsoft Business Intelligence projects, including an introduction to SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), creating BI projects in SSDT, creating reports using SSDT, and creating reports using Visual Studio suite.
Chapter 3, Overview of SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 Architecture, Features, and Tools, provides readers a summary of Microsoft documentation related to SSRS 2012 regarding structural design of the environment, architecture of Native mode and SharePoint Integrated mode of Reporting Services, Reporting Services Configuration, and salient features of Reporting Services 2012. The reader will learn to work with Reporting Services operational features and configuration files.
Chapter 4, Working with Report Manager, describes how to work with Report Manager and administer the Report Server. Specifically the reader will learn all aspects of reports that include management, viewing, security, and permission for reports. The reader will also learn scheduling and delivery of reports, uploading/
downloading reports/resources, creating data models, and so on, which are all described with examples.
Chapter 5, Working with Report Builder 3.0, describes all aspects of Report Builder 3.0 with examples. Readers will learn to author reports using this one-stop tool for Reporting Services. In the process the reader will learn to access Native/SharePoint mode Report Servers; author different types of reports, including embedded and shared data sources, column grouping and document maps, subreports, drill-down/
drill-through reports, linked reports, reports based on XML data; and the use of additional visual analytic gadgets/features not described in the first edition such as maps, data bars, sparklines, and report parts.
Chapter 6, Power View and Reporting Services, describes Power View as a new feature in SSRS 2012 that does ad-hoc reporting accessible to all levels of expertise in the business from data analysts to business decision makers, but depends on a model built using SSAS (or PowerPivot). Readers will install SQL Server 2012 instance to support Tabular Model, create model/models using SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and use the model to create data source in SharePoint site that has a Reporting Services service running. Readers will create Power View reports using this data source and experience a full dose of interactivity and fun.
Chapter 7, Self-Service Data Alerts in SSRS 2012, describes another new feature of SSRS 2012 when implemented in SharePoint Integrated mode that helps with monitoring data changes on a report, very useful for any proactive organization. Readers will learn details of Data Alert workflow and learn how to use the interfaces in SharePoint.
Reader will also learn details of Data Alerts including Data Alert designers and Data Alert managers.
Chapter 8, Reporting Services and Programming, describes several programming and interfaces used with SSRS 2012 that include URL Access, Report Viewer Controls, Reporting Services Web Services APIs, PowerShell support for Native and SharePoint Integrated mode implementation, Windows management instrumentation, Reporting Services utilities, and incorporating custom code in reports that are described with working examples.
Chapter 9, Windows Azure SQL Reporting, describes Windows Azure SQL Reporting as Microsoft Reporting Services in the cloud. The readers will learn how to begin using Windows Azure SQL Reporting Services and create reports using SSDT and deploy them to Azure SQL Reporting Services. In doing so, readers will learn to work with Windows Azure Portal, Windows Azure SQL Databases, and viewing reports on the cloud-based Report Server. All aspects of creating, viewing, and managing reports are discussed.
Chapter 10, Applications Accessing Report Servers, describes working through three examples of accessing Report Servers via applications. In the first, SQL Server Integration Services access the Report Server using a Web Service task; in the second, a Windows Foundation Project accesses Report Servers, both native and SharePoint Integrated mode using an embedded web browser control and in the third, SharePoint web parts are used to access a Native mode Report Server.
Appendix, Reference, provides useful references that have been used in the book.
What you need for this book
You need the following:
• Windows 7 64-bit (Ultimate edition is used in the book) computer (laptop was used) that meets the specifications described in Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012 (note 32-bit will not do).
• SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition (evaluation edition will do).
• SharePoint 2010 Enterprise (evaluation edition will do). Note that the reader may have to install multiple instances of SQL Server 2012.
• Access to Northwind, AdventureWorks Databases available from CodePlex sites described in Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012.
• IIS 7.5 Version (a part of Windows 7 installation).
• IE 9.0 browser or the version specified in Chapter 1, Overview and Installation – SQL Server Reporting Services 2012.
• Visual Studio 2010 or 2012 Ultimate (evaluation edition will do).
Who this book is for
This book is for anyone who is new to SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services and needs to create and deploy/publish reports. This book will be useful for authors creating/administering reports for Native as well as SharePoint Integrated mode implementations. Report Server DBAs will greatly benefit by the administrative topics discussed in the book. This book is suitable for autodidacts, computer programming trainers, report developers, data analysts, and non-programmer type decision makers.
A basic but not necessarily specialist knowledge of SQL Server is assumed.
