Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services [Paperback]

Brian Larson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071548084 | ISBN-13: 978-0071548083 | Publication Date: August 21, 2008 | Edition: 3

The Definitive Guide to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

Create and deliver data-rich reports across the enterprise using this complete server-based reporting solution. Written by a member of the original Reporting Services development team, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services covers the entire report-building and distribution process, including data extraction, integration with desktop and Web applications, and end-user access. The book explains how to maximize all of the powerful features, including the new Tablix data format, as well as enhanced performance, scalability, and visualization capabilities.

• Install, configure, and customize SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
• Create SELECT queries to extract data
• Generate reports from the Report Wizard and from scratch
• Add charts, images, and gauges
• Build reusable report templates
• Use the new Tablix data format to create reports with any structure
• Export reports to Word, Excel, PDF, HTML, XML, and other formats
• Enable end-user access to reports via the Report Server and its Report Manager web interface

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian Larson, MCSD, served as an original member of the Reporting Services development team and contributed to the code base. He is the chief of technology for Superior Consulting Services (SCS), a Microsoft Certified Partner.

Product Details

• Paperback: 866 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 3 edition (August 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071548084
• ISBN-13: 978-0071548083
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Microsoft > Development > SQL Server
  • #9 in Books > Computers & Technology > Databases
  • #61 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools

More About the Author

Brian Larson is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, with degrees in physics and computer science. Brian has worked in the computer industry since 1985 and has been a consultant creating custom database applications since 1989. He is currently the Vice President of Technology and BI Practice Manager for Superior Consulting Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota (http://www.teamscs.com). Brian is an MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer 2008 and a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA).

Brian served as a member of the original Reporting Services development team as a consultant to Microsoft. In that role, he contributed to the initial code base of Reporting Services.

Brian has presented at national conferences and events, including the SQL Server Magazine Connections Conference, the PASS Community Summit, and the Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference, and has provided training and mentoring on Reporting Services and business intelligence across the country. He has been a contributor and columnist for SQL Server Magazine.

Brian began his writing career collecting rejection letters for some very bad science fiction short stories. Brian got the last laugh on all of those cruel editors by sneaking a bit of science fiction into his Reporting Services books. The sample company used in all of the examples is an intergalactic shipping company staffed by robots and employing faster than the speed of light travel to offer previous day delivery. The company back story may be fanciful; the business examples, however, are all down to earth!

Brian lives with his wife Pam in suburban St. Paul, Minnesota. Pam will tell you that their first date took place at the Luther College computer center. If that doesn't qualify someone to write computer books, then I don't know what does.

Brian can be contacted at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book that may have really saved my job., June 11, 2009

By 

Steven (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services (Paperback)

What a life saver!

I'm a software developer in a small shop and our biggest client is a large law firm with LOTS of data and users hungry for easy to read reports reflecting said data. None of us have much experience with SQL Reporting Services as most of our experience for reporting is in Crystal Reports.

I've heard of SSRS but until recently I didn't have much experience using it. Our client was in great need of a simple report so I went ahead and setup a report server and decided to give SSRS a whirl. Thankfully Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) was easy for me to grasp as I am a C# developer and I was already in comfortable territory (BIDS is really just a reporting solution in Visual Studio afterall).

I was able to create their report in a very short time and the users were comfortable using the Report Manager Website. Of course what happened next is predictable to anyone that has been in a similar situation - I became "The Report Guy" - for better or worse.

Of course our client started demanding more and more reports - increasing in complexity. I only scratched the surface of what SSRS was capable of and during that time I thought a lot of their report specs may be impossible to realize using SSRS. I began to worry. They wanted graphs, complex groupings, drill down style reports... I needed someone to throw me a life raft. Thank you Brian for throwing me that raft!

This book saved me. Even though this book is rather big weighing in at over 860 pages (including index) it was a breeze to work through. Brian has a clean, easy to read writing style and he injects a bit of humor throughout. I thought this book was going to take forever to work through but because Brian is such a good Author it really became a page turner. This book is one of the easier books to absorb. This book starts very simple and increases in complexity. Parts of the book were so relevant to my business needs that it almost seemed like he was right there telling me how to write my reports!

If there was ever a book that may have really saved my job then this is it. I now don't mind being the "Report Guy" - I feel like I can tackle just about any report spec they throw at me - all thanks to Brian Larson.

If you need to learn about SSRS then I don't see how you can do much better then this book.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Home Run by Brian, March 6, 2009

By 

Keith S. Safford "CyclingFoodmanPA" (Stewartstown, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services (Paperback)

I also purchased Brian's book on SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and moved up to 2008 and the book is an excellent step-by-step recipe book on how to create reports utilizing SQL Server 2008. It is an excellent book on stepping you through the numerous examples and examining how to create complex business reports.

Another great point is that when I was learning SSRS 2005 and had a problem, I emailed Brian, figuring I might hear back from him in a week or so. He replied to my email within the day and explained to me what I had to do to correct my problem. Best of all, it was right and I moved on.

His writing style is clear and concise and he doesn't miss any steps in his tutorials on creating the reports. This is one book that will be "dog eared" due to heavy use.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Effective for getting up to speed with Reporting Services, November 11, 2008

By 

Jennifer Louie (Bellevue, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services (Paperback)

If you are just learning Reporting Services, this is a book targeted for you. It's very effective as a step-by-step tutorial, read cover to cover.

Like many said about the previous version of this book, this book is less useful as a reference. Larson writes with a clear, concise style, providing lots of examples, and doesn't assume that you know anything about reporting. For complete database novices, he even has a chapter on basic database concepts that provides probably all that the layperson needs to know to create basic reports. Having done some work with 2005 Reporting Services already, the basic/conceptual chapters were less valuable for me and I ended up skipping many sections. However, I still found the book quite useful and learned a couple of things that I didn't know Reporting Services could do.

This is a fine book for those having to get up to speed quickly with SSRS. Definitely not material you could get off of SQL Server Books Online.