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Report Manager

Report Manager is a Web-based report access and management tool that you use to administer a single report server instance from a remote location over an HTTP connection. You can also use Report Manager for its report viewer and navigation features. You can use Report Manager to perform the following tasks:

  • View, search, print, and subscribe to reports.

  • Create, secure, and maintain the folder hierarchy to organize items on the server.

  • Configure role-based security that determines access to items and operations.

  • Configure report execution properties, report history, and report parameters.

  • Create report models that connect to and retrieve data from a Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services data source or from a SQL Server relational data source.

  • Set model item security to allow access to specific entities in the model, or map entities to predefined clickthrough reports that you create in advance.

  • Create shared schedules and shared data sources to make schedules and data source connections more manageable.

  • Create data-driven subscriptions that roll out reports to a large recipient list.

  • Create linked reports to reuse and repurpose an existing report in different ways.

  • Launch Report Builder 1.0 to create ad hoc reports that you can save and run on the report server. For more information, see How to: Start Report Builder.

You can use Report Manager to browse the report server folders or search for specific reports. You can view a report, its general properties, and past copies of the report that are captured in report history. Depending on your permissions, you might also be able to subscribe to reports for delivery to an e-mail inbox or a shared folder on the file system.

To use Report Manager, you must have Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.

Report Manager is used only for a report server that runs in native mode. It is not supported for a report server that you configure for SharePoint integrated mode.

Some Report Manager features are not available in SQL Server Express with Advanced Services. For more information, see Features Supported by Reporting Services in SQL Server Express.

Starting and Using Report Manager

Report Manager is a Web application that you open by typing the Report Manager URL in the address bar of a browser window. When you start Report Manager, the pages, links, and options that you see will vary based on the permissions you have on the report server. To perform a task, you must be assigned to a role that includes the task. A user who is assigned to a role that has full permissions has access to the complete set of application menus and pages available for managing a report server. A user assigned to a role that has permissions to view and run reports sees only the menus and pages that support those activities. Each user can have different role assignments for different report servers, or even for the various reports and folders that are stored on a single report server.

The following illustration shows Report Manager as it appears to a user who has Content Manager permissions on the report server. A user who has less permission will see fewer links and options on the Home page.

Report Manager Home page

For more information about roles, see Granting Permissions on a Native Mode Report Server. For instructions on how to start Report Manager, see How to: Start Report Manager.

Note

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you must configure the report server for local administration before you can use Report Manager to manage a local report server instance. For instructions on how to configure the server, see How to: Configure a Report Server for Local Administration on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Configuring Report Manager

Report Manager configuration consists of defining a URL for the application. Additional configuration is required if your deployment includes running Report Manager on a separate computer.

You can customize Report Manager in very limited ways. For example, you can modify the application title on the Site Settings page. If you are a Web developer, you can modify the style sheets that contain the style information used by Report Manager. Because Report Manager is not specifically designed to support customization, you must thoroughly test any modification that you make. If you find that Report Manager does not meet your needs, you can develop a custom report viewer or configure SharePoint Web parts to find and view reports in a SharePoint site. For more information, see How to: Configure Report Manager and Reporting Services Scenarios.