1. SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) For Application Developers
Kevin S. Goff
Microsoft SQL Server MVP

2. Kevin S. Goff – Brief BIO
Developer/architect since 1987 / Microsoft SQL Server MVP
Columnist for CoDe Magazine since 2004, “The Baker’s Dozen” Productivity Series”, 13 tips on a SQL/BI topic
Wrote a book, collaborated on a 2nd book
Frequent speaker for SQL Server community events and SQL Live!360 Conferences
My site/blog: (includes SQL/BI webcasts)
Releasing some SQL/BI video courseware in the future

3. Some SSRS articles I’ve written in CODE Magazine

4. Attendees pick topics SSRS Drilldown capabilities Running Totals
Matrix capabilities
SSRS Data Driven Subscriptions
Putting an SSRS report on an ASP.NET webpage
Launching an SSRS report and exporting to PDF from inside an SSIS package
Interactive sorting
Building Charts with dual-Y axis definitions
Generating Performance Gauge and sparkline data visualizations
Implementing multi-valued parameter selections with a stored procedure
Subreports
Launching child report from parent report as a Report Action
Nested page groupings/pagination
Hiding columns based on user input or based on user security/authentication
Reporting against OLAP cubes
Building charts with multiple data series
Cross highlighting/filtering Charts
multiple report objects that stretch vertically
Conditionally suppressing repetitive report subtotals
LookupSet and custom VB code
Launching an SSRS report from .NET with multiselect parameter values
Launching a child SSRS report in a separate browser window/tab
Conditional aggregations
Implementing Running Aggregations in a report
Implementing a tab-style interface for navigation to report page/sections
Cascading parameters
Some tips on Analytic Charts
Annotating parameters correctly
Multiline tooltips
Determining which users have run reports

5. 1 - SSRS Drilldown capabilities
Initially everything collapsed, based on initial parameter settings
Initially everything collapsed, based on initial parameter settings
User can expand Grand Total label to show ship methods, and expand ship methods to see Vendors

6. 1 - SSRS Drilldown capabilities
To implement drilldown, there’s no actual drilldown feature
Instead, it’s a matter of hiding a group level, and toggling the visibility based on a parent label
For the Group, go to Visibility, and set the Toggle Item to a label at the parent level
To initially suppress the group level, set Visibility “when report is initially run” to false.
Or it can be based on report user parameter
References textbox

7. 1 - SSRS Drilldown capabilities
And then to implement at further child levels, same concept
Set toggle item to the label used for the parent group

8. 2 – Running Totals (Running Aggregations)
To implement running aggregation values, using the function RunningValue
First Parameter is the column value being aggregated
Second parameter is the aggregation (sum, Avg, Max, etc.)
Third parameter is the scope of the aggregation (the group)

9. 3 – Matrix capabilities Matrix example
Years across the top, even though we don’t know how many years there could be
The column group could be markets, or products, or quarters, etc.
Matrix option for % of Total
Years spread across in reverse order
% of total based on sales with respect to totals across all years for the single shipper, or totals across all shippers for the year

10. 3 – Matrix capabilities Matrix example
Years across the top, even though we don’t know how many years there could be
The column group could be markets, or products, or quarters, etc.
We can insert columns inside the matrix to show more data or calculations
The two calculation expressions (for % of row or column total) are expressions within the row/column group
The SUM aggregation will occur for the scope of shipper/orderyear
Result set columns for Shipper and OrderYear defined as Row and Column Groups

11. 3 – Matrix capabilities
The % of Total Calculations can refer to textboxes that are part of a spreading element column group

12. 4 – Data Driven Subscriptions
Requirement: must use SQL Server Agent!
One report, many recipients for different parameters, on a schedule
One report, many output destinations for different parameters, on a schedule
We can populate a relational control table in SQL Server with information to drive the report subscription
SSRS web interface will prompt us for necessary fields
The source of data for the report (as well as the data source for the relational control table that contains the subscription information) must have credentials securely on the server (for unattended execution)
This can be a time saver – if you have a large # of recipients
Also dynamic – will pick up changes when we insert new rows to the relational control table
Link on my website to more details:
Generated output name
Can be UNC location, or SharePoint Document Library, or address
MHTML, Excel, PDF, TIFF, CSV, etc
Relational source: Key parameters
OLAP source: dimension key

13. 4 – Data Driven Subscriptions
Must provide source for the table holding subscription information
Credentials must be stored securely

14. 4 – Data Driven Subscriptions
Interface will detect the parameters required by the report when it’s run unattended
We can use our mapping table (note the first parameter was generally called “Param1”)

15. 4 – Data Driven Subscriptions
Next, provide the delivery method
Then provide SSRS with all the columns from our mapping table, that correspond to the subscription requirements

16. 4 – Data Driven Subscriptions
Finally, provide a delivery event (preferably a shared schedule)

17. 5 – SSRS Report on ASP.NET webpage
Drop instance of SSRS Report Viewer on an ASP.NET webpage
Also needs Script Manager
We’ll need code in the code-behind to set report properties

