SSRS Tutorial :SSRS Architecture

While discussing about reporting services architecture (SSRS architecture) we will target three major parts in our tutorial.

These three parts are which most important components of SQL Server Reporting Services are:

1) Report Server: it’s used to the multiple components which allow interaction with Report Server database. SSRS has Web Services (.asmx) using which application interacts with report server database directly.

On your computer it will be like

(http://localhst/ReportServer/reportservicexxxx.asmx where xxxx is version of SSRS).

SSRS 2005 uses IIS and creates virtual directories for Report Server & Report Manager, but SSRS 2008 leverages the OS level HTTP listener making SSRS independent of IIS.

This allows bundling of Report Server & Report Manager within windows Service ReportingServicesService.exe. The name of this Windows Service is Report Server.

2) Report Manager: An ASP.NET web based application

(http://computername/Reports)

that in turn interacts with Report Server Web Services. Report Manager allows you to manage reports in terms configuring security access, organizing them into folders (non of these folders map to physical directories but are stored as details in Report Server Database), subscribing to them, etc.

3) Report Designer:

Report designer the main part which is useful for developers.In report designer developers can design reports using VS.NET Business Intelligence projects (Report Server Project). Report Designers create data sources (normally a shared data source (.rds) that’s used across a set of reports), create the dataset (using queries / stored procedures on top of data source), define relevant report parameters (mapped to datasets for value retrieval via Report data window and can be passed on from .NET applications too), field formats (using properties window with pervasive VB expressions – e.g. formatting a textbox to display currency decimals) and create layouts (e.g. Grouping). Once they are done with designing their reports (.rdl files – described later) they can test (preview) them and publish them via Report Server (this is done by providing the Report Server URL in project properties and SSRS there creates a specific folder for your project). Once published these reports are available for end user consumption.