Audience
This 4 day course is intended for students who need to learn and understand the full reporting lifecycle of designing, managing, and accessing reports in a Microsoft SQL Server environment.
Prerequisites
No prior knowledge of the subject matter is assumed. However, students should ideally be familiar with basic programming concepts, and understand the fundamental design of relational databases and data normalization. Some prior working knowledge of SQL Server, and the use of SQL Server Management Studio, is assumed. Attendees should additionally be familiar with the SQL query language, in particular the SELECT statement used for retrieving data. The course Microsoft SQL Server Querying Data for Report Developers would be an ideal primer for anyone considering taking this course.
Duration
4 days.
Course Objectives
Days 1 and 2 will familiarise attendees with the Reporting Services development tools used to create
and author reports, and will enable students to design initially basic, then more complex, reports. All of
the data regions utilised in report design are covered here including tables, matrices, lists, and charts.
Interactive features such as drilldown and drill-through reports are also covered in this section, as are
the implementation and use of report parameters.
Day 3 builds upon the knowledge gained over the previous two days by covering advanced report
design concepts, such as making reports more dynamic (for example, allowing users to interactively
select groups for a matrix using parameters), alternating background colours for table rows, and other
handy tips to enable developers to design truly professional reports. We round off the development
phase of the reporting lifecycle by considering the implementation of mobile reports and KPIs.
Day 4 of the course deals more specifically with the role of the Report Server itself. Here, students will
learn how to deploy reports to a Report Server, manage Report Server content, handle subscriptions,
and control access to reports.
Concise coverage of the subject matter is augmented with plenty of hands-on exercises to facilitate the
learning process and to enable students to quickly gain confidence in using Reporting Services.
Additionally, with the course structure being fully modularised, customised versions of this course can
also be devised and delivered.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Understand the Reporting Services Architecture and Report Lifecycle
Create and Edit Reports using Tables, Matrices, and Lists
Use Expressions to Enhance Report Capabilities
Enhance Reports by Implementing Interactive Features
Incorporate Charts, Indicators, and other Graphical Features into Reports
Work with Data Sources and Datasets
Understand Advanced Report Design Concepts
Implement Mobile Reports and KPIs
Set up Report Publishing and Execution Settings
Manage Report Server Content with the Reporting Services Web Portal
Distribute Reports with Subscriptions
Secure Report Server Resources
Course Content
DAY 1 & 2: REPORT DEVELOPMENT
1. Introduction to SQL Server Reporting Services
Overview of Reporting Services
The Reporting Life Cycle
Reporting Services Architecture
Reporting Services Tools
2. Authoring Reports – Getting Started
Introduction to SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)
Creating a Report Project
The Report Designer Environment
Table Reports
Grouping and Aggregating Data
Sorting Data
Using a Matrix
Using a List
Using Text Boxes, Lines, and Images
Formatting Reports
Page Breaks
Report Headers and Footers
Implementing Expressions
Using Variables
3. Enhancing Reports
Controlling Layout with Rectangles
Interactive Sorting
Drill-Down Reports
Document Maps
Bookmarks
4. Working with Parameters
Using Parameters to Restrict Query Results
Using Parameters to Filter Report Data
Creating Dynamic Parameter Lists
Cascading Parameters
Displaying User Selected Parameters in a Report
Subreports
Drill-Through Reports
5. Visualizing Data
Working with Charts
Gauges
Indicators and KPIs
Data Bars
Spark Lines
6. Using Report Builder
Overview of Report Builder
Designing a Report in Report Builder
Implementing Report Parts
DAY 3: ADVANCED REPORT DEVELOPMENT
7. Advanced Report Design
Implementing Maps with Spatial Data
Embedding Code in Reports
Creating Templates
Using Parameters with a Stored Procedure
Dynamic Data Sources and Datasets
Dynamic Grouping
Hiding/Showing Columns
Adjacent Groups
Recursive Hierarchy Grouping
Alternating Background Colours
Compact Grouping Layout
Handling the Absence of Data in a Report
8. Implementing Mobile Reports
Overview of Mobile Reports
Creating a Mobile Report
Publishing a Mobile Report
Creating a KPI
Creating a Drill-Through Mobile Report
DAY 4: REPORT SERVER MANAGEMENT
9. Deploying Reports
Configuring Reporting Services
Deploying Reports
Introduction to the Reporting Services Web Portal
Executing Reports on Demand
10. Managing the Report Server
Managing Report Server Content
Linked Reports
Managing Data Source Properties
Caching Reports
Report Snapshots
Report History
The My Reports Folder
Rendering Reports to Different Formats
11. Distributing Reports with Subscriptions
Introduction to Report Subscriptions
Creating a Standard Subscription
Creating a Data-Driven Subscription
Managing Report Subscriptions
12. Controlling Access to Report Server Content
Securing Report Server Content
Implementing Data Security
Using URL Access to Display a Report