Basic working knowledge of SharePoint will be very helpful.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows:
"Double-click on the SQLFULL_x64_ENU_Install.exe file, which begins the installation"
A block of code is set as follows:
<Service>
<IsSchedulingService>True</IsSchedulingService>
<IsNotificationService>True</IsNotificationService>
<IsEventService>True</IsEventService>
<PollingInterval>10</PollingInterval>
<WindowsServiceUseFileShareStorage>False </WindowsServiceUseFileShareStorage>
<MemorySafetyMargin>80</MemorySafetyMargin>
<MemoryThreshold>90</MemoryThreshold>
<RecycleTime>720</RecycleTime>
<MaxAppDomainUnloadTime>30</MaxAppDomainUnloadTime>
<MaxQueueThreads>0</MaxQueueThreads>
<UrlRoot>
</UrlRoot>
<UnattendedExecutionAccount>
<UserName></UserName>
<Password></Password>
<Domain></Domain>
</UnattendedExecutionAccount>
<PolicyLevel>rssrvpolicy.config</PolicyLevel>
<IsWebServiceEnabled>True</IsWebServiceEnabled>
<IsReportManagerEnabled>True</IsReportManagerEnabled>
<FileShareStorageLocation>
<Path>
</Path>
</FileShareStorageLocation>
</Service>
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this:
"clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".
Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.
Tips and tricks appear like this.
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Overview and Installation – SQL Server
Reporting Services 2012
In this chapter, an overview of Reporting Services 2012 is presented, highlighting the latest enhancements to SQL Server Reporting Services. This chapter is really about setting up the reader with the necessary installations so that he/she can follow the contents of the book. We will install the following applications/software in this chapter and a few others in the other chapters, where they are required:
• SQL Server 2012 with Reporting Services in Native Mode
• Configuring the Reporting Services using Reporting Services Configuration Manager
• Sample databases used in the book
• Guidance to install SharePoint Server 2010 on Windows 7 operating system
• Reporting Services 2012 in SharePoint Integrated mode
A description of the computer used in the preparation of this book is also given.
SQL Server 2012 – mission statement by Microsoft
The amount of information available on SQL Server 2012 is very large, so we will not be looking at the several groundbreaking developments in this area. Just browsing for SQL Server 2012 brings 10 to 50 million pages on an Internet search.
The highlights of SQL Server 2012 as perceived by Microsoft highlights these three major aspects (all in Microsoft's own words). It may be mentioned that SQL Server 2012 is a major revision of SQL Server 2008:
• Mission-critical confidence with greater uptime, blazing-fast performance, and enhanced security features for mission-critical workloads:
° Enhancements to audit and security and manageability for compliance with PC and HIPAA
° Use of the AlwaysOn feature to build for high availability and disaster recovery
° New T-SQL enhancements with best practices
° New tool, known as the Distributed Replay, to test real application loads for mission-critical scenarios
° Faster failover support with enhanced AlwaysOn Failover Cluster instances, making improvements to high availability service level agreement and performance
° Active secondary option in high availability to offload reporting, and logging tasks to improved use of resources
° Enhancements to the extended events infrastructure provide a deep insight to events using the events engine and the XEvents management namespace
• Breakthrough insight with managed, self-service data exploration and stunning interactive data visualizations capabilities
° Ad-hoc exploration and interactive presentation of data using the business intelligence semantic model
° Expanding the reach to data by non-programmer business users
° Self-servicing data-driven alerts
° Effortless visualization of data in myriad ways by mere clicks of a mouse with power views
• Cloud on your own terms by enabling the creation and extension of solutions across on-premises and public Cloud
° The extension of Windows Azure Services to Reporting Services
° Use of tools such as SQL Server SysPrep, Microsoft Assessment
Overview of Reporting Services 2012
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) has changed by a quantum leap from its 2000 version. From 2000 to 2012, it has gone through 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2 versions of SQL Server. It is not attempted to describe here all the changes that have taken place in details, as it would take volumes, but to highlight the major ones that have changed since the first edition of this book in 2008.
Visual Studio Business Intelligence (BI) has changed over to SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), wherein the Visual Studio Shell is endowed with only BI project templates that are installed with SQL Server 2012. This translates to not needing a separate license for Visual Studio in order to create BI projects. Visual Studio 2012 (for example, the Ultimate edition) does not have templates of BI projects, but is used to create reports using Report Viewer Controls. This said, if you have both SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2012, you will find the templates for BI projects in Visual Studio. SSDT installs when you install SQL Server 2012.
Major enhancements in SSRS 2012 are, taking ad-hoc reporting to the next level of experience, by leveraging the Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) and tying it up with SharePoint Server to render, by the now famous, Power Views, and Data Alerts. Power View reports can be exported to PowerPoint maintaining the interactive features while connected to SharePoint Server, adding an extra dimension of interest to the stake holders.
The server-based SSRS in the SQL Server 2012 platform provides the following enhancements:
• Comprehensive reporting functionality, including the services of SharePoint
• Data acquisition from a variety of data sources
• A complete set of tools for reports from creation to delivery
• APIs that help developers to integrate and/or extend custom reporting
• Complete integration with Microsoft Visual Studio and SharePoint Server environments
• In practical terms one can create interactive, tabular, graphical or free-form reports from relational, multidimensional, or XML data sources
• Rich data visualization of data from the preceding sources is possible, including charts, sparkline, data bars, and maps
• Publish immediately, or schedule reports, or access reports on-demand
• Support for several report view formats—capability of exporting to Excel and subscribing to published reports are possible