SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), as a platform, has grown to become a mature reporting solution, beginning with its SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services iteration. Actually SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services got some attention too, but the 2008 version made it a strong contender in the report solution battle which was at that time dominated by Crystal Reports.
More and more companies are implementing SSRS as part of their Business Intelligence implementation. We can only expect this trend to increase as SQL Server is continuing to increase its share of the database market.
SQL Server Integrated BI Solution–Microsoft BI Stack (SQL Server, SSIS, SSAS & SSRS)–is becoming increasingly popular in the BI market. The primary reason for this is that it's quite easy to learn the platform if you have a sufficient amount of passion and the right tools and support.
SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services Blueprints is intended to be just that, a series of Blueprints–things that work straight out-of-the-box and that mirror what a real job requires real report developers to do. You will not be bored with an "Introduction to X" or "What's under the hood of Y". We go straight to the practical development of reporting skills, explaining actions as they are taken. This means working through step-by-step tutorials instead of studying infrastructure and business use explanations.
This book is a step-by-step, task-driven tutorial. It provides enterprise reporting blueprints that address common business report requirements and scenarios. Right from the very start, you'll learn SSRS beyond the basics, giving you the skills to create the best reports for any task. Explore the possibilities, master your options, and choose the best tool for the job.
Chapter 1, Let's Breakdown the Numbers, covers the use of parameters in different scenarios. We figured that you already have a basic knowledge of how SSRS works. So, we eliminated the boring stuff. The chapter begins with showing you how to create a data source and dataset with T-SQL and stored procedures.
Chapter 2, Making a Good Impression, covers the structure and properties of the report. This is a critical part of the design and presentation of the report.
Chapter 3, Getting Some Actions, covers the addition of interactive elements to the report.
Chapter 4, Everything Looks Better with Charts, demonstrates the basic and advanced uses of various visualizations in a report.
Chapter 5, Location, Location, Location!, covers the use of basic and advance maps, also other geospatial elements in SSRS.
Chapter 6, Let's Get Analytical!, covers the use of OLAP cubes in a SSRS report if you are dealing with SQL Server Analytical Services (SSAS).
Chapter 7, Sir, We're Ready to Deploy!, gives you options for successfully deploying your SSRS projects.
Chapter 8, Beyond the Horizon!, shows you basic information on how to integrate SharePoint 2010/2013, PowerPivot, and Power View with SSRS.
Appendix A, SSRS Best Practices, gives you few tips on report management, report standards, execution logs, and so on.
Appendix B, Transactional Replication for Reporting Services, demonstrates the step-by-step process of setting up Transactional Replication.