Designing Report Layouts in SSRS with tables, matrices, charts, and gauges

 

Designing Report Layouts in SSRS

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) provides several powerful data visualization components to create professional reports. Here's a detailed explanation of designing layouts with tables, matrices, charts, and gauges:

1. Tables (Tablix)

The fundamental grid control for displaying detailed data.

Key Features:

• Displays data in rows and columns

• Static column headers

• Ideal for detailed reports with fixed columns

• Supports grouping, sorting, and totals

Design Tips:

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<!-- Sample table structure in RDL -->
<Tablix>
  <TablixRowHierarchy>
    <TablixMembers>
      <TablixMember/>
    </TablixMembers>
  </TablixRowHierarchy>
  <TablixColumnHierarchy>
    <TablixMembers>
      <TablixMember/>
    </TablixMembers>
  </TablixColumnHierarchy>
</Tablix>

Best Practices:

• Add alternating row colors for readability

• Freeze header rows when exporting to Excel

• Use conditional formatting to highlight important values

• Implement pagination for large datasets

2. Matrices (Cross-Tab Reports)

Advanced version of tables with dynamic columns.

Key Features:

• Columns expand dynamically based on data

• Perfect for pivot table-style reports

• Supports multiple row and column groups

• Includes subtotals and grand totals

Design Process:

1. Drag matrix control to design surface

2. Add row groups (e.g., by Year, then Quarter)

3. Add column groups (e.g., by Product Category)

4. Add values to the data area (e.g., Sales Amount)

Advanced Techniques:

• Drill-down capabilities (toggle visibility)

• Dynamic column sorting

• Custom grouping intervals (e.g., dollar ranges)

Publishing Reports to the Report Server in SSRS

Publishing reports is the process of deploying your developed reports from your local development environment (like Report Builder or Visual Studio with SQL Server Data Tools) to the SSRS report server where they can be accessed by end users.

Methods to Publish Reports

1. Using Visual Studio/SSDT (SQL Server Data Tools)

• Steps:

  1. Open your report project in Visual Studio

  2. Right-click the project in Solution Explorer

  3. Select "Properties"

  4. Configure the "TargetServerURL" (e.g., http://[server]/reportserver)

  5. Set the "TargetReportFolder" (default is the project name)

  6. Right-click the report and select "Deploy" or use the "Build > Deploy Solution" option

2. Using Report Builder

• Steps:

  1. Open your report in Report Builder

  2. Click the "File" menu

  3. Select "Save As"

  4. Choose "Report Server" as the location

  5. Enter the report server URL and navigate to the target folder

  6. Click "Save"

3. Using Web Portal (Manual Upload)

• Steps:

  1. Navigate to the SSRS web portal (typically http://[server]/reports)

  2. Browse to the folder where you want to publish

  3. Click "Upload" button

  4. Select the .rdl file from your local system

  5. Click "OK" to upload

Senior Software Engineer - MSBI

Senior Software Engineer - MSBI

(posted about 5 days back)

