Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies®

Chapter V.4. Integrating Reports

Using SQL Server Reporting Services enables users to retrieve reports when — and from where — they want. Additionally, by using SharePoint or by discovering how to export reports, your users can grab data how they want.

If you integrate Reporting Services into SharePoint, developers can add reports into a Web page with Web Parts. By using a Web Part, SQL Server Reporting Services reports can be embedded into a Web page just as easily as developers could add graphics to a page.

Several different tools, such as BIDS and Report Manager, render reports. Although you can look at the report through these tools, you might need to send the report to others, perhaps as an e-mail attachment.

Any rendered report can be exported into one of several formats, such as a PDF file or an archive Web page, with just a couple clicks.

In this chapter, you learn a little about integrating Reporting Services with SharePoint and the different formats for exporting reports.