• Article

Viewing Reports with SharePoint 2.0 Web Parts

Reporting Services provides several Web Parts that work with specific versions of a report server and in particular deployment modes.

  • Native mode: If you want to access report server content on a SharePoint site from a native mode report server, use the SharePoint 2.0 Web Parts Report Explorer and Report Viewer that are included with Reporting Services. Instructions for installing and using the 2.0 Web Parts are provided in this topic.

  • SharePoint mode: If you want to access a report server that runs in SharePoint mode, use the web parts that are installed by the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint products. For more information about the add-in, see Overview of Reporting Services and SharePoint Technology Integration.

  • Note

    The report viewer web part for Native mode (SPViewer.dwp) is a different web part than the one (ReportViewer.dwp) installed by the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint products. The Web Parts have different schemas and implementations but they can both be installed on the same SharePoint farm. Visually, you can distinguish the two Web Parts through the following characteristic: the Report Viewer Web Part that is installed through the add-in has an Actions menu on the toolbar.

In this topic:

  • About Report Explorer and Report Viewer

  • Requirements for Using the Web Parts

  • Installing Web Parts

  • Adding and Configuring Web Parts

About Report Explorer and Report Viewer

Report Explorer and Report Viewer are SharePoint 2.0 Web Parts that were introduced in SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services Service Pack 2 (SP2) and continue to be available in current releases.

The Web Parts provide a way to view reports and explore the report server folder hierarchy from a SharePoint site.

Note that customizing the Web Parts is not supported. The Web parts are intended to be used as is, and should not be extended or modified.

  • Report Explorer (SPExplorer.dwp) connects to Report Manager on the report server computer. You can browse available reports on a report server and subscribe to individual reports. If Report Builder is enabled and you have sufficient permissions, you can start Report Builder from the Report Explorer Web Part.

    Report Explorer displays the contents of a folder using a page in Report Manager. Access to individual items and folders throughout the report server folder hierarchy are controlled through role assignments on the report server. When you select a report, it opens in a new browser window. The HTML viewer on the report server displays the report and provides the report toolbar, not the Report Viewer Web Part. If you want to customize the toolbar settings, be sure to specify the URL access parameters on the report server. For instructions, see Using URL Access Parameters.

  • Report Viewer (SPViewer.dwp) displays a report and provides a toolbar that you can use to navigate pages, search for content, or export the report. You can add the Report Viewer Web Part to a Web Part page to always show a specific report on that page or you can connect it to Report Explorer to display reports that are opened through that Web Part.

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Requirements for Using the Web Parts

Requirements for using the Report Viewer and Report Explorer Web Parts include the following:

  • Supported versions of SharePoint products and technologies include Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, 3.0, and SharePoint Foundation 2010; Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server; and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and SharePoint Server 2010.

  • The report server version must be SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services or later.

  • The report server must run in native mode. You cannot use the Report Explorer and Report Viewer Web Parts to connect to or view reports on a report server that runs in SharePoint mode. For more information about modes, see Planning a Deployment Mode.

  • Report Manager must be installed.

Report Explorer and Report Viewer Web Parts are distributed through a cabinet (.cab) file that is included with Reporting Services. Instructions for installing, configuring, and using the Web Parts are provided in the following sections of this topic.

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Installing Web Parts

Web parts are delivered to a SharePoint server as a cabinet (.cab) file. Run the SharePoint Stsadm.exe tool on the .cab file from the command line to install the Web Parts. To learn more about the tool and Web part deployment see your SharePoint documentation.

  1. Copy the RSWebParts.cab to a folder on the SharePoint server. You can copy it to any folder on the SharePoint server, and then delete it later after you install the Web Parts. By default Reporting Services 2008 R2 installs the RSWebParts.cab file into the following folder:

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Reporting Services\SharePoint

  2. On the computer that has the installation of the SharePoint product, open a Command Prompt window with administrative privileges and navigate to the folder that has the Stsadm.exe tool. The path will vary depending on which version of Windows SharePoint Services you are running or if you are running SharePoint Foundation 2010. For example, if you are using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, the path is:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN.

    If you are using SharePoint 2010, the path is:

    C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\BIN.

  3. Run Stsadm.exe on the .cab, using the following syntax:

    STSADM.EXE -o addwppack -filename "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Reporting Services\SharePoint\RSWebParts.cab" -globalinstall

You should see a message of “Operation completed successfully.”

 

Specifying -globalinstall adds the Web Parts to the global assembly cache (GAC). This step is necessary if you want to connect the Web Parts.

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Add and Configure Web Parts

After you install the Web Parts, you can add them to a Web Part Page on a SharePoint site. You must have permission to create Web sites and add content.

To add the Web Parts to a SharePoint Site

  1. In a SharePoint Web application, open a Web Part page.

  2. In Site Actions, click Edit Page.

  3. In a zone on the page, click Add a Web Part.

  4. In the Add Web Parts dialog box, scroll down to Miscellaneous. If you are using Office SharePoint Server , you might need to expand All Web Parts first.

  5. Select Report Explorer. You can also select Report Viewer if you want to add both Web Parts at the same time to the same zone.

    Important

    Do not select SQL Server Reporting Services Report Viewer That Web Part is registered when you install the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint products, and is used for running a report server in SharePoint mode. It cannot be used to view reports on a native mode report server.

  6. Click Add.

  7. While the page is in edit mode, click Edit or Edit Web Part in the Report Explorer Web Part.

  8. In Report Manager URL, type a URL to a Report Manager instance that is associated with the native mode report server you want to access. By default, a Report Manager URL has the following syntax: http://<servername>/reports.

    Optionally, set the Start Path. The start path is a folder in the report server folder hierarchy. You can specify a start path if you want the default page to be a folder further down the folder hierarchy. The path must begin with a forward slash. You must specify a complete path that starts with the root node of the report server folder hierarchy, but does not include the server name or Report Manager virtual directory. For example, to open a folder named Adventure Works just below the root node, specify /Adventure Works in the Start Path.

  9. If you want to connect Report Explorer and Report Viewer, set the connection while the page is in Edit mode:

    1. Click Edit or Edit Web Part on the Report Explorer Web Part menu.

    2. Point to Connections.

    3. Point to Show report in.

    4. Click Report Viewer.

  10. If you added Report Viewer to show a report within the page, enter a URL to the report.

    1. Click Edit on the Report Viewer Web Part menu.

    2. Click Modify Shared Web Part or Edit Shared Web Part.

    3. In Report Manager URL, type the full URL to a Report Manager instance that is associated with the native mode report server you want to access.

    4. In Report Path, specify a forward slash, followed by the folder path, and the report name. Do not include the server name or Report Manager virtual directory. For example, to open the ‘Company Sales’ report in the Adventure Works folder, specify /Adventure Works/Company Sales. The following is another example where the report ‘Products’ is in the report server root folder /Products.

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Change History

 

Change

1

Added clarity on the actual file names of the different web parts and the report server mode they support. The file paths have been updated for current operating systems and installations.