Report Management - Professional SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services - page 424

the database content along with the report definition. At times, it may be necessary to adjust data source
properties for existing reports. When a database gets moved to a new machine, for example, you may
need to update data sources referencing that database to point them at the new machine.
Data sources are used by reports and by data-driven subscriptions. They are managed using Report
Manager, SQL Server Management Studio, and program code. If you are not versed in the practice of
creating a connection string or Transact-SQL expressions, it is recommended that you use the report
designer to create these expressions. The connection string and query expressions may be copied from
the respective designer tool and pasted into these text boxes. File paths must also be typed into these
pages, as no browsing feature is offered.
There are two types of data sources: private and shared, which are covered in the following sections.
Private Data Sources
This type of data source is for use by a single report and is embedded within the report definition. Since
private data sources are part of the report definition file ( .rdl ), modifications to the Data Source proper-
ties must be made using the report designer, or some other tool that can generate the correct XML. When
making changes in the report designer, the author can choose to overwrite the existing Data Source proper-
ties in the Report Server database.
Shared Data Sources
These items are separate from report definitions. Shared data sources are intended for use by reports and
subscriptions that retrieve similar data sets, giving you the ability to configure and manage a single data
source for use by multiple reports. For example, if the connection string for a data source changes, that
property only needs to be changed in one place. In that case, there's no need to worry about whether
each dependent report is updated and retested. Updating and management is all performed at a single
location, rather than within multiple reports.
When working with shared data sources in Report Manager, you can view the items using that data
source. Those are called Dependent Items and are listed under the Dependent Items tab for the data
source, as shown in Figure 10-15.
Subscriptions dependent upon that shared data source are also listed, under the Subscriptions tab for the
data source.
Creating Data Sources
Both types of data sources can be created in Report Manager. Data sources are created in place, meaning
you must navigate to the location in Report Manager where you want the data source to be located. To
create a private data source, go to the Data Source property page of the report. To create a shared data
source, go to the folder where you want it to live and click the New Data Source button on the toolbar.
That will bring you to the New Data Source page, as shown in Figure 10-16.