Keep SSRS reports as local RDL files not in the SQL database

Question

It looks like the default configuration is for the reports to be in a SQL database table. You can export them to RDL files for back up. We are migrating an older SSRS setup and it seems to be publishing and modifing from a local reports folder with .RDL and .RDL.Data files. Is this an optional setup from SSRS or maybe how it was done in the past?

Answer 1

Hi @Tanquen ，
Report Definition Language (RDL) is an XML representation of a SQL Server Reporting Services report definition. A report definition contains data retrieval and layout information for a report. RDL is composed of XML elements that match an XML grammar created for Reporting Services. You can add your own custom functions for controlling report item values, styles, and formatting by accessing code assemblies within report definition files.

Depending on the version of Visual Studio you are using, the rdl.data Files may be located in your documents folder or in your user folder under your username, sources and repositories. In the solution folder, there are definition files (.rdl files) for each report and a data file (.rdl.data) for each report once it has been previewed. You can manually delete .rdl.data and it will be created the next time you preview.

You could use Powershell to batch download reports locally.

If you want to close rdl.data, please see the following link: What is the rdl.data File and What Does it do?
Best Regards,
Joy

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Answer 2

Ok but it seems like this older setup is working with the reports in a local folder as the RDL files and in the SQL database. They don't need to export them as they are already RDL file in the local "Reports" folder. Maybe there is a setting to automatically export the reports so it just looks like they are working on the local files.

Answer 3

Sorry, never used SSRS before. There is a system from 2014 that is using SSRS and when they make changes to the reports the local RDL files in a "Reports" folder are updated at the same time. Is there a setting to auto export them or was there ever a way to use RDL files and not a table in the SQL database?