Report Designer in SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT)

Introduction to Report Designer

Report Designer is a visual tool that is part of SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT). It provides a rich, integrated environment for creating, customizing, and managing paginated reports for SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). With Report Designer, you can define the structure, layout, and appearance of your reports, connect to various data sources, create datasets, add interactive features, and much more.

This document will guide you through the core features and functionalities of Report Designer, helping you leverage its power to build sophisticated and insightful reports.

Getting Started with Report Designer

To begin using Report Designer, you need to have SQL Server Data Tools installed. SSDT is an extension for Visual Studio that provides project types for developing SQL Server solutions, including Reporting Services projects.

Creating a New Report Project

1. Open Visual Studio.
2. Go to File > New > Project...
3. In the 'Create a new project' dialog, search for "Reporting Services".
4. Select the Report Server Project template.
5. Provide a project name and location, then click Create.

Adding a New Report

• In the Solution Explorer, right-click on your Report Server Project.
• Select Add > New Item...
• Choose Report from the installed templates.
• Give your report a name (e.g., SalesSummary.rdl) and click Add.

This will open the Report Designer canvas, ready for you to start building your report.

Designing Reports in the Visual Studio Environment

Report Designer in SSDT offers a user-friendly interface with multiple panes that allow you to manage different aspects of your report:

• Report Data Pane: Manage your data sources, datasets, fields, parameters, images, and more.
• Layout Pane (Design Surface): This is where you visually design your report layout. You can drag and drop report items, arrange them, and set properties.
• Properties Pane: View and modify properties for selected report items, data sources, datasets, and the report itself.
• Toolbox: Contains report items (like text boxes, images, charts, tables, matrices) that you can drag onto the design surface.
• Preview Pane: View how your report will look with actual data.

Report Structure

A typical paginated report is structured into the following regions:

• Report Header: Appears at the top of the first page.
• Page Header: Appears at the top of every page.
• Report Body: Contains the main content of the report, typically including tables, matrices, and charts.
• Page Footer: Appears at the bottom of every page.
• Report Footer: Appears at the bottom of the last page.

You can add or remove these regions using the context menu when right-clicking on the design surface.

Configuring Data Sources

Data sources define how your report connects to external data. Report Designer supports various data source types, including SQL Server, Analysis Services, Oracle, and more.

Adding a Data Source

1. In the Report Data pane, right-click Data Sources and select Add Data Source...
2. In the 'Data Source Properties' dialog, give your data source a name.
3. Choose the connection type.
4. Click the Edit... button to configure the connection string.
5. Enter server name, credentials, and database name.
6. Click OK to save the connection.

Creating Datasets

Datasets define the data that will be displayed in your report. A dataset is a collection of fields retrieved from a data source using a query.

Adding a Dataset

1. In the Report Data pane, right-click Datasets and select Add Dataset...
2. In the 'Dataset Properties' dialog, give your dataset a name.
3. Choose whether to use an embedded dataset in this report or a shared dataset. For this guide, we'll use an embedded dataset.
4. Select the data source you configured previously.
5. Choose the query type (Text, TableDirect, StoredProcedure).
6. Write your SQL query in the query designer or text box.
7. Click OK.

The fields retrieved by your query will appear under the dataset in the Report Data pane.

SELECT
    ProductID,
    ProductName,
    Category,
    UnitPrice,
    UnitsInStock
FROM
    Production.Product
WHERE
    Category = 'Bikes';
                

Adding Report Items

Report items are the building blocks of your report's content. The Toolbox provides a variety of report items:

• Table: Displays data in rows and columns. Ideal for tabular data.
• Matrix: A cross-tab report item that displays data in a grid with rows and columns that can contain aggregated values.
• List: A free-form report item that displays data in a repeating layout, useful for invoices or labels.
• Chart: Visualizes data using various chart types (bar, line, pie, etc.).
• Image: Embeds images in your report.
• Text Box: Displays static text or expressions.
• Line: Adds visual separators.
• Rectangle: A container for grouping other report items.

Adding a Table to the Report Body

1. Drag a Table from the Toolbox onto the report's design surface.
2. In the Report Data pane, drag the desired fields (e.g., ProductName, Category, UnitPrice) from your dataset into the table's columns.
3. Report Designer will automatically create the necessary header and data cells.

Layout and Formatting

Report Designer offers extensive options for controlling the appearance and layout of your report.

Using the Properties Pane

Select any report item, dataset, or even the report itself, and use the Properties pane to adjust its appearance, behavior, and data binding. Common properties include:

• Font: Size, style, color, weight.
• Alignment: Horizontal and vertical alignment of text.
• Border: Style, color, width.
• Background Color: Set background colors for cells, rows, or the entire report.
• Visibility: Control whether an item is shown or hidden by default.

Expressions

Expressions, written in Visual Basic .NET or C#, are powerful for dynamic content. They are denoted by an equals sign (=).

Example: Formatting Currency

To format the UnitPrice field as currency:

1. Select the text box containing the UnitPrice field.
2. In the Properties pane, find the Format property.
3. Enter C for currency format (e.g., $123.45).

Alternatively, you can use an expression directly in the text box's value property:

=FormatCurrency(Fields!UnitPrice.Value)

Conditional Formatting

Use conditional formatting to change the appearance of report items based on data values. For instance, you can change the background color of a row if the UnitsInStock is low.

1. Right-click on a cell or row you want to format conditionally.
2. Select Expression... for the relevant property (e.g., BackgroundColor).
3. Enter an expression like:

=IIF(Fields!UnitsInStock.Value < 10, "Yellow", "Transparent")

Previewing and Debugging Reports

The Preview tab in Report Designer allows you to see your report with live data, helping you catch design errors and data issues early.

Using the Preview Tab

1. Click on the Preview tab at the bottom of the design surface.
2. If prompted, you may need to provide credentials for your data sources.
3. The report will render, showing how it will look to the end-user.

You can navigate through pages, export the report to various formats (PDF, Excel, Word), and print it directly from the preview pane.

Common Issues and Debugging

• Data Not Displaying: Check your dataset query, data source connection, and ensure fields are correctly mapped to report items.
• Formatting Errors: Review your expressions and formatting properties in the Properties pane.
• Performance Issues: Optimize your SQL queries and consider using stored procedures. Ensure your datasets are fetching only necessary data.

Deploying Reports

Once your report is designed and tested, you need to deploy it to a SQL Server Reporting Services server.

Project Properties for Deployment

1. Right-click on your Report Server Project in Solution Explorer and select Properties.
2. Under Configuration Properties > General, ensure Configuration is set to Debug or Release.
3. Under Reporting Services, specify the Report Server URL where you want to deploy your reports.
4. You can also set the TargetReportFolder to specify the folder on the report server.

Building and Deploying

1. Right-click on your Report Server Project and select Build.
2. Then, right-click again and select Deploy.

Your reports will be published to the specified Report Server URL and folder.

Advanced Features

Report Designer supports many advanced features to enhance report functionality:

• Parameters: Allow users to filter report data dynamically.
• Subreports: Embed reports within other reports.
• Drillthrough Reports: Enable users to navigate from one report to another based on selected data.
• Drilldown Reports: Allow users to expand and collapse sections of a report to see more or less detail.
• Interactive Sorting: Provide users with options to sort report data.
• Report Parts: Reuse report components across multiple reports.
• Custom Code: Write custom functions in VB.NET or C# for complex logic.