Resources for IT Professionals

Reporting Services Service Pack 2 chat, sponsored by SSWUG.ORG (February 8, 2005)

Please note:Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarity

Introduction

Andy Q (Moderator):
Welcome to today’s chat. Our topic is Reporting Services Service Pack 2 chat, sponsored by SSWUG.ORG Questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Hi, this is Carolyn. I'm a Program Manager on the Reporting Services team.

BenMi [MSFT] (Moderator):
I am Ben Miller. I am the Microsoft MVP Lead for SQL Server (and other things).

SWynkoop_SSWUG (Expert):
Hi Everyone - this is Steve Wynkoop, e-Editor from SSWUG.ORG and SQL Server MVP - Welcome!

Andy Q (Moderator):
I'm Andy Quig, Communities business manager and your moderator for today.

Rajeev (Expert):
Hi, I am Rajeev Karunakaran. I am a Program Manager on the Reporting Services team, responsible for Report Designer and the forthcoming Report Controls in Visual Studio 2005.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Hi, this is Ninia. I'm the Release Program Manager of the Reporting Services team.

Robert (Expert):
Hi, I'm Robert Bruckner, a software design engineer with the Reporting Services team.

Caryr (Expert):
I am Cary Russell. I am a Support Engineer for Sql Server Reporting Services Team

Shash (Expert):
Hi I am Shashank Pawar, Support Engineer for Microsoft SQL Server

Start of Chat

SWynkoop_SSWUG (Expert):
Q: Will this be recorded? It seems like alot of information to pick through at once! Is there a way to read through it after the fact?
A: Yes. The transcripts will be available after the chat and we'll send out a notification about them being available.

Andy Q (Moderator):
To submit a question you'll need to select the "submit a question" radio button.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include a facility to convert Crystal reports to SQL Reports?
A: No. Many of our partners offer this as a service. Please refer to our partners page http://www.microsoft.com/sql/partners/default.mspx

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will interactive sorting be available?
A: Interactive sorting will be available in SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services.

Robert (Expert):
Q: We are a DB2 and SQL Server shop. Currently there are incompatiblities between DB2 stored procedures and T-SQL. This causes problems in when we want to use Reporting Services against DB2. Will there be any new support for DB2 in the SP release?
A: There will be no change in SP2 related to the support of DB2. You would need to write a custom data extension wrapping e.g. the managed DB2 provider to support certain DB2 stored procedures.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be an HTML client for ad-hoc reporting?
A: Ad hoc reporting will not be part of SP2. Ad-hoc reporting will be coming with SQL Server 2005 and will be part of our upcoming CTP builds if you have access through MSDN. The feature is called Report Builder.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include more extensive documentation between Windows CA generated SSL cert's, Active Directory, and Reporting Services? What about utilities to diagnose SSL-related issues?
A: The release target is March. You can go from RTM, SP1, or SP2 Beta to the final release.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: My company is interested in several of us attaining an MS certification for reporting services. Are there any plans of a standalone test for this? (and not bundled with a SQL cert?) thanks.
A: There is not a separate certification for RS, however there is a Business Intelligence certification that includes Reporting Services.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: What enhancements will there be in SP2 that will aid in printing a PDF Report (Client-Side and Server Side)?
A: There will be no siginificant changes in PDF export functionality in SP2.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include more extensive documentation between Windows CA generated SSL cert's, Active Directory, and Reporting Services? What about utilities to diagnose SSL-related issues?
A: No. We are looking at better documentation of these issues in SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services. We are also looking at disseminating information through White Papers.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be any support for multi-selection in dropdown lists?
A: No, this will be added in the SQL Server 2005 release.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 support CSS within Reports?
A: No, this is scheduled for a future version of Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: I notice that exporting to excel can be painfully slow. Will exporting be improved?
A: Improvements to the Excel export are coming in the SQL 2005 release.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 be for the service, database, and/or VS.NET designer?
A: It will include updates for all components. Similar to SP1, you should apply SP2 to report designer and report server installations.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Where can we go to for support on specific issues that arise with reporting services?
A: There are public newsgroups that cover RS or you can contact Product Support or your technical account manager.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: per the 2005 beta, ad-hoc reporting is only for thick client. Will there be an HTML ad-hoc tool as well?
A: No, there will not be a HTML ad-hoc tool in Reporting Services 2005.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: When is the SQL 2005 release?
A: Summer 2005.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include functionality to email reports on-demand?
A: No, we are not planning to include this functionality.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Is there going to some sort of report template feature in SP2?
A: No, this is scheduled for a future release of Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will Forms Based authetication be improved in SP2?
A: There are no planned changes in this area for SP2.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 offer exporting to .DOC files?
A: No, not in SP2.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Will the chart control expose more functionality to the chart subsystem for more control(i.e. the property to control the angle of an axis label)?
A: There are no functional extensions in SP2 related to charts.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will service pack 2 change the behavior of email subscriptions failing if the service account cannot check certain authorization properties of the account that created the subscription? If so, how will it handle that scenario? If not, is it planned?
A: No, there are no changes in this area for SP2. We are still considering options for SQL 2005.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be any better support for OLAP? Can you talk a little about the Sharepoint Web Parts for RS?
A: In SQL 2005 there will be an MDX query builder. The web parts are in SP2 Beta. What questions do you have about them?

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: When exporting to Excel, will there be an option to export to native xls format instead of mhtml
A: This is already available in SP1 of Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: I have heard that accessing Reporting Services reports through SharePoint is more secure than accessing Reporting Services reports directly through the Report Manager. Is there any truth to this and if so what additional security is added by SharePoint?
A: This is not the case. The SharePoint Web Parts are simply wrappers over Report Manager functionality.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will it be possible to access a Data Source from within the page header or footer in SP2?
A: This functionality is under consideration for SQL Server 2005.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans to release a stand alone reoprt writer outside of Visual Studio?
A: SQL Server 2005 will include an end-user report building tool. It is independent of Visual Studio.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: I have heard that accessing Reporting Services reports through SharePoint is more secure than accessing Reporting Services reports directly through the Report Manager. Is there any truth to this and if so what additional security is added by SharePoint?
A: SharePoint has it's own security features which can be combined with RS security. For example, SharePoint has a target audience capability that allows only users who are in a specific target audience to see a web part. The security features can be used together, but I wouldn't say that once scheme is more secure than another.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Even though there is an icon for "full justify" of text, it is always greyed out. Will this be fixed in SP2?
A: No, there are no changes in this area in SP2.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include better documentation and examples for forms authentication, and for security in general?
A: There are no new documentation areas in SP2. We are looking at improving docs in this area for SQL 2005 as well as providing additional white papers.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will Reporting Services support a date picker?
A: It will be supported in SQL Server 2005.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: How Can i use Style Sheets for the reports?Any article which describes how to do this will be of great help.
A: You can choose a report style when you use the Report Wizard to design a report. Better support for styling is scheduled for a future version of Reporting Services.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there any licensing changes with SP2?
A: No licensing changes.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Is there, or will there be, a way to count fields in a dataset or data scope that match a criteria?
A: Not sure what you mean. You can do this already on the initial RS 2000 release by using e.g. =Sum(iif(Fields!X.Value = "SomeString", 1, 0))

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: When is SP2 release, and can it be installed directly over the SP2 Beta?
A: SP2 release is targeted for March and will install over RTM, SP1, and SP2 beta.

