SSRS

1. You want to include an image in a report. How do you display the Image Properties dialog box? When you drag an image item from the Toolbox window to the Report Designer, the Image Properties dialog box automatically opens. 2. You want to configure an amount to display the value in a currency format. Which property do you use? To configure an amount to display a value in a currency format, select the report item, and then set the format property to C or c. 3. What are data regions? Data regions are report items that display repeated rows of summarized information from datasets. 4. You want to generate a report that is formatted as a chart. Can you use the Report Wizard to create such a report? No, the Report Wizard lets you create only tabular and matrix reports. you must create the chart report directly by using the Report Designer. 5. You want to use BIDS to deploy a report to a different server than the one you chose in the Report Wizard. How can you change the server URL? You can right-click the project in Solution Explorer and then change the TargetServer URL property. 6. Which rendering formats are affected by the Page Size properties? Because only the Adobe PDf file, Word, and Image rendering extensions use physical page breaks, they are the only formats that are affected by the PageSize properties. 7. Can you use a stored procedure to provide data to an SSRS report? Yes, you can use a stored procedure to provide data to an SSRS report by configuring the dataset to use a stored procedure command type. However, your stored procedure should return only a single result set. If it returns multiple result sets, only the first one is used for the report dataset. 8. You want to use a perspective in an MDX query. How do you select the perspective? Use the Cube Selector in the MDX Query Designer to select a perspective. 9. Can you use data mining models in SSRS? Yes, you can use the DMX Designer to create data mining queries for SSRS reports. However, do not forget to flatten the result set returned by the DMX query. 10. You want your report to display a hyperlink that will take users to your intranet. How do you configure such a hyperlink? Create a text box item, set the action to Go To URL, and then configure the URL. 11. You want a report to display Sales by Category, SubCategory, and Product. You want users to see only summarized information initially but to be able to display the details as necessary. How would you create the report? Group the Sales information by Category, SubCategory, and Product. Hide the SubCategory group and set the visibility to toggle based on the Category item. Hide the Product category group and set the visibility to toggle based on the SubCategory item. 12. You want to create an Excel interactive report from SSRS. In SSRS, can you create the same interactive experience in Excel that you would have on the Web? No, you cannot create the same experience with SSRS. you can, however, use Excel to create such an experience. 13. What is the main difference between a Matrix report item and a Table report item? The main difference between a Matrix and a Table report item is in the initial template. Actually, both report items are just templates for the Tablix data region.

21. Can a user or group belong to more than one item-level or system-level role? Yes, in SSRS 2008, a user or group can have more than one association to a systemlevel or an item-level role. 22. When storing the credentials of a data source in the server, are those credentials safe? Yes, the data source credentials are safe because Reporting Services encrypts them and stores them in the ReportServer SQL Server database. 23. What happens if you do not specify a parameter value in a subscription and the parameter does not have a default value? If you do not specify a parameter value in a subscription and the parameter does not have a default value, the execution of the report will fail. 24. You want to create a subscription to a report. However, when you right-click the Subscription subfolder of the report, you notice that the new Subscription option is dimmed. What is wrong? When the new Subscription option is dimmed, the report probably does not use stored credentials for accessing the data. SSRS needs these credentials stored in its own ReportServer database to execute a report on a schedule. 25. What can you do if your query with properties for a data-driven subscription does not provide values for all of the subscription properties? If your query with properties for a data-driven subscription does not provide values for all of the subscription properties, you can use text and default values instead. These values are then used for parameters of all subscriptions you get from the query. 26. What mechanisms do you identify to reduce the overhead of Reporting Services data sources? Snapshots and cached reports can help reduce the processing pressure on data sources and improve report response time. 27. Can you always create a cache of a report? No, you can create a cache of a report only when certain requirements, such as having credentials stored in the Report Server, are met. 28. Can you edit the .rdl code associated with a linked report? No, because a linked report has no .rdl code of its own. It refers to the .rdl code of the base report. 29. Which of the tools and utilities described in this lesson can change or create the virtual directories for the report server and Report Manager after installation? Only Reporting Services Configuration Manager can enable and name the virtual directories for the report server and Report Manager. 30. What is the file name extension for an encryption key backup? Encryption key backups have an .snk file name extension. 31. What are the three SSRS command-line utilities and their primary functions? RSConfig.exe is used to define the connection properties from the SSRS instance to the Report Server database; RSKeyMgmt.exe performs encryption key operations and scale-out deployment setup; RS.exe runs Report Server Script files that can perform report deployment and management operations. 32. If you want to disable one of the rendering options in the Save As drop-down list when viewing a report through Report Manager, where do you do that? The visibility property for any of the rendering devices can be changed by modifying the RSReportServer.config file and locating the <ExtensionName="RenderDevice"/> tag for the specific device.

