Planning for Report Authoring and Report Deployment
SQL Server Reporting Services offers several approaches for authoring and deploying reports. This topic provides an overview of report definition support by Reporting Services components. A report definition is an XML file that is written in the Report Definition Language (RDL) or the Report Definition Language for Clients (RDLC). Each report definition conforms to a specific schema version that is listed at the beginning of the file.
RDL files are authored in Report Designer in Business Intelligence Development Studio projects, Report Builder 1.0, Report Builder 2.0, and Report Builder 3.0. RDLC files are authored by using the ReportViewer controls that are included in Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008.
Use this topic to help plan for a report authoring environment and report server that work together. This topic provides the following information:
The list of the versions of report definition schemas that are supported.
Which report versions can run on a SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services report server.
Which versions of which authoring environments can create, deploy, and locally preview which report versions.
RDL Schema Versions
SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services introduces a new version of the RDL schema that supports new features in a report definition. For more information, see What's New (Reporting Services). Previous versions of the RDL schema continue to be supported.
The following table lists each available schema version and the abbreviation that is used throughout the rest of this topic:
Abbreviation |
Schema version |
|---|---|
2010 RDL |
https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2010/01/reportdefinition |
2008 RDL |
https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2008/01/reportdefinition |
2005 RDL 2005 RDLC |
https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2005/01/reportdefinition |
2000 RDL |
https://schemas.microsoft.com/sqlserver/reporting/2003/10/reportdefinition |
For more information about specific RDL schemas, see Microsoft SQL Server XML Schemas and Report Definition Language Specifications.
For more information about ReportViewer controls, see Reporting Services and ReportViewer Controls in Visual Studio 2010.
For more information about identifying which report schema version is installed on the report server or on the report authoring client, see How to: Identify the Report Definition Schema Version (SSRS).
Report Server Processing Support
On a Reporting Services SQL Server 2008 R2 report server, you can publish report definition files in the following ways:
Deploy a report in Report Designer in Business Intelligence Development Studio.
Save a report to the report server in Report Builder 3.0.
Save a report to the report server in Report Builder 1.0.
Upload a report to a report server that is configured in native mode by using Report Manager.
Upload a report to a SharePoint site that is configured with a report server.
Programmatically publish a report by using the SOAP API interfaces to a SQL Server 2008 R2 report server. For more information, see Report Server Web Service.
Programmatically publish a report by using the SOAP API interfaces to a SQL Server 2008 report server. For more information, see Report Server Web Service.
The following table lists support for report definition schemas by report server version.
Report server version |
RDL schema version |
|---|---|
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
|
SQL Server 2008 |
|
When you upload a report definition to the report server by using Report Manager, the report server preserves the report definition in the original format. On first use, the report server upgrades the report in the report server database to a binary format that is preserved for subsequent views. The report definition itself is not upgraded. From Report Manager on the General Properties page for the report, you can extract a read-only copy of the report definition in the original format. For more information, see How to: Extract, Update, or Edit the Source File of a Published Model or Report Definition (Report Manager).
Note
To upgrade the report definition, you must open the report in a report authoring environment and then save it.
For more information about report upgrades and the schema versions that are supported, see Upgrading Reports.
Report Authoring and Deployment Support
Report authoring environments include Report Designer in Business Intelligence Development Studio projects, Report Designer in Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008, Report Builder 1.0, Report Builder 2.0, and Report Builder 3.0. Report authoring environments provide a variety of support for report upgrade, report design, report preview in local mode, report preview on the report server, and report deployment. For more information about feature support, see Comparing Report Authoring Environments.
Note
In SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services, Business Intelligence Development Studio can author reports in both the 2010 and 2008 RDL schema. For more information, see Building Reports in Business Intelligence Development Studio.
The following table summarizes support for authoring and deploying report definitions for different schema versions:
Product |
Authoring environment |
Author RDL version |
Deploy RDL version |
Deploy to report server versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SQL Server 2000 |
Report Designer in BI Development Studio |
2000 RDL |
2000 RDL |
SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services |
SQL Server 2005 |
Report Designer in BI Development Studio |
2000 RDL, upgrades to 2005 RDL 2005 RDL |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services |
SQL Server 2008 |
Report Designer in BI Development Studio |
2000 RDL, upgrades to 2008 RDL 2005 RDL, upgrades to 2008 RDL 2008 RDL |
2008 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services |
SQL Server 2008 R2 |
Report Designer in a BI Development Studio |
2000 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2005 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2008 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2010 RDL |
2008 RDL 2010 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services |
Report Builder 3.0 |
Report Builder 3.0 |
2000 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2005 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2008 RDL, upgrades to 2010 RDL 2010 RDL |
2010 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services |
Report Builder 2.0 |
Report Builder 2.0 |
2000 RDL, upgrades to 2008 RDL 2005 RDL, upgrades to 2008 RDL 2008 RDL |
2008 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services |
Report Builder 1.0 |
Report Builder 1.0 |
2005 RDL |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services |
Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 |
Report Designer |
2005 RDLC |
N/A |
N/A |
ReportViewer Controls
A ReportViewer control in Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 can display a report in local preview or can display a report on a report server. The following table provides the list of report schema versions that a report viewer control can display:
Product |
Local preview |
Server version for server mode |
|---|---|---|
Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services: 2010 RDL 2008 RDL 2005 RDL 2000 RDL |
Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services: 2008 RDL 2005 RDL 2000 RDL |
Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services: 2005 RDL 2000 RDL |
Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 |
2005 RDL |
SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services: 2000 RDL |
For more information, see Reporting Services and ReportViewer Controls in Visual Studio 2010.