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Comparing Report Authoring Environments
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services offers three report authoring environments:
Report Builder 2.0. Use this tool to design reports by using the familiar Ribbon interface.
Report Builder 1.0. Use this tool to design ad hoc reports that use a report model as a source of data.
Report Designer. Use this tool in SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio to design full-function reports.
All three authoring environments create report definitions in the Report Definition Language (RDL). This topic lists the features that are supported in each authoring environment.
Feature | Report Designer (BI Development Studio) in SQL Server 2008 | Report Builder 1.0 | Report Builder 2.0 (Standalone and ClickOnce) |
|---|---|---|---|
Integrate SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports and data sources, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) cubes, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages, and Visual Studio (VS) language projects in a single solution in BI Development Studio. |  | ||
Use VS-compatible source control systems such as VSTS or SourceSafe. | | ||
Enable business users who do not want to work in BI Development Studio to create their own report or to update, edit and share existing reports. | | | |
Use Microsoft Office-optimized report authoring environment. | | ||
Use multiple deployment configurations. | | ||
Manage resources such as images as part of a project. | | ||
Custom configuration options for data extensions, rendering extensions, custom assemblies. | |
Feature | Report Designer (BI Development Studio) in SQL Server 2008 | Report Builder 1.0 | Report Builder 2.0 (Standalone and ClickOnce) |
|---|---|---|---|
Create and use embedded data sources. | | | |
Use shared data sources with report server credentials. | | ||
Create shared data sources. | | ||
Create queries that retrieve data directly from relational databases by using a graphical query designer. | View Designer from Visual Database Tools | Relational Query Designer: SQL Server only | |
Create queries that retrieve data directly from relational databases by using a text-based query designer. | | | |
Create queries that retrieve data directly from multidimensional databases by using a graphical query designer. | | | |
Create queries for a multidimensional database by using a text-based query designer that supports extended field properties. | | ||
Create queries that retrieve data directly from data mining models. | | ||
Retrieve data from multiple queries for multiple data sources in a single report. | | | |
Import queries from .sql files or reports. | | | |
Retrieve data from data source types SQL Server, Analysis Services, Sap NetWeaver BI, Hyperion Essbase, OLE DB, Teradata, ODBC, Oracle, XML. | | | |
Retrieve data from report models built from SQL Server, Analysis Services, Oracle, or Teradata. | | | |
Feature | Report Designer (BI Development Studio) in SQL Server 2008 | Report Builder 1.0 | Report Builder 2.0 (Standalone and ClickOnce) |
|---|---|---|---|
New Report Wizard. | | ||
Data Region Wizard. | | ||
Rich visualizations (chart, gauge). | | Basic chart | |
Free-form report layout surface. | | | |
Query generation through layout actions. | | ||
Automatic generation of infinite drill through links. | | ||
Automatic formatting of data for number format and column width. | | ||
Flexible data layout (Tablix). | | | |
Snaplines for alignment. | | | |
Zoom. | | | |
Field tags to add fields to cells. | | | |
Placeholder text for simple expressions. | | | |
Full support for RDL features. | | | |
Advanced grouping, sorting, filtering. | | | |
Multiple data regions in one report. | | |
Feature | Report Designer (BI Development Studio) in SQL Server 2008 | Report Builder 1.0 | Report Builder 2.0 (Standalone and ClickOnce) |
|---|---|---|---|
Provides design time support for Custom Report Items (CRI). | | ||
Use local CRIs. | | ||
Use report server CRIs. | | | |
Use local custom .NET Framework assemblies in languages such as VB.NET or C#. | | ||
Use runtime custom .NET Framework assemblies on the report server. | | ||
Use local custom data sources. | | ||
Use custom data sources installed on the report server. | | ||
Use a custom security extension on the report server to authenticate username and password. | | | |
Updated content |
|---|
Added information about automatic data formatting in the Report Layout Support Features table. |
Added information about support for custom security extensions in the Custom Extension Features table. |
Included information about feature set in Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce, introduced in SQL Server 2008 PCU1. |
