Professional Microsoft® SharePoint® Server 2007 Reporting with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

2.2. Planning for SharePoint Integration

Before installing Reporting Services, you must plan for a successful deployment. Let's say that you've sold your internal management team on the benefits of having report server installed in SharePoint integrated mode, and they loved it and gave you the green light. You will next find yourself needing to answer questions such as:

• What are the requirements for Reporting Services?

• What servers will you install Reporting Services on?

• Will it work with the current SQL server?

• Will installing it on the existing SQL server bring down the performance?

• Can you create a standalone server just for Reporting Services?

• Better yet, do you need another server?

• What are the hardware requirements?

Where do you start? Not knowing where to start and what to do could result in an environment that might not be suitable for you. To answer these questions you need have a good grasp of the following topics:

• How integration works

• Deployment topologies

• Requirements for SharePoint integration

The following sections will give you a high level understanding of how SharePoint integrated mode works, what deployment topologies are out there, and the requirements for deploying SharePoint integrated mode to guide you during your planning phase.

2.2.1. How Integration Works

While planning for Reporting Services SharePoint integrated mode, knowing how SharePoint integrated mode works will help you. Once you understand all of the required components that make up the integrated mode, ...