Knight's Microsoft® Business Intelligence 24-Hour Trainer: Leveraging Microsoft SQL Server® Integration, Analysis, and Reporting Services with Excel® and SharePoint®

Understanding SSRS

In any business it is important to be able to view your data. SQL Server Reporting Services

(SSRS) gives developers the tools needed to show data to the end users in a report format that

is easy to understand. An end user can be anyone in a company, from a secretary to the CEO.

When the end users have good data presented in an easy-to-understand format, it allows them

to make informed business decisions. Questions often asked in a corporate boardroom can be

answered by good reports — questions like “Which customers are most likely to close their

accounts?” “Should we be open on Saturday?” and “How much should we spend on adver-

tising?” Just taking a stab in the dark with these questions can be the death of a company.

Having the right data in front of the company’s decision-makers can avert costly mistakes.

Reports can also show predictions about whether profits will go up or down. This can help

in determining staffing, in scheduling, and in predicting overhead cost. Predictions like this

are based on algorithms built into tools like SQL Server Analysis Services. Reporting Services

gives you a way to present these predictions in the form of tables, matrixes, maps, charts, and

graphs. With these reports in hand, the end users will be confident they are making informed

choices for the company.

As a report developer or a Business Intelligence consultant, you must create ...