18. 5 – SSRS Report on ASP.NET webpage
Note: suppose this parameter was a multi-select and you want to pass multiple values.
Must pass string array:
public string[] aYears;
aYears = ListOfYears.ToArray();
Another example – where we pass in our own parameter(s)

19. 5 – SSRS Report on ASP.NET webpage
One more note!
If you want to pop up the report in another browser or tab…
"javascript:void(window.open('" + ReportServer + "rptName&Param1=" + Param1Value + _
"&Param2" + Param2Value + "','_blank'))"

20. 6-Launching SSRS report inside an SSIS package
C# code inside SSIS Script to run a report unattended
.NET references required

21. 7-Interactive sorting
Runtime ability for user to sort on any column in the browser
Design-time property in column header textbox, for Interactive Sorting

22. 8-Charts with dual-Y axis definitions
Chart plots two numeric columns on two different scales
Helpful for plotting percentages on a different axis/scale
Primary Y-Axis (sales in millions)
Secondary Y-Axis, for percentages (since they need a different scale)

23. 8-Charts with dual-Y axis definitions
For the second measure, you can right-click to go to Properties for the data series, then go to the Axes and Chart Area Properties and set the vertical axis to secondary
To render the percentages as a line instead of a bar chart, right-click and change the chart type

24. 9-Performance Gauge/sparkline visualizations
Video to create from scratch:

25. 10-Multi-valued parameters with stored procedure
Reporting Services passes a multi-valued parameter as a comma-separated string to a stored procedure
Must create a table-valued function in the database, to convert a CSV string to a table variable
Stored Procedure can receive the CSV string, call the TVF, and join the results to other tables

26. 11-Subreports
A single report can only render one instance of a one-many relationship.
If there are multiple one-many relationships for multiple levels of detail, we need to implement subreports
Basically, we create a main report where the primary dataset contains a key (in this instance, a product key) that can be passed to two child reports as parameters
The 2 child reports are built with the expectation they’ll receive a product key parameter
Then in the main report, add them as subreports
Multiple levels of detail
Main report shows each product, and then within each product, sales from both internet sales and reseller sales

27. 11-Subreports
In the main report, add references to the two child reports as subreports
In the subreport properties, reference the child report, and pass the Product Key from the main dataset as a parameter to the child subreport

28. 12-Launch child report from parent report
User clicks on state (Oregon), and report launches a 2nd report (which shows sales for cities in Oregon)
Can use Report Action feature in data point of main report to launch a second report, with parameters that the child report expects

29. 12-Launch child report from parent report
The connection point might be a textbox, or a data series point on a chart, or the Polygon properties of a map
Find the Action Page, specify “Go to Report”, and define the child report.
The interface will expose the parameters that the child report expects, and we can pass values from the main report

30. 13-Nested page groupings/pagination
Not only can SSRS show “Page X of Y”, it can also show pagination for groups within the report
Just need to define some properties for the group

31. 13-Nested page groupings/pagination
For the group (in the properties sheet), need to define the Page Break properties
Pagination won’t work correctly at the Group level unless we set these.

32. 14-Hiding columns
Column visibility
Use SSRS global variable User!UserID to call a stored procedure to query a custom control table that holds rights definitions for specific columns
SSRS does not have any built-in security feature to define whether users can see (or not see certain columns.
But we can implement a custom solution using control tables based on User ID, and the SSRS column visibility feature

33. 15- Reporting against OLAP cubes
SSRS Allows reporting against OLAP Cubes
Good news: you can use the visual designer to drag/drop fact table measures and dimension attributes
Not so good news: sometimes/often you need to modify the generated MDX code, or even write your own MDX code
Column visibility

34. 16 – Chart with Multiple Series
These 2 bars represent 2 different series for the same month: Inventory and Shipments

35. 16 – Chart with Multiple Series
An average (maybe average daily inventory for the month) rendered as a line chart
Series type that breaks out Inventory by multiple definitions (Cyan, Yellow, Red, Blue, Grey)
Series type that breaks out Shipped by multiple definitions (Green and Yellow)
Result set that drives chart
Within each month, a category group definition for (I)nventory and (S)hipped (XAxisType)

36. 17 – Cross-highlighting charts
Visual Studio Live! Orlando 2013
17 – Cross-highlighting charts
User wants to click on U.K. for 2013 and highlight all relevant parts of that chart and other charts
© Visual Studio Live! All rights reserved.

37. 17 – Cross-highlighting charts
Visual Studio Live! Orlando 2013
17 – Cross-highlighting charts
All relevant areas for UK 2013 now in Yellow
© Visual Studio Live! All rights reserved.

38. 17 – Cross-highlighting charts
Visual Studio Live! Orlando 2013
17 – Cross-highlighting charts
First, create a hidden parameter called HotSelect
Third, for each chart, go to series properties and Fill. Set Color Expression
Second, for each chart, go to Series properties and Actions. Set action as the same report (to “relaunch”) and pass in HotSelect Parameter based on current Year and Country
© Visual Studio Live! All rights reserved.

39. Right-click on the row selector for the subtotal row, select “Row Visibility” and then hide the row using the COUNTDISTINCT function