Deploying Reports

Applies To: Operations Manager 2007 R2

After you have created your custom report, you must deploy it so that other users can run the report from the Reporting tab of the Operations console. There are three ways to deploy a custom report that was created in SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS):

  • Add the report to a management pack and import it into Operations Manager. This is the recommended method because it allows the most flexible deployment. If you use any custom controls defined in the .rpdl file, as described in Custom Report Parameters, you must deploy the report to a management pack in order to use them.

  • Deploy the report directly from BIDS to the SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

  • Save the report as an .rdl file and import it into SSRS.

All three options are covered in this document.

Deploying the Report to a Management Pack

Adding the report to a management pack is a lengthier process than the other two deployment methods. It provides the most flexibility for your report because it lets you modify the XML of the report directly, and enables use of the smart parameter block. Also, if the reporting server in your management group is reinstalled, the Operations console will be unable to access reports deployed to the server. Adding the report to a management pack eliminates that problem because the report management server will automatically deploy the report to any new reporting server. If you do not have an existing management pack to add the report to, you must create one before you can add the report.

Note

To create or modify a management pack, you must download and install the Operations Manager Authoring Console. This is part of the System Center Operations Manager Resource Kit(https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=192098).

To create a new management pack

  1. Open the Authoring console.

  2. In the Actions area on the right, select Create a new management pack. The New Management Pack wizard opens.

  3. On the Management Pack Template page, select Empty Management Pack. In the Management Pack Identity field, provide a name for the management pack file. Click Next.

  4. On the Name and Description page, in the Display Name field, provide the name for this management pack that will appear in the Operations console. The Description field is optional. However, we recommend that you provide a clear description of the management pack’s purpose.

  5. Click Create. The new management pack is created. The name for the management pack appears in the title bar of the Authoring console.

  6. Save the management pack by selecting File, and then Save. The Save Management Pack dialog box appears. The file name provided matches the one that you entered in the Management Pack Identity field.

After you have created the management pack, you can add a report to it.

To add a report to a management pack

  1. In the Authoring console, click the Reporting tab. The Reporting page opens.

  2. In the Reporting pane, click the Reports item. In the Actions pane, click New, and then New Report.

  3. The Choose a unique identifier dialog box appears. Provide an identifier for this report. This name will only be used internally, and will not appear in the Operations console. Click OK.

  4. The Properties page for the report opens. On the General tab, in the Id field, the identifier you just entered appears. In the Name field, enter a name for the report. This will be displayed in the Operations console. In the Description field, you may enter a description to help users understand the purpose of the report. In the Target field, if a target is specified, the report will be displayed in the Action pane of the operations console when an object of the target class is selected.

  5. Click the Parameter Block tab. If your report uses parameters, in the Parameter Block field, copy the XML for the parameter block for this report, as defined in Custom Report Parameters. If you have defined the parameter block in an .rpdl file, click the Load content from file button and browse to that file location. If you have not yet created the parameter block, click the Edit in external editor button, and the external editor will start. If you have no external XML editor defined, click Tools, and then Options. The Options page for the Authoring console opens. Click the Browse button in the Custom Editors area to select the external XML editor.

  6. Click the Definition tab. Copy the XML for the report into the RDL field on this page. If you defined the report in another editor, such as BIDS, click the Load content from file button and browse to the location of the .rdl file. If you have not yet created the report definition, click the Edit in external editor button, and the external editor will start. If you have no external XML editor defined, click Tools, and then Options. The Options page for the Authoring console opens. Click the Browse button in the Custom Editors area to select the external XML editor.

  7. In the RDL field, you can now modify the XML for the report. If you loaded the XML from a file, make sure that you delete the first line of XML. This line starts with <?xml version=.

  8. On the Options tab, in the Visible section, select the True option button. If you do not change this option, the report will not be available from the Operations console.

  9. Click OK. The report appears in the Reports pane.

  10. Click Tools, and then click Export MP to Management Group. The Export MP to Management Group dialog box appears. Select the server that contains the management group you want to export to, and then click Connect. The management pack is automatically exported to the management group.

