Datasheet

Part I: Getting Started
10
integrated into a custom desktop application, web application, static web site, or a document or through
low - level programming code may appeal to programmers because of the many choices and flexibility.
However, to a business user or leader, too many choices may just be confusing and overwhelming.
At the end of the day, someone must decide how reports will be used in the business environment and
set a standard for most report designers to follow. Experience has shown that the majority of new
Reporting Services implementations will use the de facto Web - based Report Manager interface. In more
sophisticated enterprise business intranet environments, SharePoint portal integration is becoming a
common choice. Most of the other options are specialized and may be used to meet specific business
needs but are less common. For completeness, these options are all covered.
Reporting solutions come in a variety of sizes and shapes. These range from the standard Report
Manager Web interface to a completely customized application with integrated reporting features.
The types of software solutions that might incorporate reporting include:
Out - of - the - box, server - based reporting features, using reports created by report designers and
deployed to a central web server
Client - side ad hoc reports created by users on demand with the Report Builder tool using
predefined data models
Reports integrated into web applications using URL links to open in a web browser window
Reports integrated into SharePoint Portal server applications using SharePoint web parts
Custom - built application features that render reports using programming code. Reports can be
displayed within a desktop or web application interface or saved to a file.
Out - of - the - Box Reports
What does Reporting Services provide if you just want to use its simplest features right out - of - the - box?
Quite a lot, actually.
Since the product was released for SQL Server 2000, Reporting Services required the Microsoft
development environment to design and deploy reports to a central web server. Compared with other
report design tools on the market, this presented a challenge. Prior to the release of SQL Server 2005, the
development environment was available only as a separate product called Microsoft Visual Studio . This
was a tool for serious application developers to create custom software. It still is, but as of SQL Server
2005, the development environment, called the Business Intelligence Development Studio (or BIDS ), installs
with the SQL Server client tools and has been tailored to manage SQL Server databases, write queries,
and design reports. Using this powerful tool has likely been the most significant challenge for the new
report designer.
In the 2008 product, a simplified report design tool makes the process even easier than before. The stand -
alone report designer serves only one purpose — keeping the interface simple and uncomplicated and
the process of report design as straightforward as possible. Experienced report designers who learned to
use the previous toolset will still have access to the Visual Studio/BIDS designer, which may be installed
with the SQL Server client tools.
Once you learn the basics of the development environment, designing reports and managing projects are
actually quite easy. Both report design tools include a simple Report Wizard that can lead you through
designing common reports. Tabular, grouped, cross - tab, and chart reports are relatively easy to build just
by following the Wizard prompts and setting a few properties.
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