Selecting Reporting Services Components to Install

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[This topic is pre-release documentation and is subject to change in future releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

SQL Server Reporting Services consists of server-side and client-side components that can be installed together or separately depending on the options you select in Setup. You can run Setup multiple times to install multiple instances of the report server on a single computer.

  • Client components can be installed on any computer, using any edition of Reporting Services and do not require a SQL Server license. Client components include Business Intelligence Development Studio and SQL Server Management Studio.
  • Server components require a SQL Server license. You must have a valid SQL Server license for any computer on which you install a Reporting Services server component. Server components include the Report Server service, which contains the Report Server Web service, Report Manager, and the background processing applications. The report server database is considered an internal component, but it is a SQL Server relational database that is hosted on an instance of the Database Engine. Report Builder is considered a client component, but you cannot deploy it without a licensed report server installation.

This topic assumes that you are already familiar with the components. If you are new to Reporting Services, see Reporting Services Components and Tools to learn about each component orService Architecture (Reporting Services) to learn about the server applications. For instructions on how to run Setup and select installation options, see Quick-Start Installation of SQL Server.

Choosing Components to Install

You can install server components by selecting Reporting Services on the Components to Install page. You can install client components by selecting Workstation components, Books Online and development tools on the Components to Install page. If you want to install client components individually, click Advanced to select specific components.

Report server is always installed with tools that are used to enable server functionality. There are no options for excluding these tools from your installation. However, if you select Shared Tools in the Feature Components page, you can specify where the tools are installed on the file system.

  1. Select Reporting Services on the Components to Install page.
  2. Click Advanced.
  3. Expand Reporting Services.
  4. (Optional) Select Shared Tools and then click Browse to choose a specific folder location for the shared utilities.

In some cases, if you do not want to use a specific tool, you can make it unavailable or turn it off. For more information, see How to: Turn Reporting Services Features On or Off.

Component Installation Overview

The following table describes the Setup option you must select to install a given component.

Component Component Description How to install it

Report server

An application server that provides the report processing and management features for a Reporting Services deployment.

A report server is installed when you select Reporting Services in the Components to Install page.

Important   When choosing a computer to host the report server, avoid using a computer that has an underscore in the computer name. Report server does not persist session state information on computers that have an underscore character in the computer name and that have been patched with Internet Explorer Security Patch MS01-055. The security patch prevents cookies from being set on client computers that have an underscore in their names, breaking the session management features of Reporting Services. Recommended solutions are documented in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 316112.

Report server database

Reporting Services uses two SQL Server databases to provide internal storage for a report server instance: one for storing data that is used on an ongoing basis, and one for temporary storage. The databases are created together and bound by name. By default, the database names are reportserver and reportservertempdb, respectively. Reporting Services requires a local or remote SQL Server instance to host the report server databases. You can use either a SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2008 instance.

The report server databases can be created during or after Setup. Setup can create the report server databases if you are installing a SQL Server Database Engine instance and Reporting Services concurrently on the same computer. However, if you want to use SQL Server 2005 to host the report server database, or if you want to use any remote SQL Server instance, you must choose the Install but do not configure server installation option and use the Reporting Services Configuration tool after Setup completes to create and configure the report server databases.

To have Setup create a report server database, you must do the following:

  1. Select Reporting Services in the Components to Install page
  2. When the Report Server Installation Options page appears, select Install the default configuration.

If the Install the default configuration option is not enabled, one or more requirements for a default installation are not satisfied and you will not be able to use Setup to create the report server database. In this case, you must create the report server database manually using the Reporting Services Configuration tool. For more information about edition requirements on the report server database, see Creating a Report Server Database.

Reporting Services Configuration tool

The Reporting Services Configuration tool is used to configure a Reporting Services installation. Reporting Services can be reconfigured after installation to support changing business requirements and scenarios.

Reporting Services Configuration tool is a mandatory part of a report server installation. It is installed when you select Reporting Services in the Components to Install page. You cannot exclude this tool from Setup when you install Reporting Services or uninstall it as a separate feature. The tool is always installed whenever you install the first report server instance.

The tool is version-specific. A Reporting Services Configuration tool that installs with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services cannot be used to configure a previous report server version. If you are running older and newer versions of Reporting Services side-by-side on the same computer, you will have two versions of the tool to support both versions of Reporting Services.

Reporting Services command line utilities: rs.exe, rsconfig.exe, rskeymgmt.exe

Reporting Services includes several command utilities that you can use to administer a Reporting Services installation.

