Best way to use Reporting Services???
HiI am new to Reporting Services so forgive my ignorance. I have tried to find this on the net but the small things I find don't really tell me what I want to know.I am developing a desktop application written in VB.net for my company. The application needs some reports so I thought this would be a good time to switch from Crystal Reports to Report Services.My vision is to have all the reports sit on a server while being accessed through the desktop application. I am using SQL Server 2005 as the database. The reports would sit in a folder on the same server as the database.1.Is this the best way to store the reports?2.Do I use the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio? Even though I am useing VS 2008 to create the app but the SQL Server Business Intelligence DevelopmentStudio I have to use is in VS2005. Because that is compatible with SQL Server 2005.3.How do I call up the report from the desktop app?Thanks for the helpMatt
December 13th, 2009 11:56pm

Hi,1. Is the best way to store the reports because you only modify one time the report and it will be available for everybody, the report processing is on the server so all the users will experiment the same performance , and you only need to manage one site, the only contra is that the reports won't be available without network access.2. Yes SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio is the tool that you need to create and design your reports,but you can explain a little more your question.3. You can use the reportviewer control available in Visual Studio to integrate your report in your win applicacation if you don't want to make a winform change you can create something that open a Web Browser with the URL of your report.
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December 14th, 2009 7:06pm

Hi Matt,Just add to Jaime's response, you can read the following article for more information about SQL Server Reporting Services and ReportViewer control:Reporting Services Components and Tools: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms155792.aspxReporting Services Tutorials: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms170246(SQL.90).aspxReportViewer Controls (Visual Studio) : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms251671(VS.80).aspxIf you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.Thanks,Jin ChenJin Chen - MSFT
December 15th, 2009 4:47am

Thanks for the response.OK so I have a server. On the server I have Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005. Alos on the Server at this place E:/Docs/Reports there is a folder named Reports that hold all the reports.For developing I am using Visual Studio 2008.So becasue I am using SQL Server 2005 I have to use it's SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio even thoug I am using Visual Studio 2008 to develop my desktop application.Please let me know if any of the above is incorrect.Are there any good tutorial on how to use the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005 version? All I can find are the 2008 versions.Once I develop the report in the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio how do I intergrate the report or report viewer, that are now on the server,into the desktop application? When I push a button on a win form how does that call up the rerport on the server? How do I pass parameters to the reports on the server?Again thanks for the help.Matt
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December 15th, 2009 9:03pm

Hi Thanks for the links but they really don't show what I think I need to see. Unless I am just overlooking it.How do you create a report in the SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio? Do you use the Report Server Project or Report Server Project Wizard???After I have created the report in SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio how do I embed the report in my desktop application? When the report is sitting on the server how does the desktop application call up the report?Again thanks for the helpMatt
December 15th, 2009 9:07pm

You need to think in the report as something separated from the application (the application can send parameters and other stuff) but the report definition and render will be on the server.The report viewer control available in VStudio 2008 has properties to set what report do you want to render you can see some examples inhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms251686.aspxSo to summarize the reports will be on the Report Server and they will be show in the client (think in something similar to a web server the pages are hosted and proccesed in the web server but the internet browser in the client is the tool that show the pages)
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December 15th, 2009 9:09pm

Sorry for not getting this butI am still having trouble. Like the link you provided. First it's for SQL Server 2008. Now it was my understanding that I could not use tutorials for Sql 2008 because I am using Sql 2005 and they are too different. Is that not True?Also the walk throughs of the link. When I read them to me they show how to build a desktop application with reports in the application or how to build a Web application with reports on the server. Where's the one that shows how to create a report on the server for the desktop application?Again sorry for not seeing the light.Thanks for the helpMatt
December 15th, 2009 9:16pm

It is not for SQL 2005 is for Visual Studio 2008, the point is that the report viewer control is not part of SQL Server Reporting Services it belongs to Visual Studio (you mentioned before you are using VStudio 2008 for your application)The exact case that you need is this Walkthrough: Using the ReportViewer Control in Remote Mode http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms251669.aspxthat example uses aReporting Services2005 being consumed from a VStudio 2008 Application (actually the SQL Server Reporting Services version is not so important here, backtrack to my previous post, think in the report control like the Web Browser , for it the version of the Web Server is not really important)
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December 15th, 2009 10:16pm

One of the best SSRS tutorials is this one. You can watch free lesson and check if it suits you. Reporting Services tutorial
July 4th, 2012 4:33pm

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