2793 - Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

This three-day instructor-led (Level 300) course teaches students how to implement a Reporting Services solution in an organisation. 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.

After completing 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
• Implement subscriptions for reports
• Administer Reporting Services
• Implement custom Reporting Services applications

Module 1: Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
This module introduces the role that Reporting Services plays in an organisation's reporting life cycle, the key features offered by Reporting Services and the components that make up the Reporting Services architecture.

Lessons
Overview of SQL Server Reporting Services
Installing Reporting Services
Reporting Services Tools

Lab 1: Using Reporting Services Tools
Exercise 1: Exploring Report Designer
Exercise 2: Exploring Report Manager

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Describe the features of SQL Server Reporting Services
• Install Reporting Services
• Describe the Reporting Services tools

Module 2: Authoring Basic Reports
This module introduces the fundamentals of report authoring, including configuring data sources and data sets, creating tabular reports, summarizing data, and applying basic formatting.

Lessons
Creating a Basic Table Report
Formatting Report Pages
Calculating Values

Lab 2: Creating a Simple Report
Exercise 1: Creating a Basic Table Report
Exercise 2: Formatting Report Pages
Exercise 3: Adding Calculated Values

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Create a basic table report
• Format report pages
• Calculate values for a report

Module 3: Enhancing Basic Reports
This module introduces navigational controls and some additional types of data regions, and discusses how to use them to enhance a basic report.

Lessons
Interactive Navigation
Displaying Data

Lab 3: Enhancing a Report
Exercise 1: Using Dynamic Visibility
Exercise 2: Using Document Maps
Exercise 3: Initiating Actions
Exercise 4: Using a List Data Region

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Create reports with interactive navigation
• Display data in various formats

Module 4: Manipulating Data Sets
This module explores 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 learn how to dynamically modify the data set underlying a data region by allowing parameters to be sent to the underlying query. They also learn to use best practices to implement static and dynamic parameter lists when interacting with queries and stored procedures.

Lessons
Defining Report Data
Using Parameters and Filters
Using Parameter Lists

Lab 4: Manipulating Data Sets
Exercise 1: Using parameters to restrict query results
Exercise 2: Using parameters to filter report data
Exercise 3: Creating dynamic parameter lists
Exercise 4: Using parameters with a stored procedure
If Time Permits: Displaying all categories in a parameter list

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Define report data
• Use parameters and filters
• Use parameter lists

Module 5: Using Report Models
This module describes how to create a report model so that business users can create their own reports without using the full Report Designer development environment. Students also learn how to use Report Builder to create a report from a report model.

Lessons
Creating Report Models
Using Report Builder

Lab 5: Working with Report Models
Exercise 1: Creating a Report Model
Exercise 2: Using Report Builder to Create a Report

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Create Report Models
• Use Report Builder

Module 6: Publishing and Executing Reports
This module explains the various options you can use to publish reports to the report server and execute them.

Lessons
Publishing Reports
Executing Reports
Creating Cached Instances
Creating Snapshots and Report History

Lab 6: Publishing and Executing Reports
Exercise 1: Publishing Reports
Exercise 2: Executing a Report On Demand
Exercise 3: Configuring and Viewing a Cached Report
Exercise 4: Configuring and Viewing a Snapshot Report

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Publish reports
• Execute reports
• Create cached instances
• Create snapshots and report history

Module 7: Using Subscriptions to Distribute Reports
This module describes how to implement subscriptions so that you can distribute reports either automatically by e-mail or by publishing reports to a shared folder.

Lessons
Introduction to Report Subscriptions
Creating Report Subscriptions
Managing Report Subscriptions

Lab 7: Implementing Subscriptions
Exercise 1: Creating a Standard Subscription
Exercise 2: Creating a Data-Driven Subscription

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Describe report subscriptions
• Create report subscriptions
• Manage report subscriptions

Module 8: Administering Reporting Services
This module discusses 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.

Lessons
Server Administration
Performance and Reliability Monitoring
Administering Report Server Databases
Security Administration

Lab 8: Administering Reporting Services
Exercise 1: Using Reporting Services Configuration Manager
Exercise 2: Securing a Reporting Services Site
Exercise 3: Securing Items

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Administer the reporting server
• Monitor performance and reliability
• Administer the Report Server databases
• Administer security

Module 9: Programming Reporting Services
This module explains how to query Reporting Services information programmatically and how to automate report management tasks. Students also learn how to render reports without relying on Report Manager, and how you can extend the feature set of a report server by creating custom code.

Lessons
Querying for Server Information Using a Web Service
Automating Report Management
Rendering Reports
Creating Custom Code

Lab 9: Programming Reporting Services
Exercise 1: Using URL Access to Display a Report
Exercise 2: Building a Reporting Services Web Service Client
Exercise 3: Using the Report Viewer Control

After completing this module students will be able to:
• Query server information by using a Web service
• Automate report management
• Render reports
• Create custom code

This course is intended for information technology (IT) professionals and developers who need to implement reporting solutions by using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services.

Before attending this course, students must have:

• Exposure to creating reports in Microsoft Access or other third-party reporting products such as Crystal Reports
• Conceptual understanding of the push and pull distribution/subscription paradigm
• 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)