Designation	Senior Software Engineer - MSBI
Job Description	It takes courage to find out how good you can be. At Optum, we're using leading-edge technology to create the health care system of tomorrow.  When you join us as a . Net Applications Developer, you'll become part of a team focused on innovation and change. You'll work a little harder. You'll aim a little higher.  You'll expect more from yourself and others. And at the end of the day, you'll be doing a lot of good. Through a lot of inspired individuals, we are using technology to build a health care system that works better for more people in more ways than ever.  We are looking to reinforce our team with people who are decisive, brilliant and built for speed -- people like you. As a Developer, you will be predominantly involved in developing business solutions by creating new and modifying existing software applications.  You will be a primary contributor in designing, coding, testing, debugging, documenting and supporting all types of applications consistent with established specifications and business requirements to deliver business value.  This is more than a challenging development role. This is high performance technology. Are you up for the challege Join us and start doing your life's best work.  (SM)Primary Responsibilities: Design, implement and maintain within all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Develop, test, implement and maintain application software working with established processes Communicate effectively with other engineers and QA Establish, refine and integrate development and test environment tools and software as needed Identify production and non-production application issuesIdentify opportunities to fine-tune and optimize
Desired Profile	Preferred Qualifications:- Educational Qualifications: B. Tech / MCA / Msc / MTech (Minimum 16 years of formal education, Correspondence courses are not relevant).  - experienced developers  Should have good experience in SQLServer.  - Should have written stored procedures and functions.  - Should be strong in SQL- Should be familiar with ETL concepts - Should have good experience in SSIS and data loading using SSIS - Exprience of developing ETL processes and troubleshooting jobs using SSIS.  - Experience in optimizing and improving ETL processes. - Should have very strong communication skills and ability to communicate with business directly.  Nice to Have: Experience in US Healthcare industry. Technology Careers with Optum. Information and technology have amazing power to transform the health care industry and improve people's lives. This is where it's happening.  This is where you'll help solve the problems that have never been solved. We're freeing information so it can be used safely and securely wherever it's needed. We're creating the very best ideas that can most easily be put into action to help our clients improve the quality of care and lower costs for millions. This is where the best and the brightest work together to make positive change a reality.   This is the place to do your life's best work. SMDiversity creates a healthier atmosphere: UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.  UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.  Requirements- Associate's Degree or higher level of education or equivalent experience - 2+ years experience with relational database management systems (e. g. . Access, SQL or Oracle, FileMaker Pro 9)- 2+ years experience performing data analytics and reporting- 2+ years Advanced level of proficiency with MS Excel- Strong problem solving and analytical skills Assets - Experience with object-oriented programming systems- Proficiency with MySQL/ PHP- Knowledge of data release precautions and HIPAA regulations Combine two of the fastest-growing fields on the planet with a culture of performance, collaboration and opportunity and this is what you get. Leading edge technology in an industry that's improving the lives of millions. Here, innovation isn't about another gadget, it's about making health care data available wherever and whenever people need it, safely and reliably. There's no room for error.  Join us and start doing your life's best work. (sm)Technology Careers with Optum. Information and technology have amazing power to transform the health care industry and improve people's lives. This is where it's happening. This is where you'll help solve the problems that have never been solved. We're freeing information so it can be used safely and securely wherever it's needed.  We're creating the very best ideas that can most easily be put into action to help our clients improve the quality of care and lower costs for millions. This is where the best and the brightest work together to make positive change a reality. This is the place to do your life's best work.  SMDiversity creates a healthier atmosphere:  UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ Affirmative Action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.
Experience	5 - 8 Years
Industry Type	Pharma / Biotech / Clinical Research
Role	Software Developer
Functional Area	IT Software - Application Programming, Maintenance
Education	UG - B.Tech/B.E. - Any Specialization PG - M.Sc - Any Specialization, MCA - Computers, M.Tech - Any Specialization Doctorate - Any Doctorate - Any Specialization, Doctorate Not Required
Compensation:	Not disclosed
Location	Hyderabad / Secunderabad
Keywords	Senior Software Engineer - MSBI Net Applications Developer designing coding testing debuggingdocumenting Software Development Life Cycle SQL MySQL PHP
Contact
Job Posted	2016-08-23 11:49:06.0
Reference	672539

Msbi/ Power BI Developer - Ssas/ Ssis/ SQL Server

Msbi/ Power BI Developer - Ssas/ Ssis/ SQL Server

Job Description

Send me Jobs like this

- Power BI Desktop - for Data model preparation and Visuals

- SSAS Tabular Model - Mandatory

- SSIS - would be an added advantage

- Row Level Security Implementation - Mandatory

- SQL Server 2016 - Model Data Refresh/Schedules/Jobs setup etc

- ANSI SQL - Mandatory for data validation

Please reply with billow details :

Location :
CTC :
ECTC :
Notice Period :
Reason for job change :
Skype ID

Desired Candidate Profile

Education-

UG:Any Graduate - Any Specialization

PG:Any Postgraduate - Any Specialization, Post Graduation Not Required

Doctorate:Doctorate Not Required

Company Profile:

Readmind Info Services

Leading client of Readmind Info Services 

SSRS Real time scenarios

SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services)Real Time Scenarios:

Scenario 1:

 Show the report like Drill Down. Here I have 3 groups as shown in below.

