I have objects created in the web portal or using Report Builder. I would like everything to be source controlled in a project so I created a new project and I don't see an import wizard. I was hoping it would function the same way Analysis Services does and import all the assets from the server.
So is there a way to do this? Let's assume I have a lot of reports and datasets that I don't want to download manually.
I'm also open to a programmatic approach using C# to pull the files and add them to the project manually.
.rdl files (basically just XML) can be added to a Visual Studio package and then managed by your chosen source control solution.
You can download the .rdl from SSRS.
I believe you have to manually create the connections and datasets.
Related
Using:
SSRS Report Server 10.50.1600.1
BIDS Visual Studio 9.0.30729.4462 (from remote client on same domain and network; not local on SSRS server)
I'd like to be able to add existing shared data sources and shared datasets that live on my report server to my BIDS project on my local workstation.
I know I can create a shared resource from a BIDS instance, and deploy it to the SSRS server. I can also do the same via Report Builder 3.0; deploy or publish from either application, then navigate to the report server URL (https://SSRSServer.mydomain.com/reportserver), download the resource(s) to my machine, add them as a Shared resource, and then redeploy as appropriate...but that's a bit convoluted.
What I'd like to do is add a shared data source (or set) in BIDS the same way that I can in Report Builder 3.0. In RB, I can navigate to the report server URL (using WebDAV, I'm assuming), and pick the rsds file I need, however, from BIDS, I'm only able to browse UNC and local paths (URL+DAVWWWRoot doesn't work, and neither does manually adding a data connection string).
I feel like I'm overlooking something obvious, but I can't find anything on the subject, and I've been racking my brain for too long this morning...
In short: is there anyway to browse my report server resources from BIDS 2008, in the same fashion as Report Builder 3.0 with the intention of adding existing datasets and data sources (please see screenshots for reference)?
Image taken from adding a shared data source from Report Builder 3.0
I'm sad to tell you but there is not.
You only can save those objects ,local by downloading them and then adding to the project explicitly.
I checked if there is a way to paste multiple datasets/datasources into your project file but it is also not possible, looks like it is encrypted in the state string of the project file.
Sorry for being a newbie to SSRS.
My design goal:
Near term: develop - using SSRS - a simple client side (no reporting server!) report - based on MS SQL data tables, and embed it into the .NET WPF client (application)
Long term: for additional reports, hire external SSRS experts, so they will provide the reports developed, and I will integrate them into the same WPF application.
I managed to do 2 things:
Develop a simple report connecting to MS SQL, using Reports Builder 3.0 - as a result, an RDL file was generated (the file contains all the DB connections)
Embed a ReportViewer WinForms control into the WPF application.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to load the report I developed, into the application.
I understood from articles on the new that RDL is not designed to support client-side execution (without a server), and RDLC should be used instead. However, I wasn't able to figure out how to conver the report to RDLC, using the Reports Builder - it does not give me an option to save in a different format.
I would appreciate any hint from the experienced people on how to accomplish my goal.
Specifically, should I use RDLC, and if positive - what's the way to get the report in this format?
Thanks
Max
I would recommend using Visual Studio when creating RDLC reports that will be embedded within an application and run in "Local" mode, and using either Microsoft Report Builder or Visual Studio to create RDL reports that will run in "Server" mode within SSRS.
A RDLC report would be created within a WPF Visual Studio project be simply creating a new Report.
A RDL report would be created within a Reports Server project when using Visual Studio.
Alternatively, it appears you could simply rename the file from RDL to RDLC if you don't mind manually correcting the Data Source information in the report definition file: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms252109(v=vs.120).aspx.
I have a number of RDL files I crated a while back, but I no longer have the project files. Is there a ways to use the RDL files in a new project? I did some nice formatting in the reports that I would like to reuse.
I would use Visual Studio to create a new Project. Then I would right-click the Reports node in the Solution Explorer and choose Add Existing Item.
We are working at getting our versioning control product to automatically push our SSRS reports to the Test (and then production) SSRS environment. When we promote changes from our development to our QA directory in the versioning control application (Surround SCM), we would like for it to also publish the report to SSRS. (This is the workflow we use for our web applications, and if possible I would like to be consistent).
Now, the directories in SSRS are not "real" directories, at least not as far as I can tell. But is there any way to map a network drive to one of these report directories? And if we do this, and Surround SCM can write changes to that directory, would they then be saved to SSRS?
Sorry in advance if this is a really esoteric question, or if I am missing a really obvious way to do this.
No, you can't directly map SSRS folders to a Windows filesystem. I haven't found a way to make what you describe as easy as I think it should be.
The easiest way to automate the deployment of reports uses of the rs.exe utility. This can execute scripts to deploy or update reports.
Alternatively, you could use the SSRS web services to deploy the reports from .NET code.
I'm trying to figure out if you can create template files or skins for SSRS reports. We are trying to standardize all of our reports to look similar. If there are no known ways to create templates or skins how do you work around this issue?
If you're using the Buisness Intelligence Design Studio to create your reports, this was the approach we used for SQL 2005:
create a template by customising the
default.rdl
copy to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\ProjectItems\ReportProject
this template then shows up in BIDS when you select Add > New Item in the Solution Explorer
We use a batch script to duplicate the latest template across all the development machines.
Yes. They are called RDLC files.
You basically specify what your report will look like in these files, which are just XML files. There is a built-in editor for these files in Visual Studio, which is drag and drop and very easy to use.