Backup and Restore Operations for Reporting Services

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This topic provides an overview of all data files used in a Reporting Services installation and describes when and how you should back up the files. Developing a backup and restore plan for the report server database files is the most important part of a recovery strategy. However, a more comprehensive recovery strategy would include backups of the encryption keys, custom assemblies or extensions, configuration files, and source files for reports and models.

Backup and restore operations are often used to move all or part of a Reporting Services installation:

Backing Up the Report Server Databases

Because a report server is a stateless server, all application data is stored in the reportserver and reportservertempdb databases that run on a SQL Server Database Engine instance. You can backup the reportserver and reportservertempdb databases using one of the supported methods for backing up SQL Server databases. Recommendations that are specific to the report server databases include the following:

  • Use the full recovery model to backup the reportserver database.

  • Use the simple recovery model to backup the reportservertempdb database.

  • You can use different backup schedules for each database. The only reason to backup the reportservertempdb is to avoid having to recreate it if there is a hardware failure. In the event of hardware failure, it is not necessary to recover the data in reportservertempdb, but you do need the table structure. If you lose reportservertempdb, the only way to get it back is to recreate the report server database. If you recreate the reportservertempdb, it is important that it have the same name as the primary report server database.

For more information about backup and recovery of SQL Server relational databases, see Back Up and Restore of SQL Server Databases.

Important

If your SQL Server 2012 report server is in SharePoint mode, there are additional databases to be concerned with, including SharePoint configuration databases and the Reporting Services alerting database. In SharePoint mode, three databases are created for each Reporting Services service application. The reportserver, reportservertempdb, and dataalerting databases. For more information see Backup and Restore Reporting Services Service Applications

Backing Up the Encryption Keys

You should backup the encryption keys when you configure a Reporting Services installation for the first time. You should also backup the keys any time you change the identity of the service accounts or rename the computer. For more information, see Back Up and Restore Reporting Services Encryption Keys (SSRS Native Mode). For SharePoint mode report servers, see the “Key Management” section of Manage a Reporting Services Service Application.

Backing Up the Configuration Files

Reporting Services uses configuration files to store application settings. You should backup the files when you first configure the server and after you deploy any custom extensions. Files to back up include:

  • Rsreportserver.config

  • Rssvrpolicy.config

  • Rsmgrpolicy.config

  • Reportingservicesservice.exe.config

  • Web.config for both the Report Server and Report Manager ASP.NET applications

  • Machine.config for ASP.NET

Backing Up Data Files

Backup the files that you create and maintain in Report Designer and Model Designer. These include report definition (.rdl) files, report model (.smdl) files, shared data source (.rds) files, data view (.dv) files, data source (.ds) files, report server project (.rptproj) files, and report solution (.sln) files.

Remember to backup any script files (.rss) that you created for administration or deployment tasks.

Verify that you have a backup copy of any custom extensions and custom assemblies you are using.

See Also

Reference

rskeymgmt Utility (SSRS)

Concepts

Report Server Database

Configuration Files (Reporting Services)

Copy Databases with Backup and Restore

Administer a Report Server Database

Configure and Manage Encryption Keys