Reporting with Reporting Services Western Carolina University Stanley W. Hammer

Questions Needing Answers What is Reporting Services? Why Reporting Services? How is RS licensed? What does RS cost? How does RS work with Oracle/Banner? Hardware and Software Requirements and Configurations How do you Create and Deploy reports? Difficulties? Issues? Banner Specific Issues?

Focus of Presentation Data Warehousing Data Exploration & Ad hoc Query Reporting Tiers of Functionality

GOALS Focus on entire University needs, not just reporting services or Banner –IT needs –Functional needs Keep Simple and Understandable –Report Design –Report Usage –Security Portal Database

Not Yet Focused on... Data Exploration or Adhoc Query Tool; Data Warehouse or OLAP However, SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services will provide self service, end-user ad hoc report creation, enhanced query development for online analytical processing (OLAP) environments and enhancements in scale allowing for rich and easy-to-maintain enterprise reporting environments

Why Reporting Services? Distributed processing - Portal Uses Active Directory Easy to install and administer Integrated report development Uses standard Internet technology –(HTTP & XML) Works with Oracle and more

The Real Reason Needed Reporting Tool Now! Least expensive solution (No budget for Reporting Tool) Already owned software SQL Server Based on products already used by WCU Works with Oracle/Banner Installed RS ourselves Very Good Product Help available

GOOD HELP Online Microsoft and Non-Microsoft sites Books and Magazines Good Help = Do it all ourselves without help from vendor

Reporting Services Security Cost Agility Performance & Administration

Pricing – MS Campus Agreement Enterprise Edition Much less than Web Focus or Oracle No Annual Maintenance Already Owned Enterprise Edition = $ Standard Edition 3x less than SQL Enterprise Edition

SQL Server License RDBMS; OLAP/Data warehouse; Management Tools; Integrated Security; Reporting Services; Notification Services; More… License includes all Features. License includes all Features. Features are not priced separately Features are not priced separately

Requirements Microsoft Windows –2000, 2003, & XP SQL Server IIS (Web Server) –ASP.NET Reporting Services is an ASP.NET application that uses SQL Server for its data storage Reporting Services is Clusterable and Scalable (Web Farm)

Reporting Lifecycle Phase Description Authoring Creation of the report definition, via an authoring tool, containing: Connection Query Layout Management The published report definition is saved on a report server, and managed with Report Manager by the report server administrator. Access and Delivery The generated report is viewed via an application, or is routed to a delivery target where it is accessed by consumers.

Full Reporting Life Cycle Support Authoring: Report developers can create reports to be published to the Report Server using Microsoft or third-party design tools that use Report Definition Language (RDL), an XML-based industry standard used to define reports Management. Report definitions, folders, and resources are published and managed as a Web service. Managed reports can be executed either on demand or on a specified schedule, and are cached for consistency and performance Delivery. Supports both on-demand (pull) and event-based (push) delivery of reports. Users can view reports in a Web- based format or in

Reporting Services Link on Banner Page

Provide Detailed Descriptions

PORTAL – Only Authorized Reports/Folders are Shown

Portal Security Portal Security Uses WCU’s Directory Service Report Authentication & Authorization via by Active Directory Can Utilize Web Server & other security technology –SSL, IPSec, Firewall, etc

Portal Security Active Directory Security Group Or Single User

Define Portal Security

Oracle/Banner Active Directory (Account + Authorization) Users Example - Banner Report Reporting Services Browser BasedBrowser Based IE and NetscapeIE and Netscape Enterprise Level IntegrationEnterprise Level Integration

Not Oracle/Banner Active Directory (Account + Authorization) Users Example – Non-Banner Report Reporting Services Browser BasedBrowser Based IE and NetscapeIE and Netscape Enterprise Level IntegrationEnterprise Level Integration Identical Experience; Identical Capabilities; Identical Development

Reports Use Data Source Database + Login Data Source Reports use a Data Source (database and database login) Access to data used by a report is defined and stored in the Portal

Database Connection Information Login Information Database Not just Oracle! MS Access/Excel SQL Server DB2/SYBASE ODBC Many more

Oracle/Banner Connectivity Uses Oracle’s.NET Provider Oracle Data Provider for.NET Copyright (C) Oracle Corporation 2004 This document provides information that supplements the Oracle Data Provider for.NET (ODP.NET) documentation. IMPORTANT INSTALLATION INFORMATION ================================== ODP.NET depends on Oracle Client that needs to be installed in the same Oracle Home. Free Download from Oracle; Standard Oracle Database Access; Required only on Reporting Services Server;

Oracle/Banner Security Uses Database Roles –Common Tables & Views –Alumni –Finance –Student, etc. Common Tables & Views Common Alumni Tables & Views Alumni Alumni Report User – OR – Alumni Power User Roles are independent from Reporting Services! = REUSE

EXAMPLE REPORT

1984

Banner Issues #1 - Knowing the data, reporting tool is irrelevant Oracle - SQL Based Sharing Reports? Training –SQL training –Relational Design –Tool use

Issues II Non-Technical –Change Performance –database, Reporting server not stressed Security –Utilize Database roles & Active Directory groups –No integrated security with Banner

Multiple Reporting Needs Enterprise - WCU needs the ability to provide timely information to widespread employees. Solution should be fast and cost-effective to deploy, and must leverage existing systems and expertise. Users in these organizations want up- to-date information — when they need it — without learning new client tools or requesting special reports from IT staff. IT organizations need enterprise-class manageability and performance to manage large numbers of report subscriptions and to ensure that report distribution is consistent with corporate security requirements Embedded – WCU’s IT Applications and Independent software vendors need a reporting solution that can integrate seamlessly into their packaged solutions, without adding cost or complexity for the end user. Customers should be able to make minor modifications to packaged reports without special development support from the ISV. Real business value from reporting solution, not the mechanics of reporting WCU has great needs for both enterprise and embedded reporting

Report Uses To access reports directly by URL as follows: /ReportServer?/ / Use reports from our applications (web or non-web, passing in parameters)... { // show user’s account information ReportingServices.ShowReport(ReportURL,userid); }

Report Styles Report LayoutDescription TabularFixed number of columns MatrixThe number of columns depends on the query results ChartData represented graphically (pie, line or bar chart) List (free-form)Data arranged free-form on the page; useful for creating forms

Interactive Reports FeatureDescription ParameterizedParameterized reports filter data to provide only that which is appropriate for the user Hidden or drill- down Hidden items on a report can toggle in and out of view based on user actions HyperlinksHyperlinks embedded in reports direct users to Web pages Drill-through linksDrill-through links open another report from within a report, such as a detailed report from a summary. The originating report typically passes parameters to the drill-through report Bookmark linksBookmark links direct users to another area of the current report Document mapsIn HTML Viewer, a document map appears as a table of contents next to the report. Users can click an item in the table, and the browser jumps to that item in the report

Design and Deployment MS Visual Studio Reports are authored and deployed With MS Visual Studio

Add Report to Project GUI Report Designer Very similar to MS Access, Crystal Reports, or any standard reporting tool

Deployment Very Simple Point and Click GUI Portal Based Distributed Deployment is via Visual Studio or Portal

Report Format is XML

Data Access Demos SIS and SQL Server based Admissions data Report Uses SIS SQL Server Admissions Joined with SIS Cost = $0 Access to SIS via Connx

Data Access Demos SIS and Banner/Oracle Report Uses SIS Oracle Banner/Oracle Joined with SIS Cost = $0 Access to SIS via Connx