Pro SQL Server Reporting Services [Paperback]

Rodney Landrum (Author), Walter J. Voytek II (Author)

Book Description

Series: Expert's Voice | Publication Date: September 29, 2004

SQL Server Reporting Services is the long-awaited reporting technology for Microsoft, and provides the means to design, author, and deploy business reports via web or company intranet. This book takes a thorough look at each step necessary to create secure and professional reports, and the authors have extensive experience producing reports in the highly-regulated medical industry. As a result, this book bestows the reader with a skill-set to build versatile and secure reports.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rodney Landrum

Rodney Landrum is an MCSE, who works as a systems engineer and DBA for a software development company specializing in healthcare-industry applications. Landrum has written for numerous magazines, including Windows and .Net, SQL Server, Connected Home, TSQL Solutions, Microsoft Certified Professional, and Electronic House. Landrum contributed to the book, SQLserversite, and has contributed as a technical editor on multiple occasions. Landrum is also a public speaker and has presented on VPN security, cost analysis, and data mining solutions in healthcare. Landrum also participated in the beta testing program for SSRS, and made several recommendations that will be incorporated into the final product release.

Walter J. Voytek II

Walter J. Voytek II is founder, CEO and President of HealthWare Corporation—a Microsoft Certified Partner—which specializes in IT solutions for the healthcare industry. Voytek has worked in IT for over thirty years, and spent the past twenty of those in healthcare-IT. Voytek has spoken publicly at several national conventions, and continues to speak at various HealthWare gatherings every year. As chief software architect for HealthWare, Voytek has helped shape their award-winning solutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (September 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590594231
• ISBN-13: 978-1590594230
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,837,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good content for learning SRS!, March 21, 2005

By 

TM (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

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

I was tasked with getting up to speed as quickly as possible with SQL Server Reporting Services (SRS). I pulled out my Pro SQL Server Reporting Services book and started working through it.

Chapter 1 was on SRS Architecture. There was good information on how to install and configure SRS and it included a sample application.

Chapter 2 was on Designing Efficient Queries. Personally I just skimmed this chapter and I already know how to write queries. This came back to haunt me as I needed those queries later on.

Chapter 3 gets you started on the Report Designer. This chapter had great content. Unfortunately, there were lots of mistakes. I was actually building the reports as I worked through the chapter. It was frustrating but I figured it out.

Chapter 4 goes deeper into building Reports. It starts out with the report wizard which is a no brainer. Then it shows you how to build the reports from scratch. Good content but again, there were mistakes.

Chapter 5 shows you how to use custom .NET code with SRS. You can embed code in your reports or you can use external assemblies. There was good content here and by this time I gave up on following along with the examples. And if you download the source, there is nothing in the Chapter 5 folder.

Chapter 6 is about rendering reports from .NET application. If you want to access your reports from your application then this chapter will show you how to do it.

Chapter 7 shows you how to deploy your reports. You have to deploy them so you need to read this chapter. After this chapter, the reports I had created from Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 were now deployed to my server.

Chapter 8 is discusses report management. There is really good content is this chapter. You learn about shared schedule, creating snapshots, caching, and subscriptions. Then it goes into auditing and performance analysis.

Chapter 9 is about securing reports. Personally, I think they went into too much detail to show us network monitoring. We all know that if we don't use encryption everything will be in plain text. But they show us how to use the network monitoring utility. You have to read this chapter though get learn how to fully secure your reports so just skim the pages on network monitoring.

Chapter 10 talks about Business Intelligence and SRS. This is a good chapter if you want to see the different ways SRS can be used. It's good content.

Chapter 11 tells us what changes are in store for SRS when "Yukon" comes out. SRS will be fully integrated with SQL Server 2005. You will no longer generate your report in Visual Studio. Since I'm just learning SRS, it was good to know what will be changing.

Overall the book was good. The big disappointment for me was that following the examples was so difficult. This is the first time I've seen this with an APRESS book.

The big question is, do I feel I'm ready to use SRS at a client site. Yes I do!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Step by step end-user guide, October 12, 2004

By 

Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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

This is a clear and concise step-by-step guide to the end-user side of the SQL Server reporting services. It's well written and has numerous (maybe too many) screenshots. The walkthroughs are explained in an easy-to-read and follow step by step manner. There is some C# code and SQL that describe, for example, how to integrate the reporting engine into a .NET application.

I recommend this book for anyone looking at developing with SQL Server Reports. It's definitely worth the look.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reporting Services, Soup to Nuts., November 16, 2004

By 

W. Booth ".NET Developer" (Slidell, LA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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

SQL Server Reporting Services is relatively new to the scene but the authors have experience building real world applications with it. They share that real world experience, not just theory, with us in this book.
For example, they not only show how to create an advanced query for one of the samples they show you how to test the performance with Query Analyzer. There is something here for everyone. Those just getting started might find creating a report with the Report Wizard the place to start. Others might benefit from accessing .Net assemblies from embedded code. This book covers every aspect of Reporting Services, deployment, rendering, security, management, use with business intelligence such as Analysis Services, and even a look at the future, Reporting Services with SQL Server 2005. Great book, good read, good value.