Database Reference
In-Depth Information
SSRS - Standard Reporting
SQL Server Reporting Services
(
SSRS
) is Microsoft's primary technology for
delivering standard reports. As mentioned in the previous chapter, these types of
reports typically contain a well-defined output that is known and developed by a
member of the IT department ahead of time and delivered on a recurring basis to
facilitate the regular daily, weekly, and even monthly decision-making needs of
the business.
One of the great capabilities of SSRS is the fine-grained control it allows users
over visualizations, layout, parameterization, and extensibility, providing for a
level of customization that simply can't be matched by any other reporting tool in
the Microsoft stack. In fact, it is this ability of control and customization that also
makes SSRS well suited for the development and delivery of complex dashboards
and scorecards, even though there are arguably more suitable tools (for example,
PerformancePoint) for this purpose when requirements are more basic.
At the same time, such a great level of control comes with the cost of a
higher-than-necessary development effort and, therefore, can often be viewed
as an impediment to the delivery of information to the business. SSRS, despite
having been marketed in the past as a self-service reporting tool via Report Builder,
requires an IT skill set to develop all but the most basic reports. It is for this very
reason that we have seen the rise of self-service reporting tools over the last
few years.
In this chapter, we'll cover the main features and functionalities offered in SQL
Server Reporting Services 2012, including a breakdown of report components,
development experience, extensibility, and security. By the end of the chapter,
readers should have an understanding of the capabilities offered in SQL Server
Reporting Services.
