Example: Creating an SSRS report based on an IDO

Note: This example procedure is not guaranteed to be current or accurate with the SSRS tools and processes now available. Since SSRS reports are now deprecated in Mongoose-based applications, we are including this and related topics only for legacy support purposes.

This example, which you can also use as a short tutorial, creates a report based on an Intelligent Data Object (IDO) that displays data from a "UserTask" table. This simple report will be designed to list tasks, grouped by user.

This example assumes that you are using Visual Studio 2008 or SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio. Note that the steps would be very similar if you were to use Report Builder 3.0.

Although this example provides the procedural steps for using these tools, this is not to be considered a tutorial on how to use these tools. For information on how best to use these tools, see their respective product documentation.

To create an SSRS report based on an IDO, perform these procedures:

  1. Create the report project.
    See Creating an SSRS report project.
  2. Create the report definition file.
    See Creating an SSRS report definition file from a template or Creating an SSRS report definition file without a template.
  3. Create a connection string parameter.
    See Creating a connection string parameter for an SSRS report.
  4. Set the data source properties.
    See Setting data source properties for an IDO-based report.
  5. Modify the report parameters.
    See Modifying SSRS report parameters.
  6. Set the report title.
    See Setting an SSRS report title.
  7. Test the report configuration.
    See Testing the SSRS report configuration.
  8. Populate the report with data.
    See Populating an SSRS report with data.
  9. Configure the report layout.
    This includes such considerations as these:
    • Adding fields and labels to the report to help with the data being displayed
    • Formatting backgrounds of report sections
    • Formatting the fonts and font colors being used to display the data
    • Adding images, such as corporate logos
  10. Reset the data source connection string.
    See Resetting the data source connection string.
  11. Deploy the report to the report server.
    See Deploying an SSRS report to the Report Server.

Although the SSRS report definition file has been created and deployed, you still cannot generate the report, either manually or automatically. Before you can do that, you must:

  • Create the report criteria form that allows users to specify the data they want to include in the report output.
  • If you want to have the report generated automatically, create a background task definition and schedule a background task.