Viewing Reports in Visual Studio .NET

Make QR Code in Visual Studio .NET Viewing Reports

The easiest way to access a desired report by using URLs is to use your browser to navigate from the virtual directory of Report Server, http://localhost/ReportServer, through the folder hierarchy. When you use this approach, folders, data sources, reports, and resources are all displayed in a list of links that is like a table of contents for the current folder. To the left of each link is either an item identifier such as <dir> for a folder or <ds> for a data source or a number that indicates the file size for the report or uploaded resource. You can use these links to view the selected item or to view the list of contents for a nested folder. Another way to access a report is to enter its URL directly into your browser or to use a link in a Web page that includes the report s URL. Either way, the URL syntax is http://servername/ReportServer / item_path. For servername, use localhost

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Building Custom Reporting Tools CD-491

Even though you are bypassing Report Manager by using URLs to access items on Report Server, the security permissions still apply. You can open an item or view the contents of a folder only when your role assignment has the correct permissions. If you plan to use the URL in a link that you add to a Web page, make sure you have the correct role assignments defined for the item. In this procedure, you will access reports by navigating Report Server s virtual directory and by entering a specific URL.

Start Microsoft Visual Studio, and then open the Custom Reporting solution at C:\rs2000sbs\chap16. Right-click the solution name in Solution Explorer, and then click Deploy Solution. Keep the solution open in Visual Studio for a later procedure in this chapter. Using Microsoft Internet Explorer, navigate to http://localhost/ ReportServer to view the contents of the virtual directory root, shown here:

or the computer name of the server hosting Report Server. Replace ReportServer with the virtual directory name for Report Server only if you specified a different name when installing Reporting Services. Specify the final component of the URL, item_path, using the full path of the item to access, which includes all of the item s parent folders and the item name itself. For example, to view the Product Profitability report in the Custom Reporting folder on a local Report Server, use this URL: http://localhost/ReportServer /Custom Reporting/Product Profitability.

You can navigate through the folder hierarchy of Report Server directly without the Report Manager interface. The content that you see is identical to the content viewable through the Report Manager interface because the same security permissions apply. Whether you use the Report Server virtual directory, the Report Manager interface, or a custom interface (as you will do later in this chapter), you always view the same content because the same security infrastructure is always in force. Click the Custom Reporting link, and then click the Product Catalog report. Your screen looks like this:

Because the report is rendered as HTML, the browser by default includes the HTML Viewer toolbar with the report. You learn later in this chapter how to override the default behavior. Notice the URL for this report in the Address box: http://localhost/ ReportServer %2fCustom+Reporting%2fProduct+Catalog&rs:Command=Render. You can copy this URL and paste it into an HTML page or another application to create an external link to this report. As another option, you can programmatically reproduce this URL if you want to integrate reporting functionality into a custom application.

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Building Custom Reporting Tools CD-493

Your browser automatically encodes the URL by replacing each forward slash with %2f and each space with %20. You are not required to create this encoded version of the URL when using the URL in your browser or when placing it in a link. When navigating Report Server, you will notice each link includes a URL access parameter, such as rs:Command=Render, that instructs Report Server how to handle the request for the item. Including this parameter in the URL that you use to access a report is not required, although it is recommended. You learn more about this and other URL access parameters later in this chapter. In the Address box of Internet Explorer, type http://localhost/ ReportServer /Custom Reporting/Product Profitability to access the report shown here: