This module introduces Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, its components, and the tools used to work with it.

Almost every report that you publish by using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) will be built using data that’s obtained from one or more source systems. This lesson explains how to configure SSRS to interact with source data systems by working with data sources.

Now that you have learned about BI and data modelling, and how to access data from Report Designer and Report Builder, you need to learn how to create reports. This module shows you how to create different types of reports in both applications, in addition to using the Report Wizard.

It is common for business requirements to change regarding the information they need and how they want data presented. On viewing a detailed report, senior management might ask for higher level, summarized, or filtered versions of the same report.Report Builder and Report Designer support these scenarios via filtering, sorting, drilldowns, grouping and the parameterizing of reports.In this module, you will see how to use filters and parameters to make reports more dynamic and useful to business users.

As the amount of data being generated continues to grow, the need to make sense of its meaning increases. You use data visualization to make data easier to understand, and faster to interpret.Data visualizations highlight comparisons, show trends, and convey scale much faster than a table of numbers could. The detail is important, but visualizations are a highly effective way of conveying meaning and insights quickly and accurately.

As the amount of data we need to deal with increases, so does the requirement to manage data by grouping and summarizing. In this module, you will learn how to create group structures, summarize data, and provide interactivity in your reports, so that users see the level of detail or summary that they need.

When you have published a Reporting Services report, users can view the report interactively. In some situations, it can be advantageous to run reports automatically, either to improve performance through caching and snapshots, or to deliver reports to users—by using e-mail or other mechanisms. To run reports automatically, you need to understand how Reporting Services manages scheduling. This module covers report scheduling, caching and the report life cycle, and automatic subscription and delivery of reports.

System administrators take responsibility for the configuration and day-to-day operations of IT systems. In SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), administrative tasks include the configuration of the web portal and web service, branding the web portal, and ensuring that access to sensitive reports is carefully controlled. Administrators also monitor and optimize performance.

Although Reporting Services is a powerful tool, its built-in capabilities might not always meet your needs. This module covers the methods for extending the functionality of Reporting Services with expressions and custom code. You will also learn about the methods for working with Reporting Services programmatically, and integrating Reporting Services reports into other applications.

This module introduces the design and publication of reports that are intended for consumption on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) includes support for mobile reports, although the tools that are used to design and publish mobile reports are different to the tools used for the paginated reports discussed in the earlier modules of this course.

In this module, you will learn about the element types that you can add to your Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services mobile reports. You will also learn about working with dataset parameters, and how to add drillthrough actions to your reports.