Overview of Reporting Services and SharePoint Technology Integration

You can configure a report server to run within a deployment of a SharePoint product and use the collaboration and centralized document management features of SharePoint for reports and other Reporting Services content types. The SharePoint integration requires installing the appropriate version of the Reporting services add-in on your SharePoint Web Front Ends. Running a report server as part of a SharePoint deployment provides the following levels integration:

  • Shared storage.

  • Shared security.

  • Same site access for all business documents, including reports, report models, and shared data sources.

Server Integration Architecture

When you integrate a report server with an instance of a SharePoint product, items and properties are stored in the SharePoint content databases. This provides a deeper level of integration between the server technologies that effects how content is stored, secured, and accessed.

Storing report items and properties in SharePoint content databases allows you to browse SharePoint libraries for report server content types, secure items using the same permission levels and authentication provider that controls access to other business documents hosted on a SharePoint site, use the collaboration and document management features to check reports in and out for modification, use alerts to find out if an item has changed, and embed or customize the Report Viewer Web part on pages and sites within the application. If you have sufficient permissions within a SharePoint site, you can also generate report models from shared data sources and use Report Builder to create reports.

The report server continues to provide all data processing, rendering, and delivery. It also supports all scheduled report processing for snapshots and report history. The following diagram shows the server components together:

architecture diagram

When you open a report from a SharePoint site, the Report Server endpoint connects to a report server, creates a session, prepares the report for processing, retrieves data, merges the report into the report layout, and displays it in the Report Viewer Web part. While the report is open, you can export it to different application formats, or interact with data by drilling into underlying numbers or clicking through to a related report. Export and report interaction operations are performed on the report server.

The report server synchronizes operations and data with SharePoint and tracks information about the files it processes. When you modify properties or settings for any report server item, the change is stored in a SharePoint database and then copied to a report server database that provides internal storage to a report server.

For more information about topologies and requirements, see Deployment Topologies for Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode and Requirements for Running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode.

Components That Provide Integration

To combine the servers in a single deployment, you integrate an installation of SQL Server Reporting Services with an instance of SharePoint products 

Integration is provided through SQL Server and the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Products. The Reporting Services Add-in is a freely distributable component that you can download and then install on a server that is running the appropriate version of SharePoint. 

  • On SharePoint, the Reporting Services Add-in provides the ReportServer proxy endpoint, a Report Viewer Web part, and application pages so that you can view, store, and manage report server content on a SharePoint site or farm.

  • On Reporting Services provides updated program files, a SOAP endpoint, and custom security and delivery extensions. The report server must be configured to run in SharePoint integrated mode, dedicated exclusively to supporting report access and delivery through your SharePoint site.

After you install the Reporting Services Add-in on SharePoint and configure the two servers for integration, you can upload or publish report server content types to a SharePoint library, and then view and manage those documents from a SharePoint site. Uploading or publishing report server content is an important first step; the Web Part and pages become available when you select report definitions (.rdl), report models (.smdl) and shared data sources (.rsds) on a SharePoint site.

Supported combinations of the SharePoint add-in and Report Server

Not all features are supported in all combinations of report server, Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint, and SharePoint Products. The recommended and most complete combination is to use SharePoint 2010 Products, the SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint 2010 Products, and SQL Server 2008 R2 report server in SharePoint Integrated mode.

Note

The correct version of the Reporting Services add-in must be used with the corresponding version of SharePoint Products.

Supported Combinations of SharePoint and Reporting Services components

The following table summarizes the supported combinations of report server, Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint Products, and SharePoint Products. For a detailed list of the features supported, see Features Supported by Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode

Report Server

Add-in

SharePoint

Supported

SQL Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2008 R2

SharePoint 2010 Products

Y

SQL Server 2008 R2

SQL Server 2008 SP2

SharePoint 2007 Products

Y

SQL Server 2008 SP1 Cumulative Update #8

SQL Server 2008 R2

SharePoint 2010 Products

Y

SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2008

SharePoint 2010 Products

N

SQL Server 2008

SQL Server 2008

SharePoint 2007 Products

Y

SQL Server 2005 SP2

SQL Server 2005

SharePoint 2007 Products

Y

Installation and configuration overview

The exact steps that you take to install and configure the Reporting Services Add-in may vary depending on your requirements. The following are the basic steps.

Connected Mode and Local Mode

The SQL Server 2008 R2 release introduces a new local mode for viewing reports from a SharePoint 2010 server that has the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint 2010 products installed.

Change History

Updated content

Removed the ‘estimated’ release date for SQL Server 2008 SP2, because it has released.