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Add, change, or delete a map or map layer in a paginated report (Report Builder)

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Applies to: ✅ Microsoft Report Builder (SSRS) ✅ Power BI Report Builder ✅ Report Designer in SQL Server Data Tools

A map is a collection of layers. When you add a map to a paginated report, you define the first layer. You can create additional layers by using the map layer wizard.

The easiest way to add, remove, or change options for a layer is to use the map layer wizard. You can also change options manually from the Map pane. To display the Map pane, click in the map on the report design surface. The following figure displays the parts of the pane:

Screenshot of the Map Layers section that points out the Layer Toolbar, Layer visibility, Layer name, Type of spacial data source, Layer type, Adjust Zoom Level, and Adjust View Center options.

Map layers are drawn from bottom to top in the order that they appear in the Map pane. In the previous figure, the tile layer is drawn first and the polygon layer is drawn last. Layers that are drawn later might hide map elements on layers that are drawn earlier. You can change the order of layers by using the arrow keys on the Map pane toolbar. To show or hide layers, toggle the visibility icon. You can change the transparency of a layer on the Visibility page of the Layer Data properties dialog box.

The following table displays the toolbar icons for the Map pane.

Symbol Description When to use
Map Layer Wizard To add a layer by using a wizard, click New layer wizard.
Add Layer To manually add a layer, click Add Layer, and then click the type of map layer to add.
Polygon Layer Add a map layer that displays areas or shapes that are based sets of polygon coordinates.
Line Layer Add a map layer that displays paths or routes that are based on sets of line coordinates.
Point Layer Add a map layer that displays locations that are based on sets of point coordinates.
Tile Layer Add a map layer that displays Bing Map tiles that correspond to the current map view area that is defined by the viewport.

At the bottom of the Map pane is the Map view area. To change the center or zoom options for the map, use the arrow keys to adjust the view center and the slider to adjust the zoom level.

For more information about layers, see Maps (Report Builder and SSRS).

Note

You can create and modify paginated report definition (.rdl) files in Microsoft Report Builder, Power BI Report Builder, and in Report Designer in SQL Server Data Tools.

To add a layer from the map layer wizard

  • From the Ribbon, on the Insert menu, click Map, and then click Map Wizard. The wizard enables you to add a layer to the existing map. Most wizard pages are identical between the map wizard and the map layer wizard.

    For more information, see Map Wizard and Map Layer Wizard (Report Builder and SSRS).

To change options for a layer by using the map layer wizard

  • Run the map layer wizard. This wizard enables you to change options for a layer that you created by using the map layer wizard. In the Map pane, right-click the layer, and on the toolbar, click the layer wizard button (rs_IconMapLayerWizard).

    For more information, see Map Wizard and Map Layer Wizard (Report Builder and SSRS).

To add a point, line, or polygon layer from the Map pane toolbar

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. On the toolbar, click the Add Layer button, and from the drop-down list, click the type of layer that you want to add: Point, Line, or Polygon.

    Note

    Although you can add a map layer and configure it manually, we recommend that you use the map layer wizard to add new layers. To launch the wizard from the Map pane toolbar, click the layer wizard button (rs_IconMapLayerWizard).

  3. Right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data.

  4. In Use spatial data from, select the source of spatial data. Options vary based on your selection.

    If you want to visualize analytical from your report on this layer, do the following:

    1. Click Analytical data.

    2. In Analytical dataset, click the name of the dataset that contains analytical data and the match fields to build a relationship between analytical and spatial data.

    3. Click Add.

    4. Type the name of the match field from the spatial dataset.

    5. Type the name of the match field from the analytical dataset.

    For more information about linking spatial and analytical data, see Customize the Data and Display of a Map or Map Layer (Report Builder and SSRS).

  5. Select OK.

To filter analytical data for the layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer in the Map pane, and then click Layer Data.

  3. Click Filters.

  4. Define a filter equation to limit the analytical data that is used in the map display. For more information, see Filter Equation Examples (Report Builder and SSRS).

To control point properties for a point layer or for polygon center points

  1. Select General on the Map Point Properties dialog box to change label, tooltip, and marker type options for the following map elements:

    • All dynamic or embedded points on a point layer. Color rules, size rules, and marker type rules for points override these options. To override options for a specific embedded point, use the Map Embedded Point Properties Dialog Box, Marker page.

