I have to translate a bunch of Crystal reports into SQL Reporting Services using Business Intelligence Studio 2008. Basic features appear to be missing. CTRL-Z doesn't work in textboxes. Textboxes can only have one horizontal alignment, so if I have mixed alignments I have to place on textbox under another, and there are no resizable "sections" or even a flow layout. Even mouse wheel scroll doesn't work in the design view. Everything I try to do, I'm gobsmacked by the poor implementation. It looks like it was written in 1998 and not even finished. Is this it, or am I just not looking in the right location for the real report authoring tool?

I'll take your advice into account - yes, it is different, there is a learning curve so I should reserve judgment. Yet I keep finding defects. I can't just select from a list of stored procedures when creating a new report, I have to type in EXEC sproc_name @parameters... etc. I cannot edit in preview mode. Going from preview to design to preview erases the parameter value you just had from the report so you have to keep entering it. CTRL-Z doesn't work in the expression editor. The date format feature is inexplicably located in the "Number" format area. Multiple element selection breaks in lists. Moving elements with arrow keys does not work in lists. Full text selection using the mouse fails. The reports list does not list files alphabetically or allow reordering them. The grouping feature is atrocious. Different, better, or no, BIDS has a lot of rough edges I would not expect to find in a finished reporting tool.

I won't try to argue that at all. Coming from Crystal Reports, you're used to dealing a VERY mature product that has had most of the rough edges removed. SSRS is a mush newer product, and you are right, there are more than a few things that can make you want to loose your mind... Especially in SSRS 2005 (I haven't had the chance to really did into SSRS 2008 R2as of yet). A big one for me is CR Commands vs. SQL text in SSRS when using parameters. I love the fact that CR simply inserts parameter into the code. Basically it allows you to write dynamic SQL without writing dynamic SQL. It's always baffled me as to why SQL Server never did the same thing... Another, is formatting in general... Just give a damn formatting window and quit making me expand tree nodes in the Properties pane... That said, I can say that if I were to start a reporting platform project from the ground up, I would choose SSRS over CR/BOE in a heart beat. SSRS, to me at least, is a whole new way of looking at report design and creation. Throw in the price differential between the two and the gap widens ever further. Yes there are things that are more difficult or more cumbersome in SSRS than they are in CR BUT there are things you can do in SSRS that simply can't be done at all in CR. Ever felt the need to nest sub-reports more than 1 level deep in CR??? Jason Long

I hear this a lot and it's just not true - there is practically no price differential. You don't need the expensive CR "server", you can drop reports into both winforms and web apps with a simple control. A developer's license is all you need and it's like $250.

BIDS is the authoring tool for SSRS (as are visual studio & report builder). As a long time user of both SSRS (BIDS) and Crystal Reports, I can tell you SSRS is actually far more flexible than CR simply because SSRS got away from the banded report design that CR still uses. If you want to place fields on the report surface in a free-form manner the way you can in CR... stop trying to use the table (SSRS 2005) or tablix (SSRS 2008) and use the list control instead. If you are a long time CR developer, yes there is a learning curve when making the move to SSRS. That's not SRSS's fault. It's not designed to work like CR. I recommend SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 by Brian Larsen (there is also a 2005 version if you are on that version). It help me make the transition myself. HTH, JasonJason Long