Tools (SSRS)

  • Article

SQL Server Reporting Services contains a set of graphical and scripting tools that support the development and use of rich reports in a managed environment. The tool set includes development tools, configuration and administration tools, and report viewing tools. This topic gives a brief overview of each tool in Reporting Services and how it can be accessed.

To find a tool right away, see Tutorial: How to Locate and Start Reporting Services Tools (SSRS).

Tools for Report Authoring

The following table lists the available tools for report authoring in SQL Server Reporting Services.

Tool

Description

How to access

Power View

An interactive data exploration and visual presentation experience designed to let you create and interact with reports based on Analysis Services tabular models.

Note

Requires Reporting Services in SharePoint mode.

Browser with Silverlight.

Report Designer

Use this tool to design reports and deploy to a native mode or SharePoint mode report server.

  • Hosted in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

  • Report Data pane to organize data used in your report

  • Tabbed views for Design and Preview for interactive report design

  • Query designers to help specify which data to retrieve from data sources and that are associated with data source types in the RSReportDesigner Configuration File

  • Expression editor with IntelliSense to build Visual Basic expressions that customize report content and appearance

  • Supports custom report items and custom query designers

For more information, see Reporting Services in SQL Server Data Tools (SSRS).

SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

Report Builder

Use this tool to design reports and deploy to a native mode or SharePoint mode report server.

  • Microsoft Office-like authoring environment

  • Ability to save report items as report parts

  • A wizard for creating maps

  • Aggregates of aggregates

  • Enhanced support for expressions

  • Query designers to help specify which data to retrieve from a selection of built-in data sources types

For more information, see Report Builder (SSRS).

Download MSI or open from Report Manager/SharePoint

Tools for Report Server Administration

A set of graphical and scripting tools are available for administering the report server in SQL Server Reporting Services. The tools that you use depend on the deployment mode of your report server.

Native Mode

The following table lists the available tools for administering the report server that is deployed in native mode.

Tool

Description

How to access

Reporting Services Configuration Manager

Use this tool to configure a Reporting Services installation. Available tasks include:

  • Configuring both local and remote report server instances

  • Configuring the Report Server service account.

  • Creating and configuring one or more Web service URL.

  • Configuring the Report Manager URL

  • Creating and configuring the report server database.

  • Configuring a scale-out deployment.

  • Backup, restoring, or replacing the symmetric key that is used to encrypt stored connection strings and credentials.

  • Configuring the unattended execution account.

  • Configuring an SMTP server for e-mail delivery.

Note

The Reporting Services Configuration Manager does not help you manage report server content, enable additional features, or grant access to the server.

For more information, see Reporting Services Configuration Manager (SSRS).

Start menu

SQL Server Management Studio

Use this tool to manage one or more report server instances in a single environment, including:

  • Managing both local and remote report server instances

  • Setting report server properties

  • Modifying role definitions

  • Turning off report server features you are not using

  • Managing jobs

  • Managing shared schedules

Start menu

SQL Server Configuration Manager

Use this tool to:

  • Start and stop the Reporting Services Windows services

  • Configure Customer Feedback Reporting, the dump directory location, and error reporting

Warning

Do not use this tool to configure service account. Use the Reporting Services Configuration tool instead.

For more information, see SQL Server Configuration Manager.

Start menu

Rsconfig Utility

Use this tool to configure and manage a report server connection to the report server database. You can also use it to specify a user account to use for unattended report processing.

For more information, see Report Server Command Prompt Utilities (SSRS).

Command prompt

Rskeymgmt Utility

Use this tool to:

  • Extract, restore, create, and delete the symmetric key used to encrypt report server data

  • Join report server instances in a scale-out deployment

For more information, see Report Server Command Prompt Utilities (SSRS).

Command prompt

Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) Classes

Use these classes to automate the configuration tasks in Reporting Services Configuration Manager without the need to use the graphical user interface.

For more information, see Accessing the WMI Provider Programmatically.

Visual Basic script

SharePoint Integrated Mode

In SharePoint mode, the Reporting Services is a service application in the SharePoint architecture, and is administered directly through SharePoint

Tool

Description

How to access

SharePoint Central Administration

Use SharePoint Central Administration to create, query, and manage the shared service applications for Reporting Services.

For more information, see Configuration and Administration of a Report Server (Reporting Services SharePoint Mode).

Browser to the SharePoint site URL for Central Administration

PowerShell Cmdlets

Use PowerShell cmdlets to create, query, and manage the shared service applications for Reporting Services.

For more information, see PowerShell cmdlets (Reporting Services SharePoint Mode).

SharePoint 2010 Management Shell

Tools for Report Content Management

A set of graphical and scripting tools are available for managing content in SQL Server Reporting Services. The tools that you use depend on the deployment mode of your report server.

Tool

Description

How to access

Report Server Web service URL

Use this tool to browse content in the report catalog in a generic item navigation page.

For more information, see Report Server Web Service.

Browser

Report Manager

(Native mode only) Use this tool to administer a single report server instance from a remote location over an HTTP connection. You can do the following:

  • 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 to create reports that you can save and run on the report server.

For more information, see Report Manager (SSRS).

RS Utility

This tool is a script host that you can use to perform scripted operations. Use this tool to run Visual Basic scripts that copy data between report server databases, publish reports, create items in a report server database, and more.

For more information, see Report Server Command Prompt Utilities (SSRS).

Command prompt

See Also

Concepts

Reporting Services Report Server (SSRS)

Reporting Services Concepts (SSRS)

Reporting Services (SSRS)