Three Day Course

Course Description

This course is intended for information technology (IT) professionals and developers who need to implement reporting solutions by using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. This three-day instructor-led course teaches students how to implement a Reporting Services solution in an organization. The course discusses how to use the Reporting Services development tools to create reports, and how to use the Reporting Services management and administrative tools to manage a Reporting Services solution.

Performance-Based Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe SQL Server Reporting Services and its components.
• Create a Reporting Services report.
• Enhance a Reporting Services report.
• Create and manipulate data sets.
• Use report models to implement reporting for business users.
• Configure report publishing and execution settings.
• Maintain availability to their SQL Server data even through server downtime.
• Configure replication of SQL Server 2008 databases.
• Implement subscriptions for reports.
• Administer Reporting Services..
• Implement custom Reporting Services applications.

Prerequisites

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Exposure to creating reports in Microsoft Access or other third-party reporting products, such as Crystal Reports.
• Exposure to creating reports in Microsoft Access or other third-party reporting products, such as Crystal Reports.
• Experience navigating the Microsoft Windows Server environment.
• Experience with Windows services (starting and stopping)
• Experience creating service accounts and permissions
• Experience with Microsoft SQL Server, including:
• SQL Server Agent.
• SQL Server query language (SELECT, UPDATE, INSERT, and DELETE).
• SQL Server System tables.
• SQL Server accounts (users and permissions).

Course Content

Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services

• Overview of SQL Server Reporting Services
• Installing Reporting Services
• Reporting Services Tools
  • Lab: Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
    • Exploring Report Designer
    • Exploring Report Manager

Authoring Basic Reports

The students will learn the fundamentals of report authoring, including configuring data sources and data sets, creating tabular reports, summarizing data, and applying basic formatting.

• Creating a Basic Table Report
• Formatting Report Pages
• Calculating Values
  • Lab: Authoring Basic Reports
    • Creating a Basic Table Report
    • Formatting Report Pages
    • Adding Calculated Values

Enhancing Basic Reports

The students will learn about navigational controls and some additional types of data regions, and how to use them to enhance a basic report.

• Interactive Navigation
• Displaying Data
  • Lab: Enhancing Basic Reports
    • Dynamic Visibility
    • Using Document Maps
    • Initiating Actions
    • Using a List Data Region
    • Creating a Tablix Report
    • Adding Chart Subreport to Parent Report

Manipulating Data Sets

The students will explore data sets to a greater depth, including the use of alternative data sources and interacting with a data set through the use of parameters. Students will learn how to dynamically modify the data set underlying a data region by allowing parameters to be sent to the underlying query, as well as will learn to use best practices to implement static and dynamic parameter lists when interacting with queries and stored procedures.

• Defining Report Data
• Using Parameters and Filters
• Using Parameter Lists
  • Lab: Manipulating Data Sets
    • Using Parameters to Restrict Query Results
    • Using Parameters to Filter Report Data
    • Creating Dynamic Parameter Lists
    • Using Parameters with a Stored Procedure
    • Displaying All Categories in a Parameter List

Using Report Models

The students will learn how to create a report model so that business users can create their own reports without using the full Report Designer development environment. Students will also learn how to use Report Builder to create a report from a report model.

• Creating Report Models
• Using Report Builder
  • Lab: Using Report Models
    • Creating a Report Model
    • Using Report Builder to Create a Report

Publishing and Executing Reports

The students will learn the various options you can use to publish reports to the report server and execute them.

• Publishing Reports
• Publishing Reports
• Creating Cached Instances
• Creating Snapshots and Report History
  • Lab: Publishing and Executing Reports
    • Publishing Reports
    • Executing Reports
    • Configuring and Viewing a Cached Report
    • Configuring and Viewing a Snapshot Report

Using Subscriptions to Distribute Reports

The students will learn how to implement subscriptions so that you can distribute reports either automatically by e-mail or by publishing reports to a shared folder.

• Introduction to Report Subscriptions
• Creating Report Subscriptions
• Managing Report Subscriptions
  • Lab: Using Subscriptions to Distribute Reports
    • Creating a Standard Subscription
    • Creating a Data-Driven Subscription

Administering Reporting Services

The students will learn how to administer the Reporting Services server, how to monitor and optimize the performance of the report server, how to maintain the Reporting Services databases, and how to keep the system secure.

• Reporting Server Administration
• Performance and Reliability Monitoring
• Administering Report Server Databases
• Security Administration
• Upgrading to Reporting Services 2008
  • Lab: Administering Reporting Services
    • Using Reporting Services Configuration Manager
    • Securing a Reporting Services Site
    • Securing Items

SQL Programming Reporting Services

The students will learn how to query Reporting Services information programmatically and how to automate report management tasks. Students will also learn how to render reports without relying on Report Manager, and how to extend the feature set of a report server by creating custom code.

• Querying for Server Information Using a Web Service
• Automating Report Management
• Rendering Reports
• Creating Custom Code
  • Lab: Programming Reporting Services
    • Using URL Access to Display a Report
    • Building a Reporting Services Web Service Client
    • Using the Report Viewer Control