Report Server Administration Tools

Article
12/03/2008

This topic provides a comprehensive list of the tools you can use to manage a Reporting Services installation. You can use the integrated tools that are part of SQL Server 2005, tools that are specific to Reporting Services, and tools provided by the Microsoft Windows operating system.

SQL Server 2005 Tools

SQL Server Configuration Manager

Use SQL Server Configuration Manager to start or stop the Report Server Windows service and to configure advanced service properties. Advanced service properties include specifying whether Customer Feedback Reporting is enabled, the dump directory location, and error reporting. Do not use this tool to set service account. For more information, see Configuring Service Accounts and Passwords in Reporting Services and SQL Server Configuration Manager.

SQL Server Surface Area Configuration

Use the Surface Area Configuration tool to enable Web service requests and the Scheduling and Delivery Processor. This tool gives you the ability to control the kinds of operations that the report server can perform. You can shut down Web service, scheduling, and delivery operations to perform system maintenance, investigate problems, or change your deployment configuration (for example, use a dedicated report server to handle all subscription and delivery operations).

Use this tool to take a report server instance offline to investigate a security breach or if you think the report server is being attacked.

SQL Server Management Studio

Use SQL Server Management Studio to manage one or more report server instances in a single environment. Management Studio is the primary report server management tool, providing more functionality than Report Manager and greater precision around role-based security for models. Management Studio offers script support so that you can record and replay administrative actions.

In Management Studio, each report server is represented as a node in an object hierarchy. You can browse through the object hierarchies of each report server to compare folder structure, report volume and distribution, and other content characteristics. If you are running Reporting Services in a scale-out deployment, the report server object hierarchy consolidates into a single folder namespace all the content from each report server instance.

Note

If you are using SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services, you cannot use Management Studio to administer a repot server. Use Report Manager instead.

Reporting Services Tools

Report Manager

Use Report Manager to manage a report server over a Web-based connection. Report Manager opens in a browser, so it is convenient to run from remote computers. Report Manager provides a Web interface to a single report server instance, or to the shared environment of a report server scale-out deployment (where multiple report servers share the same report server database). For more information, see Report Manager and Managing and Working With Published Reports.

Reporting Services Configuration

Use Reporting Services Configuration to deploy a report server after it is installed, or to reconfigure the report server settings that you defined during setup. The Reporting Services Configuration tool supports remote connections to report servers. You can also use it to configure multiple report servers in a scale-out deployment. For more information, see Reporting Services Configuration Tool.

Reporting Services Command Line Utilities

Reporting Services includes three command line utilities: a script host (rs.exe), a configuration tool (rsconfig.exe), and a key management tool (rskeymgmt.exe). The Reporting Services Configuration tool can be used instead of rsconfig and rskeymgmt. The rs utility can be used to run scripts on a report server. You can use scripts to copy content between report server databases, publish reports, and more. or more information, see rs Utility, rsconfig Utility, and rskeymgmt Utility.

Microsoft Windows Tools

Internet Services Manager

Use to modify security on the virtual directories used to access the report server and Report Manager. For more information, see Securing Reporting Services.

Event Viewer and Performance Console

Use the Event Viewer and Performance console to monitor report server and Report Manager performance. For more information, see Monitoring Report Server Performance and Reporting Services Errors and Events.

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