Overview of Reporting Services and SharePoint Technology Integration
You can configure a report server to run within a deployment of a SharePoint product and use the collaboration and centralized document management features of SharePoint for reports and other Reporting Services content types. The SharePoint integration requires installing the appropriate version of the Reporting services add-in on your SharePoint Web Front Ends. Running a report server as part of a SharePoint deployment provides the following levels integration:
Shared storage.
Shared security.
Same site access for all business documents, including reports, report models, and shared data sources.
Server Integration Architecture
When you integrate a report server with an instance of a SharePoint product, items and properties are stored in the SharePoint content databases. This provides a deeper level of integration between the server technologies that effects how content is stored, secured, and accessed.
Storing report items and properties in SharePoint content databases allows you to browse SharePoint libraries for report server content types, secure items using the same permission levels and authentication provider that controls access to other business documents hosted on a SharePoint site, use the collaboration and document management features to check reports in and out for modification, use alerts to find out if an item has changed, and embed or customize the Report Viewer Web part on pages and sites within the application. If you have sufficient permissions within a SharePoint site, you can also generate report models from shared data sources and use Report Builder to create reports.
The report server continues to provide all data processing, rendering, and delivery. It also supports all scheduled report processing for snapshots and report history. The following diagram shows the server components together:
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When you open a report from a SharePoint site, the Report Server endpoint connects to a report server, creates a session, prepares the report for processing, retrieves data, merges the report into the report layout, and displays it in the Report Viewer Web part. While the report is open, you can export it to different application formats, or interact with data by drilling into underlying numbers or clicking through to a related report. Export and report interaction operations are performed on the report server.
The report server synchronizes operations and data with SharePoint and tracks information about the files it processes. When you modify properties or settings for any report server item, the change is stored in a SharePoint database and then copied to a report server database that provides internal storage to a report server.
For more information about topologies and requirements, see Deployment Topologies for Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode and Requirements for Running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode.
Components That Provide Integration
To combine the servers in a single deployment, you integrate an installation of SQL Server Reporting Services with an instance of SharePoint products
Integration is provided through SQL Server and the Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Products. The Reporting Services Add-in is a freely distributable component that you can download and then install on a server that is running the appropriate version of SharePoint.
On SharePoint, the Reporting Services Add-in provides the ReportServer proxy endpoint, a Report Viewer Web part, and application pages so that you can view, store, and manage report server content on a SharePoint site or farm.
On Reporting Services provides updated program files, a SOAP endpoint, and custom security and delivery extensions. The report server must be configured to run in SharePoint integrated mode, dedicated exclusively to supporting report access and delivery through your SharePoint site.
After you install the Reporting Services Add-in on SharePoint and configure the two servers for integration, you can upload or publish report server content types to a SharePoint library, and then view and manage those documents from a SharePoint site. Uploading or publishing report server content is an important first step; the Web Part and pages become available when you select report definitions (.rdl), report models (.smdl) and shared data sources (.rsds) on a SharePoint site.
Supported combinations of the SharePoint add-in and Report Server
Not all features are supported in all combinations of report server, Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint, and SharePoint Products. The recommended and most complete combination is to use SharePoint 2010 Products, the SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint 2010 Products, and SQL Server 2008 R2 report server in SharePoint Integrated mode.
Note
The correct version of the Reporting Services add-in must be used with the corresponding version of SharePoint Products.
Supported Combinations of SharePoint and Reporting Services components
The following table summarizes the supported combinations of report server, Reporting Services add-in for SharePoint Products, and SharePoint Products. For a detailed list of the features supported, see Features Supported by Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode
Report Server |
Add-in |
SharePoint |
Supported |
|---|---|---|---|
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
SharePoint 2010 Products |
Y |
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
SQL Server 2008 SP2 |
SharePoint 2007 Products |
Y |
SQL Server 2008 SP1 Cumulative Update #8 |
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
SharePoint 2010 Products |
Y |
SQL Server 2008 |
SQL Server 2008 |
SharePoint 2010 Products |
N |
SQL Server 2008 |
SQL Server 2008 |
SharePoint 2007 Products |
Y |
SQL Server 2005 SP2 |
SQL Server 2005 |
SharePoint 2007 Products |
Y |
Installation and configuration overview
The exact steps that you take to install and configure the Reporting Services Add-in may vary depending on your requirements. The following are the basic steps.
Install the add-in using the rsSharepoint.msi file. In a SharePoint farm deployment, the add-in must be installed on each Web front-end server. For more information, see How to: Install or Uninstall the Reporting Services Add-in. The add-in is installed by the SharePoint 2010 prerequisites and if the add-in was already installed, you do not need to use the rsSharepoint.msi.
In SharePoint Central Administration, configure Reporting Services integration, which includes specifying the URL of the report server to integrate with the SharePoint farm. For more information, see How to: Configure Report Server Integration in SharePoint Central Administration.
In SharePoint Central Administration, verify the report server integration and Central Administration features are activated under site collection features. For more information, see How to: Activate the Report Server Feature in Site Settings.
In SharePoint Central Administration, activate the Report Server File sync feature. This feature helps keep items that are manually copies to document libraries, synchronized with the report server catalog. For more information, see How to: Activate the Report Server File Sync Feature in SharePoint Central Administration.
In SharePoint Central Administration, configure the types of events you want added into the SharePoint Trace log. For more information, see How to: Turn on Reporting Services events for the SharePoint trace log (ULS)
For each document library, add the three reporting services content types: Report Builder Model, Report Data Source, Report Builder Report. This will make the reporting services options available in the new document list. For more information, see How to: Add Report Server Content Types to a Library (Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode).
Connected Mode and Local Mode
The SQL Server 2008 R2 release introduces a new local mode for viewing reports from a SharePoint 2010 server that has the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint 2010 products installed.
Local Mode: Local mode allows reports to be rendered locally from the SharePoint document library, without integration with a report server. For more information on local mode, see Rendering Local Mode Reports in the Report Viewer (Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode).
Connected Mode: Connected mode is supported by integrating a Reporting Services report server into the SharePoint farm using SharePoint Central Administration. The integration with a report server enables full end-to-end reporting, providing the collaboration features of SharePoint 2010 and the server based features of a report server including: Subscriptions, Snapshots, and server based processing. For more information on configuring connected mode, see How to: Configure Report Server Integration in SharePoint Central Administration. For more information on supported features, see Features Supported by Reporting Services in SharePoint Integrated Mode.
See Also
Concepts
Change History
Updated content |
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Removed the ‘estimated’ release date for SQL Server 2008 SP2, because it has released. |