Andy Q (Moderator):
For those new to the chat - Our topic is Reporting Services Service Pack 2 chat, sponsored by SSWUG.ORG.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Are any of the winform controls included in SP2 or are these just in the 2005 version?
A: The report controls will be included in Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey), starting with Beta 2.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: We are running into an issue with exporting to excel - it seems certain reports do not export the last row. Will this be fixed in SP2? thanks.
A: This issue will be fixed in SP2.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will the security model change for SRS in the 2005 version?
A: No, it's generally the same. There are a few exentions to security for new features.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What bug fixes are going into SP2?
A: See http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;889640 for the bugs fixed in the beta. There will be additional bugs listed in the final release.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Question about OLAP - I am guessing RSsp2 will not have the ability to get around dynamic sql in mdx queries - is it scheduled for sql2005?
A: SQL2005 will have several improvements related to AS integration in RS. Beta 2 provides already graphical query designers for DMX and MDX. The upcoming CTPs / Beta 3 will include the ability to design e.g. more complex, (multi-value) parameterized queries in the graphical query designers.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include functionality to email reports on-demand?
A: No. This is a feature we are considering for a future release.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will a report "print" button be included in SP2?
A: Yes.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Is there any plan to tie the Report Designer's embedded code editor into VS.Net syntax checking and Intellisense?
A: The expression editor in Report Designer will support syntax checking and IntelliSense in Reporting Services 2005.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Does MS have any plans to implement PPT export for RS
A: Not currently. It's on the list of requested features.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will a "Print" button be included in SP2?
A: Yes, a "Print" button will be included in SP2.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is the Business Intellegence Certification mentioned earlier released yet ?
A: I believe so.

SWynkoop_SSWUG (Expert):
Q: when will softcopy of chat be available?
A: Typically transcripts are available within 3-5 days.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: We wil rpobably not be upgrading to Yukon until early to mid next year will there be significant differences betwee RS 2005 and RS 2000 SP2?
A: Yes, there will be significant differences between RS 2005 and RS 2000 SP2.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there any new features in SP2 that are only available with the Enterprise Edition vs. Standard Edition?
A: No, not any new ones. Only the existing ones.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 support WebServices as datasources ?
A: There is nothing new built-in to SP2 for web services as data sources. You would need to create a data extension. In SQL 2005, this will be a built-in feature.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Is it possible/planned to have a MSWord export in RS?
A: This is planned but we don't yet know when it will become available.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 support WebServices as datasources ? and Will SP2 include any Server Side component for report creation? (8)
A: See above for first answer. We do not have any new HTML report designer in SP2, if that is what you are asking.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Web part question - Can I use the web parts to show only reports for selected logged in users?
A: The Web Parts leverage the existing Reporting Services role-based security. Users looking at the Report Explorer will only see reports which they are authorized to see.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: What are the major enhancements of SP2?
A: Major enhancements of SP2 are: Sharepoint web parts and Pint controls.

