Showing posts with label sources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sources. Show all posts

Friday, March 30, 2012

Reporting Services and multiple data sources

I have a group of reports that are the same for 3 different companies, the difference is the data connection. Is there a way I can change the data connection based on a variable passed in at the time of report execution?

thanks

There are several options of how to achieve this on RS 2000:
* Use a custom data processing extension
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/RSPROG/htm/rsp_prog_extend_dataproc_5c2q.asp
* Use the SOAP API by calling SetDataSourceContents:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/rsprog/htm/rsp_ref_soapapi_service_lz_2ojd.asp
* Use the linked server functionality of SQL Server. Check MSDN for details:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/acdata/ac_8_qd_12_9ooj.asp
* If the databases are on the same server (SQL 2000), use a dynamic query text (i.e. ="select * from " & Parameters!DatabaseName.Value & "..table")
* If you're just toggling between two or three databases, you can publish the same report multiple times with different names using different data sources. Then write a main report that shows/hides the correct subreport based of whatever criteria you want. (Drawback: bad performance)

If you are running RS 2005, you can use the expression-based connection string approach: Finish the design of the datasets with a constant connection string and make sure everything works. Then, go back to the data tab and open the dataset/data source dialog and change the connection string to be an expression. Use string concatenation to plug in the parameter value. Here is an example of how the RDL would look for a parameter-based connection string:
<DataSources>
<DataSource Name="Northwind">
<ConnectionProperties>
<DataProvider>SQL</DataProvider>
<ConnectString>="data source=" &amp; Parameters!ServerName.Value &amp; ";initial catalog=Northwind;"</ConnectString>
<IntegratedSecurity>true</IntegratedSecurity>
</ConnectionProperties>
</DataSource>
</DataSources>
<ReportParameters>
<ReportParameter Name="ServerName">
<DataType>String</DataType>
<Prompt>ServerName</Prompt>
</ReportParameter>
</ReportParameters>
You can also check this blog posting: http://blogs.msdn.com/bwelcker/archive/2005/04/29/413343.aspx

-- Robert

|||Are you also able to set credentials for access to the Data Source via this approach?or does it only allow you to modify the Data Source itself|||The credentials can only be changed if you go with the SetDataSourceContents approach or if you have your own custom data extension which controls the credentials for the actual data source access independently.

-- Robert

Monday, March 26, 2012

Reporting Services 2005 and Analysis Services 2000

Hello,

i have a small problem with the data sources in the reporting services, maybe you can clarify the situation... I have a MS CRM 3 solution with the reporting services 2005 installed. From an other vendor we have a arcplan solution on the 2000 analysis services. I would like to get access from the 2005 reporting services to the 2000 cube. Is this possible? Ive read that the SSMS cant connect to the 2000 cubes. Can i connect from the reporting services?

thank you

regards

Andreas

Sure you can. However, you have to use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services when you set up your data source in SSRS. You may find this whitepaper useful although it's been written for SSRS 2000.

|||

thank you for the quick answer. i thought of a compatibility issue because i can choose the server and the database in the driver. but when i try to send a mdx the driver always tells me that the connection is lost. Ill try it on a second server, maybe its a computer issue...

thank you

andreas

Reporting Services 2000 with SQL Server 2005 data sources

All,

I apologize for not doing the legwork to see if i can answer my own question, but I am close to a loosely planned SQL 2005 migration and don't have time and resources to test my own theories.

Is there a way for a Reporting Services 2000 server to connect to SQL server 2005 databases? I've tried creating a new data source and changing a report to this data source, but it seems like the report is still using the old data source. I'm guessing i might need to register new data providers on the 2000 RS server and then change the existsing data sources.

Ideas?

Thx in advance,

-Peter

Yes, a report installed on Reporting Services 2000 (SRS) can source data for a report from SQL 2005 by setting the data source with the correct connection string. There shouldn't be a problem.

Larry

|||

The correct connection string seems to be "Data Source=<SQLServerName>;Initial Catalog=<DBNAme>" using the "Microsoft SQL Server" data source type. Fortunately, this was the same as our SQL 2000 data sources, so we had to change nothing. The 2000 BOL docs just aren't very clear on the details of each data source type.

Also, the gigantic document, SQL2005UpgradeTechRef.doc, doesn't really talk much about the dependencies between upgrading the RDBMS and the RS.

Thanks for the reply,

-Peter

sql

Reporting Services 2000 with SQL Server 2005 data source

Hiya,
Can anyone confirm if Reporting Services 2000 Reports are compatible with
SQL Server 2005 data sources?
Has anyone experienced any problems with this setup?
Thanks
WendyAbsolutely no problem.
Bruce Loehle-Conger
MVP SQL Server Reporting Services
"Woo" <Woo@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:CF099EDE-F849-44F5-8FE1-A6BD0298AE3D@.microsoft.com...
> Hiya,
> Can anyone confirm if Reporting Services 2000 Reports are compatible with
> SQL Server 2005 data sources?
> Has anyone experienced any problems with this setup?
> Thanks
> Wendy

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Reporting off SAP BI

Any improvement made in RS 2008 to reporting off SAP BI data sources?

Just a comment.

The Microsoft .NET Data Provider 1.0 for SAP NetWeaver BI (SSRS 2005) had similar weaknesses like I mentioned earlier in one of my postings:

Integration between SSRS and SSAS:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2003837&SiteID=1

Here is another usefull URL:

Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/e/a/5ea7ee4f-479c-471e-848f-43269a8ee683/UsingRSwithSAPNetWeaver.doc

P.S. I am a bit surprised by the silence of the Microsoft folks on the subject.

