Is it possible to allow a group of users to format SSRS report (ordering columns, column width, eliminating wrapping, etc.), but not let them see/edit the dataset? Let me know if I need to setup my report/data source/dataset certain way.
One option would be to let them design the report in Report Builder with just a sample of dummy data. This would be ideal if you were only planning on having this done once initially.
If you want them to be able to manage the template on an ongoing basis, you could give them access to a table that stores the settings. You can include that table as a Dataset in your report. You can set expressions for properties like this:
=First(Fields!FontColor.Value, "Format_DataSet")
Most of the formatting for SSRS reports can be dynamic based on expressions like this.
Related
I need to use SSRS to create many different reports, and I have been trying to find the best way for me to easily create them as need, and for users to navigate them and use them for their needs.
To give you and idea of the two sets of data I am dealing with:
EDI file from our customer
Raw data output from hardware configuration
Now the EDI data is fairly consistent, so these columns are static.
The hardware data is usually a massive list of different configuration. I receive them in different flat files formats and using SSIS or other tools I get the data into Key Value Pairs. Now in a report, I use matrix to keep EDI columns static, it matches with the hardware on serial number, and Hardware data pivots.
So the report does not break, and so I don't give the user too much information, it matches up on another table where I specify what keys I want to be columns.
Here is a small example of one of my reports:
The green columns are EDI, while the orange is the hardware.
My question is, is there a better way for me to be doing this? Some reports can get complicated like needing total for certain hardware (counting hardrive space, ram total etc.) which is difficult to do dynamically.
I have tried creating in reports in this fashion, with these parameters:
This way I can create the Key columns per project and user can select what report they want to run. The default is All Data.
Is there a better way for me to create these reports? SSRS really doesn't seem to play well with dynamic pivots.
Is there a better tool that will handle these reports dynamically, or let users pick and choose what they want to see in a report?
I can't visualise your data but if I understand correctly, you could have a dropdown list showing all the unique values that are in the column you are using in the column group. Set this to be multi-value and then simply have the WHERE clause read something like
SELECT * FROM myTable WHERE myColumnGroupField IN (#myColumnChoiceParameter)
This way the user could select whichever columns they would like.
You could extend this by adding another parameter that has some preset groups of columns (I think you might have one of these already if I understand correctly) that would set the default value of the main #myColumnChoiceParameter parameter.
If you want something more flexible then you might want to look at Power BI but depending on how you intend to deploy that might not be a simple option.
You cannot dynamically create columns in SSRS but you can control the visibility of the columns.
1) Create a list in table that contains the names of all the columns that yo want to toggle and include a column titled 'All'.
2) Create a parameter that is based on this table and make sure multi-select is turned on.
3) Right click on every column that you want to toggle, select visibility and then create a condition that checks if the user either selected All or selected the column from the parameter list.
4) Train users that by selecting and deselecting from the dropdown they control whats visible.
What I am currently looking to do is use our existing UI to select a number of columns from various tables (yes, multiple tables) and pass them into a BIRT report as parameters. From there, I am planning on building a query that will dynamically replace the columns into the query and pull the results automatically. I'll have to hide columns with no value passed to them as well. I also expect I'll have to setup the query to be a little heavy handed and already know all of the logical connections in the database (e.g. connect the proper tables, etc).
My question is this the best way to manage a dynamic column/table in a dataset? or is there a better way to manage this method? I'v seen some online information about the "ad-hoc" BIRT report designer that lets non-programmers create reports, but I am not looking for other people to actually build the report, just generate one using an existing template with interchangeable columns.
I think the easiest way is to firstly build a report with all columns that you need.
Then apply some logic on the visibility of the column. You can use the parameters there as well.
Select your table, select a column, open the properties window and take a look at the visibility tab there. Just add some logic that results in a true or false.
If you are using a crosstab to display the information, you could use the filter options to include or exclude columns.