CHAPTER 10 Developing SSRS Reports

chapter summary Use the Report Server Project Wizard to create a new project and automatically start the Report Wizard to generate the first SSRS report. Then, use the Report Wizard to generate other reports. Use the Report Designer to enhance your reports and increase their functionality. Drag new items onto the Report Designer Design tab to add new report items, and use the Properties window to customize existing items. Use datasets to include more than one stream of data in your report. Hide columns and use the toggle properties to add interactivity to your report. Reduce the amount of information offered to the user at the beginning of the report, and let users expand and investigate areas they are interested in. Use groupings in Tablix data regions to summarize information by categories. You can also use multiple data regions.

Building Reports for the AdventureWorks Intranet

Case scenario

You have just successfully installed SSRS 2008. You have also created two shared data sources:one configured to retrieve data from the AdventureWorks relational database and the otherto retrieve information from a sales and marketing data mart stored in an OLAP database.The data mart is populated once a week. The schemas of the relational and OLAP databasesare the same as the sample databases provided by SQL Server 2008.You are the main developer of a set of reports that will be used in the AdventureWorksportal, and you need to handle the following requirements:

1. Your end users want a report that gives them near real-time information about sales
byProduct Category, Product Subcategory, and Product model. The report should showonly the past week's sales and should have only three columns: Name, Quantity, andAmount. Users also want the ability to drill through the report from summary informationto greater detail. You do not want to use the Report Wizard. Given these requirements,what is the best way to create the report?

2. Your end users want a pivot table report that has Categories, Subcategories,
andModels as columns and Year, Quarter, and Month as rows. The cell data should be filledwith sales amount information. The information does not need to be real time. Giventhese requirements, what is the best way to create the report?

Answers

1. You can add a new report to the SSRS solution to satisfy this user requirement. Create adataset that uses the AdventureWorks relational database. In the dataset's query, filter theinformation to retrieve only the last weeks sales by product category, subcategory, andmodel. Use a Table data region and create two additional groupings, one by category andanother by subcategory. Set the initial visibility status of the Subcategory and Detail rows tohidden, the toggle property of the Subcategory grouping to change based on Category, andthe toggle property of the Detail grouping to change based on Subcategory.

2. For this requirement, you can use the Report Wizard to create the report. On the Data Sourcepage, select the multidimensional database, and then use the MDX Query Builder to create theMDX query. In the Data pane, drag the Product Model Categories hierarchy, the Date.Calendarhierarchy, and the SalesAmount measure onto the Results pane. Remove the Calendar Semesterand Calendar data levels. Select a matrix report, and then assign the date-related informationto columns and the product category information to the rows. Last, assign the amount as detailinformation.

1. Difference between Logical Page an Physical Page in SSRS.

Logical page breaks are page breaks that you insert before or after report items or groups. Page breaks help to determine how the content is fitted to a report page for optimal viewing when rendering or exporting the report. The following rules apply when rendering logical page breaks:

Logical page breaks are ignored for report items that are constantly hidden and for report items where the visibility is controlled by clicking another report item. Logical page breaks are applied on conditionally visible items if they are currently visible at the time the report is rendered. Space is preserved between the report item with the logical page break and its peer report items. Logical page breaks that are inserted before a report item push the report item down to the next page. The report item is rendered at the top of the next page. Logical page breaks defined on items in table or matrix cells are not kept. This does not apply to items in lists.

2. How to configure SSRS for Disaster recovery. Depends on daily backup technique. 3. Describe the role of Encrpytion key in Report Server Configuration manager.

