HTML Viewer and the report toolbar
SQL Server Reporting Services provides an HTML Viewer that is used to display reports on demand as they're requested from the report server. HTML Viewer provides a framework for viewing reports in HTML. It includes a report toolbar, a parameter section, a credentials section, and a document map. The report toolbar in HTML Viewer includes features you can use to work with your report, including export options so that you can view your report in formats other than HTML. The parameter section and document map appear only when you open reports that are configured to use parameters and a document map control.
Although you can't modify the report toolbar, you can configure parameters on a report URL to hide it on a report. For more information about hiding the report toolbar, see URL access parameter reference.
Report toolbar
The report toolbar provides page navigation, zoom, refresh, search, export, print, and data feed functionality for reports that are rendered in the HTML rendering extension.
Print functionality is optional. When it's available, a Printer icon appears on the report toolbar. On first use, selecting the Printer icon downloads an ActiveX control that you must install. Once the control is installed, selecting the Printer icon opens a Print dialog box so that you can select from the printers that are configured for your computer. Server settings and browser settings determine print availability. For more information, see Print reports from a browser with the Print Control (Report Builder and SSRS) and Enable and disable client-side printing for Reporting Services.
The report toolbar is similar to the one shown in the following illustration. The report toolbar that you see might differ from the illustration based on report features or the rendering options that are available.
The following table describes commonly used features of the report toolbar. The control that you use to access each feature identifies it.
| Icon or control | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Page navigation controls | Open the first or last page of a report, scroll through a report page by page, and open a specific page in a report. To view a specific page, type the page number and press ENTER. |
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Page display controls | Enlarge or reduce the size of the report page. In addition to percentage-based changes, you can select Page Width to fit the horizontal length of a report page in the browser window, or Whole Page to fit the vertical length of a report in the browser window. A Zoom option is supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and later. |
|
Search field | Search for content in the report by typing a word or phrase that you want to find (the maximum value length is 256 characters). The search is case-insensitive and starts at the page or section that is currently selected. Only visible content is included in a search operation. To search for subsequent occurrences of the same value, select Next. |
|
Export formats | Open a new browser window and render the report in the selected format. The rendering extensions that are installed on the report server determine the available formats. TIFF is recommended for printing. Select Export to view the report in the selected format. |
|
Document map icon | Show or hide the document map pane in a report that includes a document map. A document map is a report navigation control similar to the navigation pane on a Web site. You can select items in the document map to navigate to a specific group, page, or subreport. |
|
Printer icon | Open a Print dialog box so that you can specify print options and print a report. On first use, selecting this icon prompts you to download the print control. |
| Show and hide icons | Show or hide parameter value fields and the View Report button in a report that includes parameters. | |
|
Report refresh icon | Refresh the report. Data for live reports refreshes. Cached reports reload from where they're stored. |
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Data feed icon | Generated data feeds from reports. |
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Pin to Power BI Dashboard | Pin support report items to a Power BI. If the button isn't visible, the report server isn't integrated with Power BI. For more information, see Power BI Report Server integration (Configuration Manager). |
About export formats
From the report toolbar, you can select to view your report in various formats. The rendering extensions that are installed on the report server determine the available formats. When you select another format, a second browser window is used to display the report, using a viewer associated with the export format you selected. If a viewer isn't available for the format you select, you can select a different format.
The following export formats are included in a default report server installation. The list of export formats available to you might vary from the formats listed here.
| Export format | Description |
|---|---|
| XML | View a report in XML syntax. Reports viewed in XML open in a new browser window. |
| CSV | View a report in a comma-delimited format. The report opens in an application that is associated with the CSV file type. |
| View a report using a client-side PDF viewer. You must have a PDF viewer (for example, Adobe Acrobat Reader) to use this format. | |
| MHTML | View the report in an MIME-encoded HTML format that keeps images and linked content together with a report. |
| Excel | View the report in Microsoft Excel, an .xlsx file. |
| PowerPoint | View the report in Microsoft PowerPoint, a .pptx file. |
| TIFF file | View the report in the default TIFF viewer. For some Microsoft Windows clients, this viewer is the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Select this format to a view a report in a page-oriented layout. |
| Word | View the report in Microsoft Word, a .docx file. |
Parameters
Parameters are values that are used to select specific data. Specifically, they're used to complete a query that selects the data for your report, or to filter the result set. Parameters that are commonly used in reports include dates, names, and IDs. When you specify a value for a parameter, the report contains only the data that matches the value; for example, employee data based on an Employee ID parameter. Parameters correspond to fields on the report. After you specify a parameter, select View Report to get the data.
The report author defines the parameter values that are valid for each report. A report administrator can also set parameter values. To find out which parameter values are valid for your report, ask your report designer or administrator.
Credentials
Credentials are user name and password values that grant access to a data source. After you specify your credentials, select View Report to get the data. If a report requires you to sign in, the data that you're authorized to see might differ from the data that another user sees. So, two users can run the same report and get different results. In addition, some reports contain hidden areas that are revealed based on user sign-in credentials or selections made in the report itself. Hidden areas in the report are excluded from search operations, producing different search results than when all parts of the report are visible.