If you deployed the management pack to a management group, the new management pack and its reports automatically appear in the Operations console. If you did not deploy the management pack to a management group, you must import the management pack into the Operations console.

To import the management pack from a file

  1. In the operations console, select the Administration tab. In the Administration pane, select the Management Packs item. In the Actions pane, click Import Management Packs. The Select Management Packs window appears.

  2. Click the Add button and select Add from disk. The Online Catalog Connection dialog box appears. If the management pack you are importing has outside dependencies that are not stored locally, click Yes to search the online catalog for those dependencies. If the management pack has no dependencies, or if the dependencies are stored locally, click No.

  3. The Select Management Packs to import window opens; browse to where the XML file for the management pack is saved, and then click Open. The Select Management Packs window now displays the management pack to import. If there is a green check mark next to the management pack name, the management pack is ready to import. If there is a red X next to the management pack name, there are errors in the management pack that prevent it from being imported. The Status details field will have information about how to fix these errors.

  4. When all issues have been resolved, click Install. A progress bar will display the status of the installation. When installation is complete, click Close.

You may have to wait from a few minutes to an hour for the management pack to propagate to the Operations console. The management pack now appears in the list of management packs in the Administration tab. If you select the Reporting tab, the management pack appears there also. Select the new management pack, and the report appears in the center pane.

Deploy the Report Directly from BIDS to SSRS

If your BIDS instance has direct access to the reporting server, deploying a report directly from BIDS to SSRS is relatively easy. However, deploying the report in this manner will not enable you to take advantage of the features available when you include the report in a management pack, such as using the smart parameter block.

To deploy a report directly from BIDS

  1. Open the report project in BIDS.

  2. Verify that the report project has the correct URL for the report server. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project name, and then select Properties. The property pages window for this project opens, with the General tab selected.

  3. In the Deployment section of this page, make sure that the TargetServerURL field is set to the correct URL for the report server. By default, this is https://localhost/ReportServer. If the URL is incorrect, you can change it here. Close the property pages window.

  4. Click Build, and then click Deploy <project name>. The Output window at the bottom of the BIDS interface shows the status of the project deployment.

  5. Open the Operations console, and select the Reporting tab. Expand the Reporting node if you have to. Your report project appears. You can now run this report from the Operations console, as you would any other report.

If the report displays an error message that the data source has incorrect credentials, you must overwrite the data source.

To overwrite the data source

  1. In BIDS, in Solution Explorer, right-click the project, and then select Properties. The property pages window for this project opens, with the General tab selected.

  2. In the Deployment section of this page, set the OverwriteDataSources property to true.

    Click OK to close the property pages window.

  3. Click Build, and then click Deploy <project name> to redeploy the project.

The report should now be available on the Reporting tab of the operator console.

Save the Report as an .rdl File

If your installation of BIDS does not have direct access to the reporting server, you can save the report as an .rdl file and then import it into SSRS. Again, this deployment method will not let you take advantage of the features that come with including the report in a management pack, such as using the smart parameter block.

To deploy the report as an .rdl file

  1. Open the report project in BIDS.

    Click File, and then click Save <report name>.rdl As. The Save As window appears. Save the .rdl file to a location that can be accessed by SSRS. You may have to contact a network administrator to determine the appropriate location.

  2. Open the SSRS URL in a browser. By default, this is https://localhost/reports, which differs from the URL used for the TargetServerURL property in the report project. Click New Folder to create a new folder to contain the report. Give the new folder a name, and then click OK.

  3. Click the folder to open it. Click Upload File in the menu bar for the folder. The Upload File window appears. Click Browse and browse to the location where you saved the .rdl file. Select the Overwrite item if it exists check box so that the report will be overwritten by a newer version. Click OK.

  4. Open the Operations console, select the Reporting tab. Expand the Reporting node if you have to. Your report project appears. You can now run this report from the console, as you would any other report.