Regards,

Yitzhak

|||

An updated version of the white paper (with troubleshooting) is at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb508810.aspx.

And yes, SAP BW is treated much the same as Analysis Services.

|||

Thanks for all the replies.

I was tasked to compare SAP BEx Analyzer with Reporting Services. Not being a straight OLAP client makes it hard to convince my manager that Reporting Services matches BEx (just have to do it different ways).

Basically we want it to be able to display reports as the Cube Browser of Analysis Services. We find Reporting Services lacking support in hierarchies, free characteristics, restricted key figures, and certain parameter type(s) - selection option (not sure about precalculated values set). The connection to SAP BI data sources improves over time (not sure why). At the beginning of my test, it was extremely slow and got interrupted by (500) Internal Server Error especially at initial loading. The last I tested, these issues seemed to have disappeared; somehow, it took at least 1 minute to load a SAP BI report that based on an SAP BI MultiProvider or QueryCube (based on an MultiProvider) to run, which is not ideal.

Not much an MDX user, I hope Reporting Services can be upgraded to handle OLAP data sources in a more straighforward manner in future releases.

Regards

Hsiao

|||

We are making some incremental enhancements to the SAP BW query designer. Support for the SAP Key Figures structures, ability to see the technical names for objects, and performance enhancements in the metadata browser will all be in the 2008 version.

If you have specific bugs with the provider, you can report them at the connect.micrososft.com site and we will take a look.

Reporting off SAP BI

Any improvement made in RS 2008 to reporting off SAP BI data sources?

Just a comment.

The Microsoft .NET Data Provider 1.0 for SAP NetWeaver BI (SSRS 2005) had similar weaknesses like I mentioned earlier in one of my postings:

Integration between SSRS and SSAS:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2003837&SiteID=1

Here is another usefull URL:

Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/e/a/5ea7ee4f-479c-471e-848f-43269a8ee683/UsingRSwithSAPNetWeaver.doc

P.S. I am a bit surprised by the silence of the Microsoft folks on the subject.

Regards,

Yitzhak

|||

An updated version of the white paper (with troubleshooting) is at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb508810.aspx.

And yes, SAP BW is treated much the same as Analysis Services.

|||

Thanks for all the replies.

I was tasked to compare SAP BEx Analyzer with Reporting Services. Not being a straight OLAP client makes it hard to convince my manager that Reporting Services matches BEx (just have to do it different ways).

Basically we want it to be able to display reports as the Cube Browser of Analysis Services. We find Reporting Services lacking support in hierarchies, free characteristics, restricted key figures, and certain parameter type(s) - selection option (not sure about precalculated values set). The connection to SAP BI data sources improves over time (not sure why). At the beginning of my test, it was extremely slow and got interrupted by (500) Internal Server Error especially at initial loading. The last I tested, these issues seemed to have disappeared; somehow, it took at least 1 minute to load a SAP BI report that based on an SAP BI MultiProvider or QueryCube (based on an MultiProvider) to run, which is not ideal.

Not much an MDX user, I hope Reporting Services can be upgraded to handle OLAP data sources in a more straighforward manner in future releases.

Regards

Hsiao

|||

We are making some incremental enhancements to the SAP BW query designer. Support for the SAP Key Figures structures, ability to see the technical names for objects, and performance enhancements in the metadata browser will all be in the 2008 version.

If you have specific bugs with the provider, you can report them at the connect.micrososft.com site and we will take a look.

Reporting off SAP BI

Any improvement made in RS 2008 to reporting off SAP BI data sources?

Just a comment.

The Microsoft .NET Data Provider 1.0 for SAP NetWeaver BI (SSRS 2005) had similar weaknesses like I mentioned earlier in one of my postings:

Integration between SSRS and SSAS:

http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=2003837&SiteID=1

Here is another usefull URL:

Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services with SAP NetWeaver Business Intelligence

http://download.microsoft.com/download/5/e/a/5ea7ee4f-479c-471e-848f-43269a8ee683/UsingRSwithSAPNetWeaver.doc

P.S. I am a bit surprised by the silence of the Microsoft folks on the subject.

Regards,

Yitzhak

|||

An updated version of the white paper (with troubleshooting) is at http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb508810.aspx.

And yes, SAP BW is treated much the same as Analysis Services.

|||

Thanks for all the replies.

I was tasked to compare SAP BEx Analyzer with Reporting Services. Not being a straight OLAP client makes it hard to convince my manager that Reporting Services matches BEx (just have to do it different ways).

Basically we want it to be able to display reports as the Cube Browser of Analysis Services. We find Reporting Services lacking support in hierarchies, free characteristics, restricted key figures, and certain parameter type(s) - selection option (not sure about precalculated values set). The connection to SAP BI data sources improves over time (not sure why). At the beginning of my test, it was extremely slow and got interrupted by (500) Internal Server Error especially at initial loading. The last I tested, these issues seemed to have disappeared; somehow, it took at least 1 minute to load a SAP BI report that based on an SAP BI MultiProvider or QueryCube (based on an MultiProvider) to run, which is not ideal.

Not much an MDX user, I hope Reporting Services can be upgraded to handle OLAP data sources in a more straighforward manner in future releases.

Regards

Hsiao

|||

We are making some incremental enhancements to the SAP BW query designer. Support for the SAP Key Figures structures, ability to see the technical names for objects, and performance enhancements in the metadata browser will all be in the 2008 version.

If you have specific bugs with the provider, you can report them at the connect.micrososft.com site and we will take a look.