Yes, this will load data that is not used, but you need to build realy big reports for performance becomming a real issue.
If you try to add this logic in the actual dataset, you have to make the query and fetch script dynamic and then you still have the problem with the visualisation of the columns. I think you'll end up using the visibility script anyway (to show/hide the colums on the report), so might just start from there and have a working report fast.
Currently we create Jasper PDF Reports from a single simple database table for our customers. This has been achieved programmatically. It's static. If the user wishes to change the query, he/she creates a change request, which we cannot deliver before the end of the next sprint (SCRUM).
The tool/library should be straight forward (e.g. convention over configuration) and employable from within a JavaEE container. And, open source.
Is there a dynamic tool that allows or customers to create the simple queries/reports themselves without knowing SQL? Means, they should be able to see the table and then create a query from it, execute and print (we could use Jasper Reports for the last one).
E.g. Select only data from year 2014, aggregate them by customer group and select columns x,y and z.
All of these criterias and query structure may change though, thus not just the value like year 2014.
Questions:
1) Is there a tool that presents the data in some kind of SAP-cube or something similar where the user could select the structure and attributes?
2) Can that tool save template queries (queries that the user has invoked before)?
thanks
With BIRT you could use parameters in the report... for example have one report that shows the whole data set or data cube (or at least a bit of all of the fields). Then you could add JavaScript to the report (or do all of the presentation in JavaScript for that matter), that shows the parameters a user can select from. These parameter values can then either be sent to a new report or could update the existing report. Parameters can be put into database queries too.
If that was exposed in JavaScript on a web page you could save the parameter values to an array and store them in the browser or server.
I wrote a data extension which returns a DataSet to a report from the the C# code by implementing
Microsoft.ReportingServices.DataProcessing.IDbConnection
Basing on the Dataset's parameters, this 'Dataset' means the one in report design mode, my extension could return totally different structured DataTable, different column names, different number of columns etc, but the table's name is always the same.
My questions is:
How can I have a Tablix in my report, and this Talix just show all the columns and rows in a very simple way?
or
Is this posible?
Ha, I was joking when i said "make all your result sets return Col1, Col2 etc..." but apparently that is the way to do it.
SQL Reporting Services with Dynamic Column Reports - Link
in Sql Server Reporting Services Report
is it possible to define a MDX query within a report, and then re-use it a bunch of times, but each time with different WHERE section.
i.e. the Members and SELECT section would be the same for each row (MTD.Count YTD.Count)
but, i'd want to filter it 10 different ways..
The only way i can think of doing this right now, is adding 10 datasets, each with a different WHERE section, but i'd like to re-use just one DS
ALTERNATIVELY
Another totally acceptable option would be to supply whole MDX queries to the report as parameters of some sort. My challenge is that my MDX queries are generated dynamically (including the # of actual queries), all of that is user driven. So is there a way i could supply n MDX queries to a report, and have it plug that into a matrix? One way i thought of doing this today, is to emit the whole RDL XML dynamically..
You can have the dataset using a few parameters like this:
SELECT
{
StrToSet(#rowAxisMdx)
} ON 0,
{
StrToSet(#columnAxisMdx)
} ON 1
FROM [Cube]
WHERE {
#StrToSet(#slicerAxisMdx)
}
It will be slow since you are using a lot of StrToSet functions, but it should work.
This is most likely my solution:
Subreports
Yep, subreports saved me here.. My actual goal was to repeat the same MDX query with a different WHERE section for each row. Sub reports are design for just that. You can define a matrix and bind it to a dataset. That dataset will determine how many rows of data your matrix will be populated it.
You can embed a subreport in a cell of your matrix, and pass it a parameter (in my case i am passing the whole WHERE filter, but you could make it more granular and only pass a field.
Then in your subreport you can display just one set of information based on a parameter which is passed in from parent report.
here are some more links
SubReports
Designing Reports with Custom MDX Queries