1. Reporting Services – Data Driven Subscriptions

2. General Steps Step 1, Create report and Identify report parameters
Step 2, Deploy the report to a server
Step 3, Create the Subscription Definition Table
Step 4, Define the schedule
Step 5, Try to add a data-driven subscription
Step 6, Store Secured Credentials for the Report’s Data Source
Step 7, Try to add a data-driven subscription again
Step 8, Tell SSRS about the definition table
Step 9, Map columns from definition table to what SSRS expects
Step 10, Set the report parameters
Step 11, Define the schedule

3. Overall view SSRS reports with parameters, deployed to SSRS Server
Shared data source to report data, with stored credentials
Subscriptions need Shared schedules, Parameter definitions, shared data sources with stored credentials, table definitions for how to execute (delivery method, recipients, output destination, render format, etc.)
Data-Driven Subscription for report A
Data-Driven Subscription for report B
Definition table for data driven subscription – with recipients, output locations, parameters, output render formats, etc.
Shared schedule for execution (written out as a SQL Agent job)

4. What we want to do
Deployed report that prompts for Manufacturer, shows monthly shipped tons
We want to have the server run the report automatically on a schedule, for specific parameters (one run for Ford, one for Chrysler, etc)
We want the scheduled executions to be ed to specific recipients (maybe managers associated with each manufacturer)
We also want the scheduled executions to export the report output to a file share
We can populate a SQL table that holds the specifics on the executions, and tell the scheduled job about the table
And anytime we want to add, change, or remove recipients, all we need to do is modify the contents of the table, and nothing else.
We do this through SSRS Data Driven Subscriptions

5. Step 1, Identify report parameters
When this report was created in Visual Studio, the actual parameter name is called “Manufacturer” (which might be different from the caption)
Identify the actual values used behind the scenes in the query for the report, as you’ll need to provide those values in a table.
In this case, the possible parameter values are simply the names of the Manufacturers (“Ford”, “Chrysler”)
However, that might not always be the case. The display value might be “Ford”, but the underlying key used for the query might be an integer foreign key or some kind of business key.
Either way, make sure you’ve identified the possible parameter values!

6. Step 2, Deploy the report to a server
Deploy the report to an existing SSRS Server
You can’t create a data driven subscription until you first deploy the report

7. Step 3, Create the Subscription Definition Table
Param1 through Param3 will hold parameter values for executions. Generically named, since some reports might prompt for dates, some for products, etc.
If you know you might have a report with as many as 10 parameters, then create 10 parameter buckets here
Create two tables (preferably in the same database that holds the source data for the report, but it doesn’t have to be there)
One table will hold recipients for report executions, the other will hold file share locations
Store the deployed report name, render format, address or output path, etc.
This maps to what the report’s parameter values would be. So it could be an integer key instead of a string

8. Step 3, Create the Subscription Definition Table
So for the first table, we want to run the report twice, once for Chrysler and once for Ford, and write out PDF files to the Path specified
For the second table, we want to PDF output for Chrysler and for Ford, and to specific recipients (You can separate multiple recipients in a single run with a semicolon)
Valid Render Formats are PDF, MHTML, Excel, Word, TIFF, CSV, XML

9. Step 3, Create the Subscription Definition Table
Note, in this example, there’s just one report definition in each of the tables.
Each of the tables can have many report definitions.
So the table that defines File Share and/or output could have entries for a dozen reports
Creating these tables (in itself) doesn’t create the data driven subscription. We need to tell the SSRS server about these tables and the columns
Note the AutoIncrement value for Write Mode: will cover later

10. Step 4, Define the shared schedule
On the SSRS server, click on “Site Settings”, then “Schedules”, then “New Schedule”
On the SSRS server, click on “Site Settings”, then “Schedules”, then “New Schedule”
On the SSRS server, click on “Site Settings”, then “Schedules”, then “New Schedule” 1 2 3
Next, on the SSRS Server where the reports are deployed, we need to define a shared schedule
This will define the days/time that the job(s) run.
Eventually we’ll tie the shared schedule to the actual data driven subscription
The recommended practice: create the minimum number of shared schedules to serve the greatest number of report jobs
Note: SQL Server Agent MUST be running on the database server associated with the SSRS Server
Schedule details

11. Step 5, Try to add a data-driven subscription
On the SSRS Server, go to the folder where the report is deployed, click the Dropdown, and go to Manage.
This will give us a dialog of the server properties for the report, including the ability to define a data driven subscription

12. Step 5, Try to add a data-driven subscription
In the Manage dialog, click on Subscriptions
And then on the subscriptions page, try to click on the “New Data Driven Subscription” link
Note that the link has an exclamation point, indicating that there’s probably an issue
In this case, we get the following message
Basically, the report’s data source must have specific credentials stored on the server. Very likely the report’s data source is using Windows/SQL authentication, and that’s not sufficient

13. Step 6, Store Secured Credentials for the Report’s Data Source
First, in the SSRS Data Source folder, create a new Data Source for the report to use. Define the Connection String that points to the Database Server and Database
Then provide stored credentials, for when the report job accesses the server at execution time
Finally, in the report itself, go to data sources, and then specify a shared data source, and point to the data source created in the first step
This should be a special domain account set up by the DBA.
Don’t use a normal user/developer account

14. Step 7, Try to add a data-driven subscription again
Click on the Subscriptions page
And then on the subscriptions page, try to click on the “New Data Driven Subscription” link
Now, there’s no exclamation point in the link, which means we can proceed
Will lead you to next page, where you’re asked to give the subscription a name, and then chose the delivery method.
File Share and are separate steps, so if you have a data driven subscription for each of the 2 delivery methods, need to go through the process twice
If the definition table (from step 3) is in the same database as the report source data, and if you created a shared data source with stored credentials in the previous step, then select “Specify a shared data source”
SSRS also requires stored credentials for the connection (data source) to the definition table from Step 3. We might be able to use same shared data source with stored credentials from Step 6.

15. Step 8 – Tell SSRS about the definition table
Next page will prompt for table.
Since we specified “File Share” for the delivery method, we need to tell it about the definition table dbo.tblDataDrivenSubscriptionFileShare
Provide a SELECT statement to return all rows for the specific report for which we’re creating the subscription
Remember that the definition table might have subscription information for many reports, so the WHERE clause needs to reference the specific report
Make sure to click VALIDATE – this will make sure that SSRS has the ability to read the table. (It doesn’t validate the columns, or even how many rows – it simply makes certain that the query can be executed)

16. Step 9 – Map columns from definition table to what SSRS expects
From step 3, we had the following columns in our definition table that we need to tell SSRS about:
FileName (the name of the output file for the specific definition)
Path (where the file should go )
Render Format (the export type)
File Extn (whether a file extension should be created on the file)
Write Mode (Whether to overwrite any existing file on execution, or to auto-increment the file name by 1 with a numeric suffix on the output file)
Notice that SSRS needs this information – so when it asks for the output file name, we give it our column….when it asks for a render format, we give it out column, etc.
When we go through the steps for an subscription, we’ll be promoted for columns specific to the other definition table (such as address)
Note that we haven’t yet been prompted for the report parameters or the schedule – that comes next.
SSRS needs to have write access to the output path designation at runtime. So we need credentials. Again, this should be a special domain account, not a regular user domain account

17. Step 9 – Map columns from definition table to what SSRS expects
For subscriptions, we need to provide the following columns from dbo.tblDataDrivenSubscription
Address
Render Format
If you had additional recipients to CC: or BCC:, you would have had additional columns back in the definition table
If you’re sending an attachment for the (which will usually be the case), set “Include Report” to true
You can also set priority, subject, and comment if you wish
For Include Link, you would only set this to TRUE if recipients have access to the report server, and you want them to be able to run the report manually. But for people who can’t (or don’t want) to run the report manually, set this to false

18. Step 10 – Set the report parameters
SSRS will now prompt for how to deal with parameters
If the report had five parameters, it would prompt for all five
We’re not entering the values for manufacturer – instead, we’re telling SSRS what column from our definition table to use, when running at runtime
So in this example, the subscription will run twice – for Chrysler and for Ford, with 2 separate outputs
Since we’d use this definition table across many reports, that’s why we’ve kept the parameter column names generic (“Param1”, “Param2”, etc)

19. Step 11 – Define the schedule
Finally, tell SSRS when the subscription should fire
Best practice is to select the shared schedule
So we created the shared schedule first (independently of any subscription), and then we map multiple subscriptions to it.
(This is better than creating 5 report subscriptions and hard-wiring the same scheduled date/time for each one)
This will map the subscription directly to the SQL Server Agent Job

20. What we have at the end

21. Final notes/recommendations
Make sure you’ve identified all report parameters (by name, and also what the underlying parameter values will be….whether they are string values, integer keys, dates, etc)
Think ahead of time about execution schedules, recipients, overall strategy. Plan it out!
Create 2 general definition tables for subscriptions – one for file share and one for subscriptions
Create a minimal number of shared schedules (independently of the subscriptions), and then apply them to the subscriptions as needed
Create shared data sources with stored credentials
Additionally, you’ll need to provide credentials for writing to the UNC/shared location when doing file share subscriptions