Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 - Professional SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services - page 30

require links to external files, such as images, sounds, and video. These issues have also been resolved
by using a Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME)-encoded format called MHTML or Web
Archive to encapsulate binary content within the page definition. Although not supported in all browsers,
this format is a viable means to deliver extensible report content for live and offline viewing. HTML 4.0
works on different types of computers across the Internet and within a LAN on newer web browsers,
and HTML 3.2 works with older browsers and on portable or hand-held devices.
Office Applications
Microsoft Office brings together a tremendous assortment of capabilities to assist report users at all
levels. Microsoft Excel has been the mainstay tool for data collection and analysis. By rendering a report
into Excel, the data may easily be reformatted, modified, or analyzed using formulas and calculations.
This capability has been around for several years, but it required writing custom code to use the Excel
object model from Access or Visual Basic to produce report data in Excel — this process was tedious at
best. Now, pushing complex report data into a useful and well-formatted Excel document is simple.
Microsoft Access continues to be the office worker's database of choice. Data tracking and management
solutions can be created with minimal cost and effort. Report Services may be used to exchange and
import data into an Access database using XML or CSV formats. Access and Excel both provide the
Office Web Components that may be used to view pivot tables and charts. These components duplicate
the functionality of the Matrix and Report Services chart items but might give users a more convenient
option for analyzing data.
Programmability
The possibilities for incorporating report features in your own applications are impressive. All of the
features of the Report Manager can be duplicated in many cases and can be extended through program
code. Reports may be viewed in place within an application by using an external web browser window,
integrated browser control, or a custom report viewer component. Report content may be rendered to a
file for persistent storage to directly into a viewer or browser.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions allow users to receive or gain access to reports on a regular schedule. Reports are deliv-
ered by e-mail or saved to files where they may be viewed offline at the users' convenience. Report sub-
scriptions may be set up for an individual user or large groups of users using data-driven subscriptions.
To put this into perspective, effectively, reports may be delivered to any individual or size group of users
in practically any readable format at any place and any time.
Report Formats
In addition to the three HTML rendering formats, you can use document types to control formatting
elements, printing layout, and adding other capabilities. The PDF document format remains the most
popular means for ensuring that documents are formatted exactly as they were intended. Rendering a
report to a Microsoft Excel workbook gives users the ability to continue to massage data and perform
calculations.