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Running the Report (Report Builder 2.0)

In Report Builder 2.0 design mode, you are not working with the actual data but a representation of the data indicated by the field name or expression. When you want to see the actual data displayed in the context of the report that you designed, you can run the report to preview the data from the underlying database displayed in the report layout. Switching between designing and running your report allows you to adjust its design and see the results immediately.

  • To preview your report, click Run in the Views group on the Ribbon.

When you click Run, Report Builder connects to the report data sources, caches the data on your computer, combines the data and the layout and then renders the report in the HTML Viewer. You can run your report as often as you like while you continue to design it. When you are satisfied with your report, you can save the report to the report server where other individuals with the appropriate permissions can view your report.

Running a Report with Parameters

When you run your report, it is processed automatically. If the report contains parameters, all the parameters must have default values before the report can run automatically. If a parameter does not have a default value, when you run the report you need to choose a value for the parameter, and then click View Report on the Run tab. For more information, see Previewing Reports in the HTML Viewer (Report Builder 2.0).

When you preview a report in Run mode, it resembles a report produced in HTML. The preview is not HTML, but the layout and pagination of the report is similar to HTML output. You can change the view to represent a printed report by switching to print preview mode. Click the Print Preview button on the Run tab. The report will display as though it were on a physical page. This view resembles the output produced by the Image and PDF rendering extensions. Print Preview is not an image or PDF file, but the layout and pagination of the report is similar the output in those formats.