CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCTION TO REPORTING SERVICES DESIGN WITH SQL SERVER DATA TOOLS
- Creating data region samples: the List, Textbox, Table, Rectangle, Matrix, Chart,
and Image - Implementing Maps, Data Bars, Sparklines and Indicators, all of which provide
more sophisticated dashboard style elements to reporting
In this chapter, we’ll show you how to set up and explore the SSDT/BIDS IDE using the embedded
elements of SSRS within the 2010 environment.
Everyone learns differently—some like to follow a step-by-step guide to a known conclusion, and
some like to view a completed report to see the specific components of its design. We will therefore offer
both approaches in this and subsequent chapters. Specifically, we’ll show you how to build each sample
from the ground up and we’ll also point you to the completed sample in the Source Code download
available from this book’s catalog page on http://www.apress.com, so you can analyze the report as you work
through the steps to achieve the end result.
We provide all the data sources, reports, and projects you will work with throughout this chapter in
a solution called Pro_SSRS. You can open this solution in both BIDS and Visual Studio 2010. As we
mentioned earlier, Microsoft has changed the label from Business Intelligence Development Studio to
SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT), but we will use BIDS and SSDT interchangeably throughout this book.
You’ll find detailed instructions in the Source Code/Download area on the Apress site for installing the
samples for each chapter. This chapter will focus primarily on the IDE of BIDS and provide a step-by-
step guide to familiarize you with BIDS. Chapter 4 will describe the use of SSRS-specific report objects
such as Lists and Tables, and Chapter 5 will introduce report objects like Charts, Gauges, Maps,
Sparklines, and Data Bars. When you begin creating these specific report examples, you will have two
reports for each object, a starting-point report and a completed report sample; we will point these out at
the beginning and end of each main section. This approach lets you step through the procedure to
produce the output in the starting-point report and then open and compare the end result to the
completed report.Exploring the Elements of BIDS
In BIDS, one or more projects contain all the reports and shared data sources. A project physically and
logically groups reports together, and maintains properties specific to that project. These properties
allow the project to work independently of other projects. All created projects are themselves contained
within a solution. A solution is simply a collection of one or more projects that are made available to
Visual Studio. A single solution can contain a Reporting Services, an Integration Services and an Analysis
Services project as well as a Windows or Web application project.
We’ll now show you how to fire up BIDS to create a solution and a Reporting Services project. To
create a solution, you’ll need to have BIDS loaded. Navigate to the shortcut to load the devenv executable
by choosing Start ➤ All Programs ➤ Microsoft SQL Server 2012 ➤ SQL Server Data Tools. Both SQL Server
Data Tools (SSDT) and Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) are shortcuts to the devenv
executable. Throughout this chapter and the rest of the book, we may refer to SSDT as BIDS because
most development initiatives using this tool are Business Intelligence related. However, BIDS and SSDT
are interchangeable terms. Once you have BIDS open, you can get to the new project screen by selecting
File, and then Project under the New submenu of the menu bar or simply by clicking the New Project
button on the Start Page as shown in Figure 3-1.