This article explains the basic architecture of the SQL server 2000 Reporting services
Reporting Services – An Architectural Perspective
Introduction:
SQL reporting services is a comprehensive server based solution that enables the creation, management and delivery of the reports in either the traditional paper based format or the web based reports. It is tightly integrated with the SQL server. The data that's needed is shown in a report format thus increasing the data processing capabilities:
Life Cycle of the Report Creation:
Basically there are three stages in the life cycle of the reporting services:
1. Report Authoring
2. Report Management
3. Report Delivery
Report Authoring: The developers can create reports that needs to be published in the report server. This is called report authoring. Basically this is done using VS.Net 2003 Report designer or some other tools that use Report Definition Language(RDL).
Report Management: Report definitions , folders, resources are published and managed as webservices. These reports can be executed on demand or these can be executed in a predefined schedule and cached for improving the performance. for Highly criticial and volatile data this is managed and executed at the time of demand. For other purposes it is cached.
Report Delivery: It supports both pull and push delivery. Users can view reports in a web-based format or in e-mail
Architecture:
Microsoft SQL Reporting Services Architecture is a multi-tiered architecture. It is a set of integrated components. It consist of three layers:
1. Application Layer,
2. Data Layer,
3. Server Layer.
Application Layer consists of
1. Report Manager
2. Browser
3. Report Designer
4. Command Line Utilities
5. Third Party tools
Data Layer contains:
1. Report Server Data Base
2. The Data Source
Report Server includes:
1. Scheduling and Delivery processor
2. Programmatic interfaces
3. Rendering Extensions
4. Delivery Extensions
5. Report Processor
6. Data Processing Extensions
Now lets delve in to the topics in detail:
Report Manager
It is a web-based report access and management tool. It can be used to perform the following activities:
--> View, search, and subscribe to reports
--> Create and manage folders, linked reports, report history, schedules, data source connections,and subscriptions
--> Set properties and report parameters
--> Manage role definitions and assignments that control user access to reports and folders
Report manager provides a user-interface to the programmer. It consist of Controls and Web pages. The functionality of the report manager primarily depends on the user Roles. To Run the Report manager just type
http:///reports
Report Designer
Report designer basically is a tool that is used to create and publish reports. Basically the report designer is integrated with the VS.Net 2003. This is installed by means of a set up program. This helps in Developing the reports. While developing the reports in report designer we can test it locally without publishing it to the report server.
Report Server DataBase
The report server database is a SQL Server database that stores Reporting Services data such as report definitions, report meta data, cached reports, snapshots, and resources. It also stores security settings, encrypted data, scheduling and delivery data, and extension information.
Data Sources supported by Reporting Services:
Reporting Services retrieves report data using data processing extensions. Data processing extensions use ADO.NET managed providers. Reporting Services provides extensions to retrieve data from the following data sources:
SQL Server 2000
SQL Server 7.0
SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services
Oracle
ODBC data sources
OLE DB data sources
Summary:
In this article we have seen about the basic architecture of SQL reporting services. The remaining part of the SQL Reporting Services Architecture will be covered in the next article.
.........Will be continued
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