virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 Numbers, Charts and Decisions with SSRS Nauzad Kapadia

SQL Server Reporting Services and Data Visualization SQL 2005SQL 2008SQL 2008 R2 Chart Multiple areas NEW! Multiple areas Multiple axes NEW! Multiple axes Calculated series NEW! Calculated series Gauge NEW! Gauge Bullet graph NEW! Bullet graph Map NEW! SQL spatial NEW! Bing™ support NEW! Sparkline NEW! Data Bar NEW! Indicator NEW!

Data Bars – Used to depict a single value in a cell. – Use Data bars to display numeric values when the relative values in multiple rows are more important than the values themselves. – Use Stacked Data Bars to display multiple values in the same cell. – Min and Max are automatically determined, but are configurable. Data Bars SparklinesSparklines

virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 DEMO – Data Bars

Sparklines – Data intense, word-sized graphics. – No axis, no data points, no labels. – Automatic axis alignment. All charts have the same data points, regardless of source data. – Can be converted into full charts to support additional small multiple scenarios. – Used to crunch a lot of numerical information in a small space. – Use sparklines when trend is more important then absolute numerical values. – Use sparklines when it would be useful to provide historical values which would otherwise clutter up the report. Data Bars SparklinesSparklines

virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 DEMO – Sparklines

Indicators Icons used to depict the status against a value, goal or a trend. Choose from pre- configured sets, or build your own! Automatic support for comparing each member of a group against siblings. Don’t always rely on color. IndicatorsIndicators

virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 DEMO – Indicators

Maps Maps contains one or more… – Point Layers (Cities, Customers) – Line Layers (Routes, Roads) – Polygon Layers (Countries, States) – Tile Layers (based on Bing™ Maps) Support for ESRI shape files and SQL spatial Show analytical data using size and color – Built-in distribution formulas Wizard for building common scenarios

Map Components (Example 1) Polygon Layer Color Rule Bubble w/size Rule Map Legends Analytical Data

Map Components (Example 2) Tile Layer Point Layer SQL Spatial Query (points) Polygon Layer SQL Spatial Query (polygon)

Map Example

virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 DEMO – Maps

Charting and Visualization Tips Use the right visualization mode Use scatter charts when there is too much data to be plotted Use Pie/Donut charts when the data points are relatively sparse. Retrieve the data in the format that makes it most conducive for charting Do you need missing data points on x-axis?

Power of Expressions Can be used to – Create drill-down graphs – Create custom labels or data points – Create Custom legends – Create data tables to accompany charts

Map Tips and Best Practices SQL Server spatial “goodness” – Makes parameterized spatial reports easier Pass ID or Name as parameter, not spatial data. Makes drill-down map scenarios much easier. – Prevents having to store large amounts of data in RDL. – Enables you to use SQL Server spatial functions Additional functions available on Codeplex. – Aggregate spatial data as part of ETL processes. Map can combine SSAS and PowerPivot data with SQL Server spatial data. Store maps in the Report Part Gallery – Centralized location for storing and searching map assets for reports.

Map Links Premium data from Windows Azure Marketplace DataMarket – Shape2SQL – Enables loading shp files into SQL Server spatial – Additional Spatial Functions – gTitle=Home gTitle=Home Free shapefiles – etc. – &task=view&id=15&Itemid=29 &task=view&id=15&Itemid=29 Safe Software (Transform to SQL Server Spatial) Safe Software Spatial Ed Blog –

References Get more out of SSRS Charts – Robert Brucknor – Sparkline theory and practice – Edmond Tufte – Building win-loss sparklines in SSRS – Sean Boon – reporting-services-2008-r2.aspx reporting-services-2008-r2.aspx

virtual techdays INDIA │ September 2011 Thank You