Andy Q (Moderator):
Folks please don't resubmit questions, doing so is a violation of the chat code of conduct. Our experts are working as fast as they can.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will there be options for selecting different controls for parameter entry? For example, use of radio buttons in place of a drop down list?
A: No, this is not supported.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 include any Server Side component for RDL creation? (8)
A: No, there are no server side components for RDL creation.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 change any of the ways a subscription is determined to be valid? I am using a custom code to generate queries and have not been able to get subscriptions to work even when all parms supplied and authentication supplied in the data source.
A: No, there are no changes in this area. Most likely, you have expression based defaults which might have user references. In SQL 2005, We are loosening the restriction on subscriptions to user-based reports.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Are there any updates to the report designer in SP2? Specifically, will the designer address the really annoying glitch that does not remove data fields from the underlying RDL when you remove them in the designer (such as when changing data sources)?
A: No, there are no significant changes in Report Designer.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Currently, RS does not allow for accessing data in a row by row fashion, such that you could scan through an entire dataset returned back. Are there plans to implement a feature that would allow more control towards this end?
A: Not on RS2000 (unless you use a custom assembly and fetch the data yourself). For RS2005, the new CustomReportItem feature will provide some support for this scenario.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: What plans do you have for extensibility? That is, when a third-party vendor wants to add a new control to the report.
A: There will be limited support for custom report items in Reporting Services 2005.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Carolyn mentioned that there is a "Business Intelligence certification that includes Reporting Services." Is this for individuals or for companies? Is there an MCP track? Where can I find more information?
A: There is a Gold certification for partners in BI and I believe an individual certification was announced recently but I can't find a link right now...will post one if I find it.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Though not easy to answer, how does MS intend for the Dundas Components to be accessed/controlled - in other words - what is the interface for the Dundas components? (Ex. Via the code page, a separate window, compiled DLL, etc.)
A: The interface to Dundas charting component is through RDL.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Clarification on "Is there, or will there be, a way to count fields in a dataset or data scope that match a criteria?": Meant to say in a dataset outside of the current scope. I want to be able to count all fields in a subreport (different scope) matching
A: No, we do not support "reaching inside" a subreport.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: We have an update failure when updating subscriptions schedules. THe error appears to be doing an add function rather than an update because we get a duplicate record error. Is this problem resolved?
A: We have not gotten a specific bug report about this so I can't say it is fixed. You might want to publish details on the public newsgroup or the SP2 beta site of open a case with our Product Support group.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Does SP2 fix the problem where I can't email to somebody off of my domain?
A: There is a setting in the rs server config file to handle this. Please take a look at documentation for additional details.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Hi. Sometimes, at the end of an install I see, "Setup could not initialize the report server. You must manually initialize the report server before using it for the first time..." Thline item commands don't work. Have you seen this and what can I do?
A: There are some suggestions in the online docs about this error. You need to look in the Report Server log files to see exactly what is happening. We will have some new tools in SQL 2005 that should help you diagnose these problems.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SRS SP2 or SRS 2005 support rendering html fields in a database instead of just displaying the raw HTML?
A: No.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will RS SP2 have any support for creating text files without any field delimiters. With them I cannot seem to create fixed width text reports properly.
A: No, we do not have a formatted text renderer planned for SP2 or SQL 2005. It is possible to write one yourself, though. :D

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a web address where a summary of the enhancements expected for RS2005 coudd be viewed?
A: The summary of SP2 enhancements is listed in the Beta nomination site: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/betanominations.mspx

Robert (Expert):
Q: Will there be any more documentation related to Rendering Extensions available for SP2?
A: Documentation will be in included in RS2005 (Beta 3, RTM) and also available on MSDN. I don't think there will be a specific documentation update as part of the SP2 install.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a features list document that we can read?
A: The feature list is available when you join the SP2 Beta.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: For Dundas components if the interface is through the RDL, will the RDL then support (via XML) - planned atleast - all of the features of the dundas components?
A: Chart enhancements are scheduled for a future release. Reporting Services may not support every last feature of Dundas. However, starting with Reporting Services 2005, you will be able to plug-in third party charting components into Reporting Services, if the component is specifically designed to support Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Where can I go to get examples of integrating RS with my ASP.NET apps?
A: I would try some of the Reporting Services / SQL community sites for code snippets. You basically can either use URL access / frames or the Web Services API / Render. We are making this much easier in Visual Studio 2005 / SQL 2005.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: I understand the export capabilities of RS, but is there any functionality planned for doing a 'Search' within a report? Specifically, I would want to return results for all fields where a value is greater than 100. I could then export to Excel.
A: We have a search feature which finds matching strings within a report, however it does not provide the functionality you are describing. This is on the list for future consideration.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to use VB.NET code to generate a DataSet and then use that as the DataSet for the report in RS?
A: This will be supported by the Report Controls that will be included in Visual Studio 2005 (starting with Whidbey Beta 2.)

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will end user ad hoc reports via the upcoming Report Builder be limited to SQL Server as a data source?
A: We are planning to support SQL Server and Analysis Services in SQL 2005.