Main Category Name 

     +  Sub Category Name1

               + Sub Details1

                             Details1Name     rate      qty    amount

                +Sub Details2

                               Details1Name     rate      qty    amount

                +SubDetails3

                               Details1Name     rate      qty    amount

       +SubCategory Name2

       +Sub Catagory Name3   

             .....


Scenario 2:

I have an SSRS Report that needs to be filtered via multi-value parameter selection. normally we can done for single column. But here we want to allow multi-select based on multiple columns. The column layout is as follows:

AFLAG    BFLAG    CFLAG     DFLAG
X                X               X           X
NULL          X             NULL      NULL
X               NULL           X         NULL
X                X                X         X
X              NULL            X         NULL
NULL         X                X          NULL
X               X               NULL     NULL
X               X               NULL    NULL

In my report parameter, when multiple AFLAG, BFLAG, CFLAG or DFLAG values are selected, I want to be able to display every Reports that contains an 'X' in each column once, where there are multiple values marked with 'X' in a single report.


Scenario 3:

SSRS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

First iam providing basic SSRS interview questions.

1) What are the different kinds of SSRS Reports?

• Reports can be categorized into operational and analytical reports. The distinction is based on the source of data and level of analysis facilitated by any particular report. Operational reports are based on OLTP sources and are static reports and Analytical reports are based on OLAP sources and generally facilitate drill-down and drill-through for analysis. Technically, SSRS reports can be categorized into parameterized, linked, snapshot, cached, etc...

2) What are parameterized reports? What are cascading parameters in SSRS reports?

• Reports that accept parameters from users to fetch and report data conditionally, are known as parameterized reports. When you have multiple parameters in a report and values of different parameters are dependent and populated dynamically based on the value of parent parameters, it's known as a cascading parameter.

3) How would you go about developing a SSRS report?

• General development methodology for a SSRS report is to start by creating a data source. Based on the data source create one or multiple datasets as needed for parameters and the body of the report. Add required controls from the toolbox which would act as a container for the fields in the dataset. Format the controls added to the report body.  Verify and validate the report and finally deploy the report.

4) What is a dataset and what are the different types of datasets?

• A dataset is similar to a query definition, which is executed when the report is executed. Datasets are of two types: Shared and Embedded. An embedded dataset is private to the report in which it exists and shared datasets can be shared across reports.

5) Would you store your query in a SSRS report or a Database server? State the reason why.

• Storing SQL queries directly in text format in the dataset, should be avoided. Ideally it should be stored in a stored procedure in the database server. The benefit is that the SQL would be in a compiled format in a SP and brings all the benefits of using an SP compared to using an ad-hoc query from the report.

6) What is Tablix?

• A Tablix can be seen as a control with combined capabilities of a table and a matrix, which facilitates asymmetric and flexible, row and column level, static and dynamic groupings.

7) How would you access SSRS reports deployed on report server?

• Reports Manager is the most straight-forward way to access SSRS reports deployed on report server. Apart from executing the reports, it is the main administration console for SSRS server to manage reports.

8) Have you used the Report Viewer control / web part? What are the limitations?

• The report viewer control / web part is the basic control to integrate SSRS reports with external applications. Using these interface applications can link and display SSRS reports within the application. The parameters toolbar in these controls have a limited programmable interface to decorate and blend it with the theme of the application.

9) Which is the latest version of SSRS and what are the new enhancements?

• SSRS 2008 R2 is the latest RTM version of SSRS. Rich data visualizations, better programming functions for lookup and aggregation, improved performance and better control over exported data are some of the major enhancements.

10) What is Report Builder?

• Report Builder is an ad-hoc report authoring tool primarily targeted to be used by business analysts to facilitate self-service report authoring. Report Builder 3.0 is the latest version available as of date.

11) How would you deploy SSRS Reports using out-of-box functionality and how can you automate SSRS report deployment?

• Business Intelligence Development Studio is generally used to deploy SSRS reports. There is no out-of-box support in SSRS to automate reports deployment, but free third-party products like RSScripter can be used for this.

12) What is drill-down and drill-through in SSRS?

• Drill-down is a mechanism of decomposing summarized information to a detailed level. Drill-through is a mechanism of decomposing the problem by drilling information generally using more than one report