Datasheet

Introducing
Reporting Services
What a long, strange trip it ’ s been. . . . SQL Server Reporting Services is all grown up now. This
product has matured quite a lot over the past five years or so since enjoying a favorable start in the
industry. This is our third edition of this book, about a product in its third version. We ’ ve seen it
grow from what was essentially a free download for SQL Server 2000, to a substantial but
relatively untested component of SQL Server 2005, to a serious force in the industry — and a very
capable, enterprise - ready reporting tool.
Since we started writing about Reporting Services for the first edition of this book in 2003, there is
much more to say about this product and the rest of the integrated Microsoft SQL Server Business
Intelligence platform. There are stories to tell about IT projects, training classes, and consulting
engagements. Along the way, we ’ ve learned quite a lot from other members of the IT community
about the many creative ways to use Reporting Services. We ’ ll tell some of those stories and
discuss our experience with the past three generations of this product. But for now, let ’ s focus our
attention on the fundamental applications and capabilities. In other words, What can you do with
Reporting Services? Who should use it, and for what purpose?
The topics introduced in this short chapter are explored in greater detail in the next chapter
and throughout this book. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a high - level introduction only
to the concepts and capabilities of this powerful reporting tool and the data analysis platform of
Microsoft SQL Server 2008. This chapter introduces common reporting scenarios, beginning with
the most basic and then moving to the more advanced. In subsequent chapters, you will explore
these capabilities in depth and learn to use them in your own reporting solutions.
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