Tutorial: Reporting Services Tools

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New: 17 July 2006

This tutorial introduces the tools used to configure a report server, manage report server content and operations, and create and publish reports and report models. The purpose of this tutorial is to help new users understand how to find and open each tool. If you are already familiar with the tools, you can move on to other tutorials that can help you learn important skills for using Reporting Services. For more information about other tutorials, see Reporting Services Tutorials.

Requirements

You must have installed all of the Reporting Services components. For more information about which setup options to select in order to get specific components, see Selecting Reporting Services Components to Install.

Reporting Services Configuration Tool

Use the Reporting Services Configuration Tool tool to specify service accounts, create or upgrade the report server database, modify the connection properties, set virtual directories, manage encryption keys, and configure the report server for unattended report processing and e-mail report delivery.

To start the Reporting Services Configuration tool

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, point to Configuration Tools, and click Reporting Services Configuration.

    The Report Server Installation Instance Selection dialog box appears so that you can select the report server instance you want to configure.

  2. In Machine Name, specify the name of the computer on which the report server instance is installed. The name of the local computer is specified by default, but you can also type the name of a remote SQL Server instance.

    If you specify a remote computer, click Find to establish a connection. The report server must be configured for remote administration in advance. For more information, see Configuring a Report Server for Remote Administration.

  3. In Instance Name, choose the SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services instance that you want to configure. Only SQL Server 2005 report server instances appear in the list. You cannot configure earlier versions of Reporting Services.

  4. Click Connect.

  5. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image:

    Reporting Services Configuration Startup page

Report Manager

Use Report Manager if you want to use a Web-based tool to set permissions, manage subscriptions and schedules, and work with reports and models. You can also use Report Manager to view reports.

Before you can open Report Manager, you must have sufficient permissions (initially, only members of the local Administrators group have permissions that provide access to Report Manager features). Report Manager provides different pages and options depending on the role assignments of the current user. Users who have no permissions will get an empty page. Users with permissions to view reports will get links that they can click to open the reports. To learn more about permissions, see Tutorial: Setting Permissions in Reporting Services.

To start Report Manager

  1. Open Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

  2. In the address bar of the Web browser, type the Report Manager URL. By default, the URL is http://<serverName>/reports. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to confirm the server name and virtual directory name. For more information about URLs used in Reporting Services, see Configuring Report Server Virtual Directories.

  3. Report Manager opens in the browser window. The startup page is the Home folder. Depending on permissions, you might see additional folders, hyperlinks to reports, and resource files within the startup page. You might also see additional buttons and commands on the toolbar.

  4. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image:

    Report Manager Home page

Management Studio

Report server administrators can use Management Studio to manage a report server alongside other SQL Server component servers. Management Studio provides almost identical functionality as Report Manager, but with additional support for managing other server types in the same management workspace. For more information, see Introducing SQL Server Management Studio.

To start SQL Server Management Studio

  1. Point to Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click SQL Server Management Studio.

    The Connect to Server dialog box appears. It should look similar to the following diagram:

    Report Server Connection dialog box

  2. If the Connect to Server dialog box does not appear, in Object Explorer, click Connect and then select Reporting Services.

  3. In the Server type list, select Reporting Services. If Reporting Services is not on the list, it is not installed.

  4. In the Server name list, select a report server instance. Local instances appear in the list. You can also type the name of a remote SQL Server instance.

  5. Click Connect. You can expand the root node to view predefined folders for reports, shared schedules, and security. If reports or other items are already on the report server, they will appear in the folder hierarchy.

  6. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image:

    Management Studio startup page for report server

Business Intelligence Development Studio with Report Designer and Model Designer

Report Designer and Model Designer are two design tools that are available within Business Intelligence Development Studio. The design surfaces in the tools include tabbed windows, wizards, and menus used to access report and model authoring features. The design tools become available when you choose a Report Server Project, a Report Server Wizard, or a Report Model Project template. To learn more, see Introducing Business Intelligence Development Studio.

To start Report Designer

  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click Business Intelligence Development Studio.

  2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.

  3. In the Project Types list, click Business Intelligence Projects.

  4. In the Templates list, click Report Server Project. The following diagram shows how the project templates appear in the dialog box:

    New Project template dialog box

  5. Type a name and location for the project, or click Browse and select a location.

  6. Click OK. Business Intelligence Development Studio opens with the Visual Studio start page. Solution Explorer provides categories for creating reports and data sources. You can use these categories to create new reports and data sources. Tabbed windows appear when you create a report definition. The tabbed windows are Data, Layout, and Preview. To get started on your first report, see Tutorial: Creating a Basic Report. To learn more about query designers you can use within Report Designer, see Query Design Tools in Reporting Services.

  7. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image:

    Report Designer startup page

To start Model Designer

  1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, and then click Business Intelligence Development Studio.

  2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.

  3. In the Project Types list, click Business Intelligence Projects.

  4. In the Templates list, click Report Model Project.

  5. Type a name and location for the project, or click Browse and select a location.

  6. Click OK. Business Intelligence Development Studio opens with the Visual Studio start page. Solution Explorer provides categories for creating models, data sources, and data views. The design surface changes when you define a data source connection. To get started on your first model, see Tutorial: Creating a Report Model.

  7. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image. The image shows Model Designer with an open model:

    Model Designer with an open model file

Report Builder

Use Report Builder to create ad hoc reports that use published models as a data source. You can save reports from Report Builder to a report server. To practice these skills, see Report Builder Tutorials.

To start Report Builder

  1. In your Web browser, type the Report Manager URL in the address bar. By default, the URL is http://<servername>/reports.

  2. Click Report Builder. The Report Builder button is located alongside other buttons on the toolbar:

    Command bar in Report Manager

    If you do not see the Report Builder button, you might not have permissions. To find out what permissions you need, see Configuring a Report Server for Report Builder Access. Users who upgraded Reporting Services from an earlier version must also modify permissions. For more information, see Updating Role-Based Security for Report Builder Access.

    You can also launch Report Builder directly from a URL. For more information, see How to: Start Report Builder.

  3. To verify that you launched the tool, compare your results to the following image:

    Report Builder startup page

See Also

Concepts

SQL Server Tools Tutorials
SQL Server Management Studio Tutorial
Reporting Services Tutorials

Other Resources

Reporting Services Component Overview
Query Design Tools in Reporting Services
Report Server Administration Tools

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance