Datasheet

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CHAPTER 1 BUSINESS REPORTING PARADIGMS
The following section introduces the components and techniques that may be used to enable reports
to be integrated into applications. After that, we’ll discuss some ways that reports can behave like
applications.
Report Integration into Applications
Out-of-the-box, Reporting Services installs a web application called Report Manager to serve as both
a report server management console and a menu system for deployed reports. With Report Manager,
users make use of familiar web navigation links to open folders, select parameter options, display, and
print reports from their web browser. A secondary option for running reports is integration with Office
SharePoint Server or Windows SharePoint Services. Like using Report Manager, reports are displayed
in SharePoint site libraries by using built-in web browser functionality. In either instance, the user
experience is that they navigate to a specific site in their browser to view and run reports.
In many cases, we may want to offer users a different experience, more in line with their business
processes. Rather than going to a special web site or address to get their reports, the users simply
use controls within their business application or device. Whatever tool, screen, program, or other
mechanism the business workers use, they will have an option to obtain the information they need to
more effectively perform their job function — using a report. Sometimes users may not even perceive
that they are using a report at all. They simply see the information they need.
Reports should be actionable. That is the mantra of the business intelligence movement in the busi-
ness community today. What is an actionable report? One might say that it is a report that delivers
information enabling a business leader or worker to take appropriate action. That may be true in many
cases but an actionable report can also be a user interface designed using a sophisticated reporting tool
where the report may be used to take the action. Imagine a report containing links labeled ‘‘click here
to place an order’’ or ‘‘click here to resolve this issue.’’ When the user clicks the link, the appropriate
application dialog opens to complete the necessary task or a record is simply updated with no further
action required.
Desktop Applications
Desktop applications usually contain rich functionality and are responsive to user interaction because
the processing takes place on the desktop computer. On the Microsoft Windows platform, each dialog
or window contains a variety of controls for gathering user input or performing a task of some kind.
Windows programs developed on the .NET Framework utilize Windows forms (Win Forms) to design
each application dialog. Win Forms applications have the most sophisticated, easiest to program con-
trols because using the Visual Studio integrated development environment allows you to directly utilize
Windows’ capabilities through objects exposed in the .NET Framework namespaces and common
language runtime (CLR).
Like developing most visual functionality in Win Forms programming, adding reports is as simple as
dropping a control onto a form and setting a few properties. The Win Forms ReportViewer control uses
properties and methods to abstract all of the major functionality of Reporting Services with as little or
as much programming and control as you like. Most all report functions that can be performed through