• Article

Lesson 3: Defining a Dataset for the Table Report (Reporting Services)

After you define the data source, you need to define a dataset. In Reporting Services, data that you use in reports is contained in a dataset. A dataset includes a pointer to a data source and a query to be used by the report, as well as calculated fields and variables.

You can use the query designer in Report Designer to design the query. For this tutorial, you will create a query that retrieves sales order information from the AdventureWorks2008 database.

To define a Transact-SQL query for report data

  1. In the Report Data pane, click New, and then click Dataset. The Dataset Properties dialog box opens.

  2. In the Name box, type AdventureWorksDataset.

  3. Make sure the name of your data source, AdventureWorks, is in the Data source text box, and that the Query type is Text.

  4. Type, or copy and paste, the following Transact-SQL query into the Query box.

    SELECT 
   soh.OrderDate AS [Date], 
   soh.SalesOrderNumber AS [Order], 
   pps.Name AS Subcat, pp.Name as Product,  
   SUM(sd.OrderQty) AS Qty,
   SUM(sd.LineTotal) AS LineTotal
FROM Sales.SalesPerson sp 
   INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderHeader AS soh 
      ON sp.BusinessEntityID = soh.SalesPersonID
   INNER JOIN Sales.SalesOrderDetail AS sd 
      ON sd.SalesOrderID = soh.SalesOrderID
   INNER JOIN Production.Product AS pp 
      ON sd.ProductID = pp.ProductID
   INNER JOIN Production.ProductSubcategory AS pps 
      ON pp.ProductSubcategoryID = pps.ProductSubcategoryID
   INNER JOIN Production.ProductCategory AS ppc 
      ON ppc.ProductCategoryID = pps.ProductCategoryID
GROUP BY ppc.Name, soh.OrderDate, soh.SalesOrderNumber, pps.Name, pp.Name, 
   soh.SalesPersonID
HAVING ppc.Name = 'Clothing'

  5. (Optional) Click the Query Designer button. The query is displayed in the text-based query designer. You can toggle to the graphical query designer by clicking Edit As Text. View the results of the query by clicking the Run (!) button on the query designer toolbar.

    You see the data from six fields from four different tables in the AdventureWorks2008 database. The query makes use of Transact-SQL functionality such as aliases. For example, the SalesOrderHeader table is called soh.

    Click OK to exit the query designer.

  6. Click OK to exit the Dataset Properties dialog box.

    Your AdventureWorksDataset dataset fields appear in the Report Data pane.

Next Task

You have successfully specified a query that retrieves data for your report. Next, you will create the report layout. See Lesson 4: Adding a Table to the Report (Reporting Services).