Andy Q (Moderator):
For those new to the chat - Our topic is Reporting Services Service Pack 2 chat, sponsored by SSWUG.ORG. We have a little over 20 minutes left for today, thanks for joining!

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: How do you recommend displaying Reports on a public ASP.NET site?
A: Either use the Web Services API or put the report server outside the firewall.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: We use a product called Actuate. It provides what they term 'Page-Level' security. Simply put, a single report can be accessed by many users, and each will be able to access their secured pages. Anything similar in SP2?
A: There's no specific "page security" feature but you can make a report sensitive to users.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: There are a number of formatting issues between HTML, PDF, and .NET rendering. Which of these issues will be resolved in SP2?
A: Sorry, you would have to be more specific. There are some fixes but I don't know if they are the ones you are looking for. If you want to report a specific bug, you would need to participate in the SP2 or SQL 2005 beta programs.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Where can I find out more about the print controls? (i.e. what exactly will they offer?) I didn't see anything on the sp2 release url posted earlier
A: Please look at the SP2 beta readme, which you can download from the beta site. You have to sign up as a beta tester to access the download site.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: a sub-report not appear when i export to excel, this will be fixed ?
A: Not in SP2.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
ahhhh

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: How is client side printing going to be handled especially with the new ActiveX security controls in XP SP2?
A: The ActiveX print control is downloaded to the client and communicates with the Report Server to generate the pages to send to the printer. There are no new security features in the server.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Any formal documentation for the -pseudo VB used in report services?
A: It is not "pseudo VB". It is real VB.NET. There are some RS additions such as aggregate functions. These are already documented.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Can I change client-side cacheing options for reports in SP2? IE- currently, when a report changes, the client sees the old report until they explicitly refresh.
A: No change in this for SP2.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will valid xml be supported as a datasource?
A: SQL 2005

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: I have a link in the report,clicking on which should open another report in a new window...... I am not able to make this happen....any suggestions
A: Try to host the initial report using rc:linktarget in the URL. Others have also gotten a javascript: tag to work.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: how can i plug my own chart control? (8)
A: This will be supported in SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans to move out of the NT authentication model (out of the box)?
A: No current plans for additional built-in security models.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will expand/collapse functionality be included in the web service render method? currently it is only in url access, which is limited in URL size - killing us.
A: Unfortunately, this change is too big for SP2. We are addressing it in SQL 2005.

Robert (Expert):
Q: how can i plug my own chart control? (8)
A: Depends. On RS2000 you can only do this via custom assemblies in a limited way. On RS2005 there will be a way to have a design-time component and a runtime component integrated into Reporting Services. Your components will need to implement certain interfaces to achieve this integration.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: when exporting to excel in SP1: how can I export to excel native xls format instead of the mhtml format?
A: All exports in SP1 are native BIF. We removed the MHTML rendering logic.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: I've noticed that the preview window in VS differs ever so slightly from the actual report generator, does MS have any plans to reconcile this?
A: Different formats have different capabilities. Preview uses the GDI renderer. GDI rendering will be very close to TIFF/PDF rendering, but different from HTML rendering.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there any better examples or 'best practices' for forms based authetication for SRS?
A: Nothing other than the already published white paper.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Sorry, I came in late an this may have been asked... Will there be any improvemnts to the matrix in SP2? I am particularly interested in more control over the 'totals' sections in the matrix
A: There are no changes in this are in SP2.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will be Print functionality be accessible through the Web service API or just through Report Manager?
A: You can use script or URL access to launch the print control in your own page.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a website for any new features that will be introduced in SP2?
A: The SP2 beta site.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What exactly is in SP2?
A: From the readme:

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What exactly is in SP2?
A: Key Functional Enhancements
Reporting Services SharePoint Web Parts enable you to explore and view reports located on a report server by using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services or SharePoint Portal Server.
Microsoft ActiveX controls are provided to support a rich client-side printing experience.
Key Bug Fixes
The server will no longer unexpectedly rapidly increase the size of the server trace log file.
The width of a list with an embedded matrix now shrinks to the set of items that appear on the page.
A table with a hidden or removed details section displays correct page breaks when rendered as an image or PDF file.
Third-party PDF readers can consume PDF files generated by Reporting Services.
A default style sheet can be specified for the HTML viewer toolbar.
E-mail attachments generated by Reporting Services can now be read by IBM Lotus Domino servers.