    • The center point for all dynamic or embedded polygons on a polygon layer. Color rules, size rules, and marker type rules for center points override these options. To override options for a specific center point, use the Map Embedded Point Properties Dialog Box, Marker page.

To specify embedded data as a source of spatial data

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data.

  3. In Use spatial data from, select Data embedded in report.

  4. To load map elements from an existing report or to create map elements based on an ESRI file, click Browse, point to the file, and then click Open. The map elements are embedded in this report definition. The spatial data that you point to must match the layer type. For example, for a point layer, you must point to spatial data that specifies sets of point coordinates.

  5. In Spatial field, specify the name of the field that contains spatial data. You might need to determine this name from the source of spatial data.

    Note

    If you do not know the name of the field and you browsed to an ESRI Shapefile, use the Link to ESRI shape file option instead of this option.

  6. Select OK.

To specify an ESRI Shapefile as a source of spatial data

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data.

  3. In Use spatial data from, select Link to ESRI Shapefile.

  4. In File name, type the location of an ESRI Shapefile, or click Browse to select an ESRI Shapefile.

    Note

    If the Shapefile is on your local computer, the spatial data is embedded in the report definition. To retrieve the data dynamically when the report is processed, you must upload the ESRI .shp file and its .dbf support file to the report server. For more information, see Upload a File or Report.

  5. Select OK.

To specify a report dataset field as a source of spatial data

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data.

  3. In Use spatial data from, select Spatial field in a dataset.

  4. In Dataset name, click the name of a dataset in the report that contains that spatial data that you want.

  5. In Spatial field name, click the name of the field in the dataset that contains spatial data.

  6. Select OK.

To add a tile layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. On the toolbar, click the Add Layer button, and from the drop-down list, click Tile Layer.

    Note

    For more information about the use of Bing map tiles in your report, see Additional Terms of Use.

  3. Right-click the tile layer in the Map pane, and then click Tile Properties.

  4. In Tile options, select a tile style. If the Bing map tiles are available, the layer on the design surface updates with the style that you select.

    Note

    A tile layer can also be added when you add a polygon, line, or point layer in the Map or Map Layer wizard. On the Choose spatial data and map view options page, select the option Add a Bing Maps background for this map view.

To change the drawing order of a layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Click the layer in the Map pane to select it.

  3. On the Map pane toolbar, click the up or down arrow to change the drawing order of each layer.

To change the transparency of a polygon, line, or point layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer, and then click Layer Data.

  3. Click Visibility.

  4. In Transparency options, type a value that represents the percentage transparency, for example, 40. Zero (0) % transparency means that the layer is opaque. 100% transparency means that you will not see the layer in the report.

  5. Select OK.

To change the transparency of a tile layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. Right-click the layer, and then click Tile Properties.

  3. Click Visibility.

  4. In Transparency options, type a value that represents the percentage transparency, for example, 40.

  5. Select OK.

To specify a secure connection for a tile layer

  1. Click the map until the Map pane appears.

  2. In the Map pane, click the tile layer to select it. The Properties pane displays the tile layer properties.

  3. In the Properties pane, set UseSecureConnection to True.

The connection for the Bing Maps Web service will use the HTTP SSL service to retrieve Bing map tiles for this layer. Transport Layer Security (TLS) was previously known as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

To specify the language for tile labels

  1. By default, for tile styles that display labels, the language is determined from the default locale for Report Builder. You can customize the language setting for tile labels in the following ways.

    • Click the map outside the viewport to select the map. In the Properties pane, for the TileLanguage property, select a culture value from the drop-down list.

    • Click the report background to select the report. In the Properties pane, from for the Language property, select a culture value from the drop-down list.

    The order of precedence for setting the tile label language is: report property Language, default locale for Report Builder, and map property TileLanguage.

To conditionally hide a layer based on viewport zoom level

  1. Set Visibility options to control the display for a map layer.

    • In the Map Layers pane, right-click a layer to select it, and on the Map Layers toolbar, click Properties to open Map Layer Properties.

    • Click Visibility.

    • In Layer visibility, select Show or hide based on zoom value.

    • Enter minimum and maximum zoom values for when display the layer.

    • Optional. Enter a value for transparency.

    You can also conditionally hide the layer. For more information, see Hide an Item (Report Builder and SSRS).

See Also

Maps (Report Builder and SSRS)
Troubleshoot Reports: Map Reports (Report Builder and SSRS)