Building Ad-Hoc Reports using the SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services (SSRS) Report Builder

(SQL307)

Adrian RuppBusiness Intelligence Solutions Specialist

iSolve Business Solutions

Agenda

• Report Builder

• Model Designer

Report Report consumersconsumers

Business Business usersusers

Report Viewer

Report Builder

Power usersPower usersDevelopersDevelopers Report Designer

Why Report Builder?

What is Report Builder?

• A new ad-hoc report design tool for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

• Targeted at business users who want to find and share answers to interesting questions

• Driven from a business model of the data, so users do not need to understand the underlying data structures

• Not a full analytical client or replacement for Microsoft® Office Excel® Pivot Tables

• Fully integrated with Reporting Services and delivered in SQL Server 2005

Report Builder Client Application• Report Builder is a “ClickOnce” Windows® application

managed on the Report Server• Requires Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0• Users download and launch the client application from

the Report Manager or third party applications• Built on top of familiar Microsoft® Office paradigms:

Excel, Office PowerPoint®

• Reports built with report templates (textboxes, tables, matrices, charts)

• Finished reports can be saved on the server

Report Builder

Report Builder Reports• Report Builder reports are just like any other Reporting Services

report…– Report Builder reports are defined in the report definition language

(RDL)– Managed by the same APIs– Secured by the same APIs

• Except: Report Builder reports contain semantic model metadata– When a Report Builder report is requested by report processing, the

metadata is used to generate a query in the source language– A new component on the Report Server handles the query generation

Infinite Drill• Automatic generation of new drillthrough reports allows

users to explore data along model navigation paths

• Queries for navigation reports are generated on the fly, passing the context of the user’s current “location”

• Users can keep drilling as long as there is a path to follow from the current item

• Custom reports can be specified for model items

• Generated navigation reports are not saved unless the user explicitly saves them

MicrosoftMicrosoft®® SQL Server™ SQL Server™

Management StudioManagement Studio

MicrosoftMicrosoft®® SQL Server™ SQL Server™

Management StudioManagement Studio

Report Builder Architecture

SQL Server catalogSQL Server catalogSQL Server catalogSQL Server catalog

Web services interfaceWeb services interfaceWeb services interfaceWeb services interface

Report ServerReport Server

Report BuilderReport BuilderClientClient

Report BuilderReport BuilderClientClient

ModelModelDesignerDesigner

ModelModelDesignerDesigner

Data sources(SQL Server,

Analysis Services)

Drillthrough report generationDrillthrough report generation

Query generationQuery generation

ReportReport ManagerManager

ReportReport ManagerManager

ReportReportDesignerDesigner

ReportReportDesignerDesigner

Report Builder Queries

• Report Builder does not strictly display tables and joinsReport Builder does not strictly display tables and joins

– May denormalize relationships, rename, add calculations, May denormalize relationships, rename, add calculations, etc.etc.

• Adding display fields will never eliminate rows from your result Adding display fields will never eliminate rows from your result setset

• Group identity is strictly defined (and fixed)Group identity is strictly defined (and fixed)

– Sales Person group cannot include Sales Order Date, but can Sales Person group cannot include Sales Order Date, but can include #Sales Orders (an aggregated value from Sales include #Sales Orders (an aggregated value from Sales Order)Order)

– Fixed group identity affects where fields can be added to Fixed group identity affects where fields can be added to reportreport

Primary Entity• The primary entity is the entity at the top of the entity explorer The primary entity is the entity at the top of the entity explorer

at any given timeat any given time

• Your report is “centered around” instances of the primary Your report is “centered around” instances of the primary entity; that is, all data in the report must be related to an entity; that is, all data in the report must be related to an instance of the primary entityinstance of the primary entity

• The primary entity may change when:The primary entity may change when:

– Adding items fields to the design surfaceAdding items fields to the design surface

– Adding filter clauses in the filter dialogAdding filter clauses in the filter dialog

• The primary entity always changes “down”The primary entity always changes “down”

• The primary entity never changes “up” unless your report The primary entity never changes “up” unless your report contains only totalscontains only totals

Filtering• Standard filtering (“slice-and-dice” approach)Standard filtering (“slice-and-dice” approach)

– Main filter is applied to Main filter is applied to all all data in the report, including aggregatesdata in the report, including aggregates

– Most common scenario, most like competitive toolsMost common scenario, most like competitive tools

– Report Builder defaultReport Builder default

• Precision filteringPrecision filtering

– Filter only affects the set of instances (rows) displayedFilter only affects the set of instances (rows) displayed

– Is NOT applied to aggregates in the reportIs NOT applied to aggregates in the report

– Must uncheck option on filter page to enableMust uncheck option on filter page to enable

• Filtered aggregatesFiltered aggregates

– Can add different filters to each aggregate in reportCan add different filters to each aggregate in report

– Can be used with standard or precision filteringCan be used with standard or precision filtering

– Right-click on aggregate field in report, select “Edit Formula”, double-Right-click on aggregate field in report, select “Edit Formula”, double-click formula to expand and add a filterclick formula to expand and add a filter

Be Careful What You Ask

““Show me products and sales in 2003” can mean:Show me products and sales in 2003” can mean:• Show any product with sales in 2003, and the sales Show any product with sales in 2003, and the sales

from 2003 (standard filter – affects products shown from 2003 (standard filter – affects products shown and sales aggregate)and sales aggregate)

• Show any product with sales in 2003, and all the sales Show any product with sales in 2003, and all the sales for those products (precision filter, does not affect for those products (precision filter, does not affect aggregate)aggregate)

• Show all products and any sales of those products in Show all products and any sales of those products in 2003 (no main filter, filtered aggregate)2003 (no main filter, filtered aggregate)

Agenda

• Report Builder

• Model Designer

Model Designer• Model Designer is interface for designing/editing a model

– New project type in Business Intelligence (BI) Development Studio– Define fields and roles– Define calculated fields– Organize model

• Models can be auto-generated in Model Designer or on the Report Server– Generates entities, fields, and roles based on source metadata– Auto-generation against SQL Server and Analysis Services

databases

Model Designer

Report Models• Models define entities, fields, and roles available for Report Builder• Models reference a data source (either SQL Server or Analysis

Services)• Models are stored in the Report Server as a new item type

– Includes new management APIs• Published models can be secured

– Items within models (entities, fields, roles) can also be secured – Users only see items they have permissions to see

• Model security and management through SQL Server Management Studio

Report Builder versus Report Designer

Report Builder Report Designer

Targeted at business users Targeted at IT professionals and developers

Ad hoc reports Production reports

Auto-generates queries using semantic layer on top of the source

Native queries (SQL, OLE DB, XML/A, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), Oracle)

Reports built on templates Free-form (nested, banded) reports

ClickOnce application, easy to deploy and manage

Integrated into Microsoft® Visual Studio® development system

Cannot import Report Designer reports Can work with reports built in Report Builder

Model Designer

Session Summary

• Report Builder is…

– a new ad hoc report design tool for SQL Server Reporting Services

– targeted at business users who want to find and share answers to interesting questions

– driven from a business model of the data so users do not need to understand the underlying data structures

– is fully integrated with SQL Server Reporting Services and delivered in SQL Server 2005

Resources• Reporting Services on the web

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/reporting/default.mspx

• Reporting Services blogs

http://blogs.msdn.com/bwelcker

http://blogs.msdn.com/bobmeyers/

http://blogs.msdn.com/lukaszp

http://blogs.msdn.com/chrishays

http://blogs.msdn.com/chrisbal/

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2007