Datasheet
Chapter 1: Introducing Reporting Services
13
Report Builder 2.0 is a stand - alone application that may be installed on the desktop of any user from the
SQL Server 2008 installation media, or it may simply be launched from the central Report Manager Web
interface. Using this tool to design reports, a user will need permission to read data sources and will also
need permission to deploy reports to the report server using this tool.
Business Intelligence Development Studio
The Business Intelligence Development Studio tool (BIDS) is the most capable and sophisticated report
design tool that may be installed from the SQL Server 2008 installation media. BIDS is the more
traditional tool that report designers have been using with SQL Server 2005. It requires some project
management knowledge and has a steeper learning curve than those of the stand - alone Report Builder
2.0 or ad hoc Report Builder designers.
BIDS is very similar to all the editions of Visual Studio and allows report projects to be integrated with
other database and business intelligence projects to form a comprehensive data analytic or BI solution.
Designing Reports
To recap, SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services currently has three different tools for designing reports:
The first option is the new Report Builder 2.0 report designer, which is optimized for non - technical users
and has a simplified interface, similar to Microsoft Office products. The purpose of this tool is to make
report design as easy as possible and accessible to users who just need to design simple reports but don ’ t
need to develop applications or structure business database solutions. The second option is the
integrated Report Designer, created with the information technology professional in mind. It is an add - in
for the Microsoft Development Environment or Visual Studio. In Reporting Services for SQL Server 2000,
report design was performed exclusively using Visual Studio, which had to be purchased separately. In
SQL Server 2005 and 2008, a lighter edition of the development environment is installed with the SQL
Server client tools, called the Business Intelligence Development Studio (or BIDS ). Now reports may
be designed and created using either Visual Studio or BIDS, both of which are implementations of the
development environment. The third option is the older Report Builder tool, which, although easy to
use, creates less capable reports based on a different technology standard.
Confused? You shouldn ’ t be. You can design reports using the Report Builder 2.0 report designer, which
is for non - technical folks who just want to design reports. The more technical tool comes in two flavors
depending on whether you have installed any edition of Microsoft Visual Studio on your computer. If
you only have the client tools for SQL Server 2008 installed, you will use BIDS. If you have Visual Studio
installed, you can use either Visual Studio or BIDS. Here ’ s a little secret. . . . BIDS is actually just a
shortcut to Visual Studio. If you have Visual Studio installed, they both take you to the same place
(shhh . . . don ’ t tell Microsoft that we figured this out). Regardless of the tool you use, your design
experience will be nearly the same, and throughout this book you are provided examples for each option.
Building standard, server - side reports in the designer can be as simple as 1, 2, 3: First, you create a data
connection to the data source and dataset (or query) for the report. The second step is to design the
report layout using simple drag - and - drop tools. Formatting attributes are set by changing properties in
the Properties sheet or Dialogs. The report may be previewed and debugged within the designer. The
third and final step is to deploy the report to the report server. This may be done using a menu action or
a button. The stand - alone Report Builder 2.0 report designer, shown in Figure 1 - 3 , supports this
three - step paradigm with corresponding features and designer views.
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