Custom Reports with SSRS

Question

I have a web application that serves SQL Reporting Services reports through a reportviewer control. Due to the complexity of some reports, I use rdlc reports attached to business objects.

Now I would like to expand the system and allow some forms of custom reports. Ideally, I would like users to connect their reports to the same business objects that I use to create rdlc reports.

• Is there a control that allows users to create / edit their own rdlc files?
• Can I attach rdl files to business objects?
• Any hints / tips for writing my own to manage rdlc file editing? (I would think that this is a lot of work and will only try if there is no suitable answer to 1 or 2).

All my developments were made in VS 2005 with SQL 2005, but I could upgrade if new features in 2008 help with the solution.

Answer 1

This is not a big answer, but in my company I put together my own Report Builder.

We have about 30 Reporting Service reports that our users can get through a web application or desktop application. What we wanted to do was give our users the opportunity to use any section in these reports and create their own.

If there is a report that we created for them, but they don’t want to see the chart, they can create the same report without it. If they want to combine parts from 4 different reports to make one summary report, they can drag these sections around our custom builder and save it.

The report creator that I had to compile pulls out all the different subheadings they selected and reads through XML, adding them to the XML report builder template file that I created. Then I need to collect all the parameters so as not to request them more than once (the parameter names must be unique for all reports if you do not want them to be aggregated). This new XML report report is deployed to the server and users can access it whenever they want.

I also gave them the opportunity to create their own cover pages, headers and footers by dragging text fields, images, global variables (date encountered, creation, launch, page number, etc.) anywhere on a blank canvas. Then I convert all the objects that they have and resize on this canvas to another XML report file and expand it as an additional report that they can add to their custom reports.

Yes, it took a lot of work, but our users like it. Now we are in the process of creating reports with special groups so that the report can be run at different levels.

So it is possible, but there is no simple answer. =) I would be happy to give advice to anyone who asks, but a direct copy of the code is a violation of my contract, but I will do everything in my power.

Answer 2

I think SQL Reporting Services is not intended for this kind of setup. You can hide and show controls and sub records, but there are no such things as interactive grouping, etc.

You can view third-party reporting structures such as Telerik .