A>To encrypt credentials, connection strings. Can be taken backup and restore when required from configuration manager. 4. User want only to display only pdf as export option in report Manager .. Describe Steps to perform this . A>
usingSystem.Reflection; using Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms;
public void DisableUnwantedExportFormats() { foreach(RenderingExtension extension in serverReport.ListRenderingExtensions()) { if(extension.Name == "XML" || extension.Name == "IMAGE" || extension.Name == "MHTML") ReflectivelySetVisibilityFalse(extension); } }

5. Name and Describe few console utilities for SSRS.

RSConfig.exe Configuration of connection properties between the Report Server to the repository database.

RSKeyMgmt.exeManagement of encryption keys via command-line RS.exe Scripting of report deployment

http://www.jenstirrup.com/2009/05/command-line-utilities-in-ssrs-2008.html 6. Name few Endpoints exposed by SSRs 2008. o Management Endpoints o Execution Endpoint o SharePoint Proxy Endpoints http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms155398.aspx

7. How can you access the Code in You report. Describe the Static and intance based method with example. A>Static methods within a custom assembly are available globally within the report. You can access static
methods in expressions by namespace, class, and method name The following example calls the method ToGBP, which converts the StandardCost field value from dollar to pounds sterling:

=CurrencyConversion.DollarCurrencyConversion.ToGBP(Fields!StandardCost.Value)
Instance-based methods are available through a globally defined Code member. You access these by referring to the Code member, and then the instance and method name. The following example calls the instance method ToEUR which converts the StandardCost field value from dollar to euro:

=Code.m_myDollarCoversion.ToEUR(Fields!StandardCost.Value)

8. how to add custom Assemblies to Report. 1.

On the Report menu, click Report Properties 2. On the References tab, do the following: a. b. 3. In References, click the add (...) button and then select or browse to the assembly from the Add Reference dialog box. In Classes, type name of the class and provide an instance name to use within the report.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms252130(VS.80).aspx

9. What is Linked Report.

A> A linked report is a report server item that provides an access point to an existing report. Conceptually, it is similar to a program shortcut that you use to run a program or open a file.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms155998.aspx 10. What are different types of roles provided by SSRS? A> 1. Browser 2. Content Manager

3. My Reports 4. Publisher 5. Report Builder 11. Describe different Processing Modes offered by SSRS.
Local Processing Mode: Processes reports in the client application. Remote Processing Mode: Renders server reports that are processed on a SQL Server Reporting Services report server.

12. When to Use Null Data driven Subscription?

Create a data-driven subscription that uses the Null Delivery Provider. When you specify the Null Delivery Provider as the method of delivery in the subscription, the report server targets the report server database as the delivery destination and uses a specialized rendering extension called the null rendering extension. In contrast with other delivery extensions, the Null Delivery Provider does not have delivery settings that you can configure through a subscription definition.

13. What Factors need to take into consideration while designing a international report (Localization). http://www.codeproject.com/KB/reporting-services/SSRSReportLocalized.aspx 14. What are different option to deploy report from Dev to Prod. From Solution Explorer by giving Target Sever URL Uploading the .rdl from Report manager. 15. What are the new Controls / Features added in SSRS 2008 / SSRS 2008 R2 http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/reporting-services/new-features-in-reporting-services2008-and-2008-r2/ 16. How can you monitor the report Usage.

You can query theReportServer database for this information as follows: SELECT ex.UserName, ex.Format, ex.TimeStart, cat.Name, ex.Parameters, CONVERT(nvarchar(10), ex.TimeStart, 101) AS rundate FROM ExecutionLog AS ex, Catalog AS cat where ex.ReportID = cat.ItemID ORDER BY ex.TimeStart DESC Regards

17. How can you add a new report User to report manager. 18. How can you create the dynamaicDatasource. Can a Shared Datasource be Dynamic? http://www.simple-talk.com/community/forums/thread/2220.aspx

19. A report is Performing poorly . What steps you would take to troubleshoot the Issue. 20. Write an Expression to perform a Division of two Integers fields and to avoid NAN error. 21. have you ever used Rank, Dense Rank Ntile, CTE and Pivot.. 22. Is SSRs 2008 dependent on IIS? if not how it perform the operations.