Using a URL to Access Report Server Items
The way in which the report server responds to a URL request depends on the type of item supplied in the URL. The following sections describe how the report server responds to URL requests for different types of items.
Report
If a report is referenced in a URL, the report runs and is rendered based on the parameters supplied in the URL. If you do not include the parameter string rs:Command=Render or other parameters in the URL, the report is displayed in HTML Viewer. The format of the report depends on your browser and browser version. For more information, see Finding and Viewing Reports with a Browser (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS) and Rendering to HTML (Report Builder 3.0 and SSRS).
Note
If you omit the line rs:Command=Render, the report server must evaluate the item type and select the appropriate command value. Use rs:Command=Render in the URL to improve the performance of the report server.
Resource
If a resource is referenced in a URL, the resource is returned. You can access and view images and other resources in your browser by using a URL. If a resource is not compatible with your browser, you may be prompted to open or save the file or resource to disk.
Data Source
If a data source is referenced in a URL, the data source is displayed if you are an authenticated user with Read Contents permission on the data source. Accessing a data source in this way is similar to calling the Web service GetDataSourceContents method.
When you access the data source, the XML representation of the DataSourceDefinition property of the data source appears in browsers that support XML. The DataSourceDefinition XML structure might look similar to the following example:
<DataSourceDefinition>
<Extension>SQL</Extension>
<ConnectString>Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;Integrated Security=SSPI;Persist Security Info=False;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks2008R2;Data Source=MYSERVER1;</ConnectString>
<CredentialRetrieval>Integrated</CredentialRetrieval>
<WindowsCredentials>False</WindowsCredentials>
<ImpersonateUser>False</ImpersonateUser>
<Prompt />
<Enabled>True</Enabled>
</DataSourceDefinition>
The connection string is returned based on the SecureConnectionLevel setting of the report server. For more information about the SecureConnectionLevel setting, see Using Secure Web Service Methods.
Note
To improve server performance, include the line rs:Command=GetDataSourceContents immediately after the path to the shared data source.
Folder
If a folder is referenced in a URL, a generic folder-navigation page is returned. The HTML page contains links to the subfolders, reports, data sources, and resources contained in the requested folder. The user interface you see is similar to the directory browsing mode used by Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). The version number, including the build number, of the report server is also displayed below the folder listing. The format of the version number might look similar to the following example:
"Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Version 10.50.0xxx.00"