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General Properties Page, Shared Data Sources (Report Manager)

Use the General properties page to view or modify properties of a shared data source item. Any changes that you make to the properties take effect for all reports that reference the item when you click Apply.

To open this page, select a shared data source item and then click the Properties tab at the top of the page. The following icon indicates a shared data source item:

Shared data source icon

Shared data source icon

Options

  • Name
    Specifies a name for the shared data source, which is used to identify the item within the report server namespace.

  • Description
    Provides information about the shared data source. This description appears on the Contents page.

  • Enable this data source
    Select to enable or disable the shared data source. You can disable the shared data source to prevent processing for all reports, report models, and data-driven subscriptions that reference the item.

  • Connection Type
    Specifies the data processing extension that is used to process data from the data source. The report server includes data processing extensions for Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Analysis Services, Oracle, XML, SAP, SQL Server Integration Services, ODBC, and OLE DB. Additional data processing extensions may be available from third-party vendors.

    Note that if you are using SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services, you can only choose SQL Server data sources.

  • Connection String
    Specify the connection string that the report server uses to connect to the data source. The connection type determines the syntax you should use. For example, a connection string for the XML data processing extension is a URL to an XML document. In most cases, a typical connection string specifies the database server and a data file. The following example illustrates a connection string used to connect to the SQL Server AdventureWorks database:

    data source=<a SQL Server instance>;initial catalog=AdventureWorks

  • Connect Using
    Specifies options that determine how credentials are obtained.

    Important

    If credentials are provided in the connection string, the options and values provided in this section are ignored. Note that if you specify credentials on the connection string, the values are displayed in clear text to all users who view this page.

  • The credentials supplied by the user running the report
    Each user must type in a user name and password to access the data source. You can define the prompt text that requests user credentials. The default text string is "Enter a user name and password to access the data source."

    Select Use as Windows credentials when connecting to the data source if the credentials that the user provides are Windows Authentication credentials. Do not select this check box if you are using database authentication (for example, SQL Server Authentication).

  • Credentials stored securely in the report server
    Store an encrypted user name and password in the report server database. Select this option to run a report unattended (for example, reports that are initiated by schedules or events instead of user action). If you are using default security, the user name must be a Windows domain account. Specify the account in this format: <domain>\<username>. The account you specify must have log on locally permissions on the computer that hosts the data source used by the report.

    Select Use as Windows credentials when connecting to the data source if the credentials are Windows Authentication credentials. Do not select this check box if you are using database authentication (for example, SQL Server Authentication).

    If you are using database authentication, select Impersonate the authenticated user after a connection has been made to the data source (Connect using) to allow delegation of database credentials, but only if a database server supports impersonation. For SQL Server databases, this option sets the SETUSER function.

  • Windows Integrated Security
    Use the Windows credentials of the current user to access the data source. Select this option when the credentials that are used to access a data source are the same as those used to log on to the network domain. This option works best when Kerberos is enabled for your domain, or when the data source is on the same computer as the report server. If Kerberos is not enabled, Windows credentials can be passed to one other computer. If additional computer connections are required, you will get an error instead of the data you expect.

    A report server administrator can disable the use of Windows integrated security for accessing report data sources. If this value is grayed out, the feature is not available.

    Do not use this option if you plan to schedule or subscribe to this report. Scheduled or unattended report processing requires credentials that can be obtained without user input or the security context of a current user. Only stored credentials provide this capability. For this reason, the report server prevents you from scheduling report or subscription processing if the report is configured for the Windows integrated security credential type. If you choose this option for a report that is already subscribed to or that has scheduled operations, the subscriptions and scheduled operations will stop.

  • Credentials are not required
    Specify that credentials are not required to access the data source. Note that if a data source requires a user logon, choosing this option will have no effect. You should only choose this option if the data source connection does not require user credentials.

    To use this option, you must have previously configured the unattended execution account for your report server deployment. The unattended execution account is used to connect to external data sources when other sources of credentials are not available. If you specify this option and the account is not configured, the connection to the report data source will fail and report processing will not occur. For more information about this account, see Configuring the Unattended Execution Account.

  • Apply
    Click to save your changes.

  • Move
    Click to move the shared data source to a different location in the report server folder namespace.

  • Generate Model
    Click to create a new model based on the shared data source.

  • Delete
    Click to delete the shared data source. Deleting a shared data source deactivates any reports, models, and data-driven subscriptions that use it. To reactivate reports, models, and subscriptions, you must open each one and update its data source properties to use a different shared data source. For reports and subscriptions, you can specify data source connection information as Data Source property values.