Report Management - Professional SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services - page 401

Report Management

Once a report has been created, it must be published to the Report Server so that it can be viewed
by report users. Publishing reports to the server doesn't have to be done from Visual Studio,
although that will typically be the developer's choice. Report Server managers have other tools
available to perform that task. Once a collection of reports and other content is out on the server, it
will need to be managed. Basic tasks like creating content folders and publishing reports and other
resources to those folders will need to be performed by users. Administrators and content man-
agers need ways to control user access, automate report generation, and create historical archives.
In this chapter, you read about:

❑ The four types of Report Server content and how to work with them.

❑ The stages of report execution and how to optimize them.

❑ How to automate report delivery and server management.

As you'll see, you can also create your own custom interfaces for your users. In this chapter, you'll
also read about how to secure your reports and other content. First, though, you look at where
everything goes and how to get to it.

Report Server Content
Content is stored in the Report Server using a hierarchal metaphor. The content itself is managed
in a SQL Server database.

Folders represent the structure and relationship of content in the Report Server database. Folders
are containers for items and other folders. Items are stored as content in the Report Server database.
Reports and data sources are examples of different items that are stored there. Report content can
reference data source content, for example, to perform work as part of a process. Images, docu-
ments, and other resources are also accessed this way. The folder structure you build is typically
based on how your user groups are defined.