Robert (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 support optional parameters?
A: There is no change in this area compared to SP1. You can have hidden parameters, but not optional parameters.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 allow dynamic column/page widths?
A: No, it will not.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: I am having some issues with PDF's...mostly white space and list boxes not being visible. Is this addressed in SP2?
A: Not sure. You would need to submit these bugs in the SP2 or SQL 2005 beta.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there any plans to increase the functionality of the scheduling component to more closely mirror SQL Agent? For instance, if I want a job to run every hour or two, will this be possible in SP2 or Yukon?
A: You should be able to do this today with RS scheduling.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Any chance that the undo feature will be a bit quicker in the report designer sp2? I know it has to copy the entire .rdl to the undo stack, and when undo is clicked it reloads the entire report vs. just what changed.
A: There are no changes in this area in SP2.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there, or will there be, a way to sum the value of n level parent-child relations? such as total salary for all the employees report to the manager, employee can be manager as well.
A: Recursive aggregates are already built-in to the product. If you are asking for a specific depth, we don't have this.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: This isn't msn messenger tech support chat?
A: No

Robert (Expert):
Q: How many levels of nested subreports can I do if I am not concerned about performance in service pack 2? Has a limit been imposed?
A: The maximum recursive depth for subreports is 20 (the same as in SP1).

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: When passing a date as a parameter, is there an easy way to strip off the time when it's concatinated by RS when submitted?
A: Not sure what you mean. Dates are just date times with a midnight value. If you are asking whether you can suppress the displaying of the time in the HTML viewer, the answer is no. We have changed this for SQL 2005 to not display time if it is midnight.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be a "Home" button to go back to the parent directory directly instead of repeatedly clicking the back button in SP2?
A: Not a buttton but there are breadcrumbs on the page that will take you directly to home in Report Manager.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will you be able to render a report from the report viewer without opening a new browser window?
A: Do you mean export? Not in the HTML viewer. You could do this in your own application.

Andy Q (Moderator):
We have about 8 minutes left in today's chat!!

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 allow users to view all rows instead of paging?
A: You can increase page height to inhibit page breaks. More direct support for turning off "soft page breaks" is scheduled for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Can URL size be expanded?
A: No, URL limits are by design in IIS. You can use HTTP POST, which has a 2G limit, I think.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Carolyn: Regarding RS Scheduling, we are pretty limited in repetitions. For instance, if I want a job to run hourly from 8-5 M-F, I can choose 8:00, M-F, then set a new schedule for 9:00 M-F, etc. However, I can't choose the more detailed level...
A: Ahhh...not in this release but a good suggestion for future releases.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will all questions be answered in the transcript?
A: Everything will be answered in the transcript. Everything!

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Scheduling again - new question. Will there be an easy way to see which report is associated with a job in the future? This would be really helpful rather than puzzling through GUIDs. :)
A: Good feature request. Sorry, this is currently not planned.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: RE: update bug, error is : An internal error occurred on the report server. See the error log for more details. (rsInternalError) Get Online Help The specified @name ('A1CDDB54-4FD3-4B54-A87F-879594C8A941') already exists. Where do I file bug rpt?
A: If you are a Beta tester, you can file a bug by clicking the Submit a Bug link from Beta Place. To participate as a beta tester, you need to sign up through http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/betanominations.mspx.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What is the recommended way to implement DrillDown functionality by URL or SOAP access?
A: Drilldown currently only works in URL access. SQL 2005 will enable you to do this in SOAP as well.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: When is Report Builder Beta due?
A: Report Builder will be available in the next CTP accessible through MSDN.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Anything we can do to say thanks for your time? ;-D
A: Buy more licenses.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What is the meaning of life?
A:http://www.microsoft.com/sql/reporting/ ;)

