Stimulsoft Server Designer - dataset

What I want to achive is me giving a DataSet to the Report Server, which automatically uses this DataSet to create a report that has been pre-designed for this data.
My guess is to make use of the Object Tab, primarily the "Data from DataSet, DataTables" option in the Report Designer on our Stimulsoft Server.
After going through the Docummentation I could not find anything more about how to actually use it.
I have tried uploading a VisualStudio-DataSet(.xsd), but I can't attach the file to my report. No Errors, it just is does not let me attach to it. Other DataSources (e.g. Excel Files) do work.
What should I do? Is there another way for me to send DataSets to the Server and get a report out of it? Other connection types like SQL would work but are not relevant for this case.
Also, we are using the trial version for now. Pretty sure this does
not affect my problem in any way but I'd better add this information.

In this case, you can add new XML connection in which specify .xml or .xsd files and then select necessary tables.
https://i.stack.imgur.com/qUVw7.png

Related

Set DSN for all reports

I have a Report folder on Report server and this folder have 73 reports. I have created the shared data source (DSN). Now, I want to change the data source of all reports in one go. Is there any option to set common dsn for all report?
I have right click on report and selected manage tab. After that in property window I have set the data source and its done successfully,
But doing same way for all report will take more time, so I want any shortcut for that.
Unfortunately no. SSRS has very few bulk operations like that. The reports though, are just XML (called RDL). One option would be to modify one, find out the change that was made, and to write a small program to update all the reports.

Update Multiple SSRS Reports in bulk

I need to make identical changes to hundreds of reports, and I was hoping to do this via SQL instead of each indvidual report and it's query. I can extract the report query via xml and generate my list of reports, their location, and the query being used. But what I cannot figure out is how to update the report query and then get that updated back into the Catalog? database so that the report itself reflects the changes when executed? I have never seen where this is possible, but maybe someone on here has tried to do this or knows that it's flat out not possible.
I could use SSIS and do this, but I would prefer not to download all the RDLs and then update, and then redeploy/upload the reports. Was hoping to update in place the reports/RDLs.
You shouldn't have to download the RDLs, they should already be in your source control system, and ideally collected and grouped into project(s). If so, you are in luck - you can use the global search/replace capabilities of Visual Studio (BIDS) or Notepad++ to make your change.
If your change was to the structure of the report then you could simply write a quick nasty console app to load the RDL and manipulate the XML structure. But things like the report query are held as free-form text in a node, making it harder to apply mass updates in a reliable way.
You could look to refactor the report queries into stored procedures and/or functions, this will make future updates a bit easier. In any case if you change the report RDLs you've got no option but to republish the modified ones - there's no such thing as an in-place change on the server (having your queries as stored procedures would have avoided this issue).

What would be the best method for building Dynamic Reports from my SQL DB Data?

I am building a simple database with about 6-7 tables. I will be setting a schedule to do a clean import from a .txt file.
I want to take this data and create a report, like I would do in an excel spreadsheet, convert it to a pdf and post it to our company intranet for those interested to access it.
I'm trying to think of the best way to build my report. Would I just use an excel spreadsheet with a direct connection to the database? Would I create some sort of console application (c/c#/vb/vb.net) that would query the db, generate the report in an excel file, convert to pdf and save?
I'm quite comfortable in these different languages, just not as experienced in the reporting services (although I do have a lot of experience working with EXCEL and VBA Macros) but I want to get into it (SSRS) and get familiar with it as I will be doing a lot of projects like this in the future. This is seems like an easy one to get my hands dirty with and learn and build off of.
Any insight or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!
My suggestion:
Create desired SQL queries to retrieve the data in desired form
Link these queries to your Excel sheet, perhaps directly in form of pivot tables for aggregation of results
Using VBA, you can easily create PDF from the data at the click of a button
The initial design will be time intensive, but after that, everything is automated and one just needs to press the button that creates the PDF.
How to link Access queries to your Excel file:
Data --> Get external Data
You can easily refresh all data whenever you open the Excelsheet by using the code below in the On Open event of the workbook:
ThisWorkbook.RefreshAll
If you need further clarification, do not hesitate to ask
If your end goal is to create a PDF that will be out on your intranet then I would create the report in SSRS. Then you can schedule it to run and output a PDF to your network location.
I've had good experiences using a pivot table in Excel which is a connected table to your SQL database.
In the connection parameters in Excel there is a field where you can define your SQL query, whether it be to call a stored procedure or just a simple SELECT statement.
The main reason I prefer a pivot table SQL connection rather than a normal table connection is because if you have a chart that references the connected table, the chart formatting will be reset when you refresh your connection (if you need to updated your report).
If I use a chart that references a pivot table (or a pivot chart) then the formatting is retained.