In most cases, you can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool in place of the command prompt utilities. However, if you prefer a command line approach, you can install the following utilities to perform report server administration tasks:

  • Rsconfig is used to modify report server database connection settings after installation is complete. It is also used to set encrypted account information used for unattended report processing.
  • Rs is a script host that can be used to process Microsoft Visual Basic scripts to perform common tasks repeatedly or to run the same tasks on different computers.
  • Rskeymgmt is used to backup and restore the encryption keys used by the report server.

For more information about each tool, see rsconfig Utility, rs Utility, and rskeymgmt Utility in SQL Server Books Online.

Reporting Services command line utilities are installed with a report server and copied to the Tools\Binn folder. There are no options for excluding the tools during setup, but you can delete them from the computer if you do not want to use them.

The command line tools are backwards compatible with previous releases, but we recommend that you use the latest version that corresponds to your report server instance.

Report Manager

Report Manager is a Web-based report access and management tool that you access through Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later. Information workers as well as content managers use Report Manager to find, run, and subscribe to published reports. Content managers use Report Manager to manage reports, data sources, and resources; configure report processing options and security.

Because it runs within the Report Server service, Report Manager is always installed when you install a report server instance.

In previous releases, Report Manager was an optional component that you could include or exclude in Setup. In this release, Report Manager is not listed as a separate option. If you do not want to use Report Manager, you can take steps to ensure it is not available to users.

Report Builder

Report Builder is a client tool that is delivered to users through a report server installation.

Report Builder is installed when you select Reporting Services in the Components to Install page. You cannot exclude this tool from Setup when you install Reporting Services or uninstall it as a separate feature.

Report Builder program files are installed with report server program files. Although Report Builder is part of a report server installation, installation on the client computer occurs on a client computer when a user clicks the Report Builder button in Report Manager or types a URL that points to the tool on a report server computer.

Report Designer and Model Designer in Business Intelligence Development Studio

Reporting Services includes a report authoring tool named Report Designer. You can use Report Designer to create, edit, and preview reports, and then deploy them to a report server. Report Designer runs within Visual Studio 2005 or in Business Intelligence Development Studio if Visual Studio 2005 is not installed on your computer.

Model Designer is a tool used to create models for ad hoc business reporting in Report Builder. It is used to specify the data relationships that are ultimately used to support ad hoc reporting. It also runs within Visual Studio 2005 or in Business Intelligence Development Studio if Visual Studio 2005 is not installed on your computer.

Report Designer and Model Designer are available when you install Business Intelligence Development Studio.

  1. Select Workstation components, Books Online and development tools on the Components to Install page.
  2. Click Advanced to verify that Business Intelligence Development Studio is selected or to modify the list of components that will be installed.

SQL Server Management Studio

You can use Management Studio to administer one or more report server instances. Management Studio provides a comprehensive server management workspace that you can use to manage all of your SQL Server component servers from one place.

Select Workstation components, Books Online and development tools on the Components to Install page.

Sample databases, applications, extensions, scripts, reports, models, and shared data sources

In SQL Server 2008, you can download and install the AdventureWorks sample database and Reporting Services sample applications, extensions, scripts, reports, models, and other files from the Microsoft CodePlex site.
  1. Open a browser window and type https://www.CodePlex.com or click SQL Server Samples to go directly to the Microsoft SQL Server Samples and Community Projects portal page.
  2. Find Microsoft SQL Server Product Samples on the page.
  3. Click Database.
  4. Click the Release tab.
  5. Find the version of the AdventureWorks database you want to use:
    1. Choose AdventureWorksDB.msi (or AdventureWorksDBx64.msi or AdventureWorksDBIA64.msi if you are using 64-bit or Itanium platforms) to download the Setup program for the AdventureWorks OLTP database that provides data for most Reporting Services sample reports and models.
    2. Choose AdventureWorksBI.msi (or AdventureWorksBIx64.msi or AdventureWorksBIIA64.msi if you are using 64-bit or Itanium platforms) to download the Setup program for the AdventureWorks OLAP database. It provides data to the Sales Reason Comparison report. You must have SQL Server Analysis Services installed to use this database.
  6. On the Microsoft SQL Server Product Samples page, click Reporting Services.
  7. Click the Release tab.
  8. Download the SQL Server Samples Setup program and then run Setup on your computer. You must install all the samples. There is not a separate Setup program for Reporting Services.

Choosing a Deployment Topology

You can install all server components on the same computer if you want to conserve SQL Server licenses or if your reporting requirements are not extensive. However, if you are supporting a large number of report users, you will get better performance if you install the report server database on a dedicated server. For more information about deployment models, see Planning a Deployment Topology (Reporting Services) in SQL Server Books Online.

See Also

Concepts

Considerations for Installing Reporting Services

Other Resources

Component Architecture (Reporting Services)
Service Architecture (Reporting Services)
Reporting Services Components and Tools
Quick-Start Installation of SQL Server

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2008 Assistance