Reporting Services Configuration Tool

Use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to configure a SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services installation. If you installed a report server using the files-only installation option, you must use this tool to configure the server so that it can be used. If you installed a report server using the default configuration installation option, you can use this tool to verify or modify the settings that were specified during setup. If you are upgrading from a previous version, you can use this tool to update the report server database to the new format. Reporting Services Configuration can be used to configure a local or remote report server instance.

To configure a Reporting Services installation, you must have the following:

• Local system administrator permissions on the computer that hosts the report server you want to configure. If you are configuring a remote computer, you must have local system administrator permissions on that computer as well.
• You must have permission to create databases on the SQL Server Database Engine used to host the report server database.
• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service must be enabled and running on any report server you are configuring. The Reporting Services Configuration tool uses the report server WMI provider to connect to local and remote report servers. If you are configuring a remote report server, the computer must allow remote WMI access. For more information, see Configuring a Report Server for Remote Administration.

Create and Configure Virtual Directories

The report server and Report Manager are ASP.NET applications accessed through URLs. The report server URL provides access to the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) endpoints of the report server. The Report Manager URL is used to launch Report Manager. Each URL includes a virtual directory that you specify in the Reporting Services Configuration tool. You can choose the default Web site or another Web site for the virtual directories.

Configure Service Accounts

Reporting Services requires service accounts to run the Report Server Web service and Microsoft Windows service. The Report Server Windows service is configured during setup, but can be modified using the Reporting Services Configuration tool if you update the password or want to use a different account. The Report Server Web service cannot be configured if you are using Microsoft Windows XP or Windows 2000 servers. The ASP.NET security identity is always used to run the Report Server Web service on those operating systems.

If you are using Windows Server 2003, the Report Server Web service uses the security identity of the application pool as its service account. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to create new application pools that are automatically configured for report server operations. You can also choose an existing application pool.

Create and Configure the Report Server Database

The report server is a stateless server that requires a SQL Server database for internal storage. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to create and configure a connection to the report server database. You can also select an existing database as long as it uses the schema for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services. An upgrade option is provided so that you can update the database to the new schema.

Manage Encryption Keys and Initialization

Reporting Services uses a symmetric key to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data such as stored credentials and database connection information. Creating and storing the symmetric key is performed during an initialization process that prepares a report server for encryption operations. Knowing whether a report server is initialized is a necessary part of report server administration. Managing the symmetric key is important for report server recovery if there is a hardware failure or a planned migration to another computer. The Reporting Services Configuration tool provides options for backing up, restoring, and recreating encryption keys, and for deleting encrypted values if recovery is not possible. You can also use it to view initialization status for a report server instance.

Configure E-Mail Delivery

Reporting Services includes a report server e-mail delivery extension that allows report subscribers to get reports delivered to an electronic mailbox. The e-mail delivery extension uses a Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) to deliver the report or notification. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to specify which SMTP server or gateway on your network to use for e-mail delivery.

Configure a Scale-out Report Server Deployment Model

Reporting Services supports report server deployment in a load-balanced cluster. Running multiple report servers in a scale-out deployment requires that all of the report server instances use a single, shared report server database. The database provides internal storage and state information for all report servers that are joined to it. To deploy a report server scale-out deployment, you use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to connect each report server to the shared report server database.

See Also

Tasks

How to: Start Reporting Services Configuration

Concepts

Reporting Services Component Overview
Configuring a Report Server Database Connection
Configuring Reporting Services Components

Other Resources

SQL Server Configuration Manager

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History