Element X in the DataSet references an object missing from the Database

When first time I created my App, I created a Database using Microsoft SQL SERVER Management Studio and I connected my App with it.
I created another DB with the same tables and every thing but with diferent names and I let my App to connect to the second one because I want to make some changes and when I am trying to edit my DataSet with Wizard I get this tables page :
as you can see my app couldn't find the right tables and when I am trying to select LastWork table as in the pic, it will make the table name in the DataSet LastWork1.
How I can fix this problem? and let it find the right tables
I've seen this problem when using copies of databases as well, after pointing to a different connection in the settings area of the project properties. The XSD evidently hard codes each DbObjectName with the name of the database and schema in use at design time. One approach to fixing it is to open the wizard for the appropriate dataset, uncheck the red-x objects with the missing references, close the wizard, then re-open it and re-select the objects that are needed. This is not ideal in a large xsd if many findby queries, custom columns, etc. have been added. So an alternative is to do a find and replace on the database name within the XSD itself.
Interestingly, my experience has been that an application runs fine when the connection string points to a differently named but otherwise identical database.

How can I change the source of a Data Source View and the Report Models based on it to a different database?

I have a number of reports deployed to a SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services server. They were all developed using the same Report Model (SDML) that references the same Data Source View (DSV) that points to a test database filled with mostly dummy data. Now, I would like to make those reports pull data from the live database with our real data instead. The two databases have exactly the same structure.
It seems to me, that if I could just change the Data Source being referenced in the Data Source View, then I could redeploy the report model, and all the reports based on it would also reference the correct data. I can see in Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005 that there's an option in the Data Source View property list in Design mode to change the Data Source. So I changed the Data Source, thinking that would work. However, when I try to redeploy the report model after changing the Data Source in the Data Source View, I get a number of error messages like this one:
Error 1 The Table property of the Entity 'Address' refers to the Table 'dbo_address', which is not in the primary data source. Events.smdl 0 0
Is there something else I need to be doing here? Something in the Report Model or Data Source View that should be updated? Is there another way to do what I need to?
Edit 1:
I tried changing the datasource of the report model on the server after the reports were deployed, and that seemed to work pretty well. It's not exactly what I wanted to do, but it works. Thanks everyone.
The strategy that has worked best for me is to deploy the "test" shared datasource to the server then edit it via the Report Manager interface to point to the "production" database (changing the connection string). Making sure of course Overwrite Datasources is set to false on deploy.
Also, your database schema must be the same in test as it is in production.
I don't have as much experience with the report models but generally SSRS doesn't like it when you make changes to the datasource and asks you to refresh all the datasets that you have if you do.
Alternatively, just change the datasource definition on the report server itself.
It sounds like you're changing the data source that the dsv references. Instead, why don't you try to change connection string of the data source. Internally the DSV uses GUIDs to identify the various tables and fields, I suspect that by creating a new data source the GUIDs will change and that is why you're seeing these error messages (as the error message is mapping the internally used GUID to it's "friendly name").
The setup I use has an identically named Data Source (.rds) file for each environment, in the same folder the reports are deployed to. It's just a connection string...
My experience has been the same as zalzaw's - if you change the Data Source, you have to refresh all the datasets associated with the report while pointing at the new environment based on the data source changes. It's very tedious - you go to the Data tab for the report in Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005:
Select a Dataset from the dropdown menu
Click the Refresh button (2nd to the right of the Dataset dropdown, icon looks like recycle)
Repeat steps until all datasets have been refreshed.
Make sure that the database(s) (and stored procedures) are in sync. It's all for naught if a table exists in Dev but not in Test or Prod...

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