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there any feedback on the SP2 Beta Print Controls. I am still having issues with Landscape, and there doesn't seem to be a good Fit to Page option.
A: The landscape issues are fixed in the released build. We won't have fit to page in this release.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there any feedback on the SP2 Beta Print Controls. I am still having issues with Landscape, and there doesn't seem to be a good Fit to Page option.
A: I meant the "soon to be released" build. :D

Andy Q (Moderator):
2 minute warning!

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: What was the main motivation for releasing SP2? What couldn't wait until the next major release?
A: People want new stuff. We give people what they want. :P

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be a gap analysis document released soon on the differences between SQl2k RS and Yukon RS - needs to be quite detailed I think
A: Not currently planned but there are some materials that may be developed in this area...

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Brian - Sorry what are "user references" thanks. The report runs automatically if run interactively.
A: Uses of the User! collection (either User!UserID or User!Language). Try removing expressions from the defaults.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will SP2 address the rendering issues we now experience w/ SP1. Elements in the report that overlap do not display correctly.
A: Some formats support overlapping elements, some don't. Overlapping elements should work fine in PDF and image based formats, but HTML may have problems.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Brian, could you point me in the right direction so that I can learn how to write a formatted text renderer? Are there other similar examples that you know of?
A: Take a look at the rendering extension API documentation in SQL 2005 Books Online.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: So the Url Paramater Size limitation is an IIS one, rather than RS?
A: Yes.

Rajeev (Expert):
Q: Will print output closely resemble current PDF output or HTML output?
A: Print will be closer to PDF than HTML.

Robert (Expert):
Q: ANy better exposure of parameters to custom assemblies in sp2?
A: Nothing has changed. You still need to pass them in as parameters to your function calls.

Ninia [MS] (Expert):
Q: We have a test server that runs multiple instances of SQL Server. Is it possible to install multiple instances of RS on the same server. So far, haven't been able to achieve this.
A: In RS 2005, it will be possible.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Besides bug fixes, will RS 2K SP2 be the last enhancement to RS 2K? I assume RS 2K5 will only run on SQL 2K5.
A: RS2K5 will work on both SQL2K and SQL2K5. We don't have a timeframe for another RS2K service pack but I wouldn't rule it out.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Q: Have been using reporting services for a while and probably just need to check the documentation but is it possible to customise the SRS interface. Just simple things like colours, logos etc.?
A: There is limited customization capability through changing the .css file for the Report Manager.

Carolyn [MS] (Expert):
Thanks for attending and for the great questions. See you next time.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: I have changed data sources in report designer, but not all references are changed in the underlying XML. I am forced to drop down into the XML code to update the field references before continuing. Will this be corrected?
A: Not sure what you mean. Are you saying you have different fields? You would need to refresh the fields list in the report editor.

Rajeev (Expert):
Thanks for participating, everyone.

SWynkoop_SSWUG (Expert):
Thank you everyone for coming - Make sure you mark your calendars too for the web chat on February 15, 2005 2:00 – 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time - on SQL Server 2000 SP4. See you at http://www.sswug.org! See you online! (We'll get the transcripts posted ASAP)

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: FU : Brain W: So Licencing - you say RS2K5 will run on SQL2K - will that require a SQL2K5 licence though?
A: Yes, it is part of SQL 2K5 license but you won't have to upgrade your relational DB if you don't want to.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are the parameters passed in a POST - still being coerced into the GETs for Resources in a report ..?
A: Can't remember if we are fixing this for SQL 2K5 or SP2. Probably the former.

Brian [MS] (Expert):
We've gotta run! Thanks for all the great questions!

Robert (Expert):
Thanks for participating and asking great questions!