Managing Content in VS .NET

Encoder Denso QR Bar Code in VS .NET Managing Content

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If a report parameter has been defined with a default value in the authoring stage, you can override this value by using Report Manager to update the report s parameter properties. This is a useful technique in combination with linked reports to generate separate reports by parameter value. For example, if product categories are managed by different departments, you can create a folder for each department, and then create a linked report that has the default parameter value changed to reflect the applicable category for the folder in which it s placed. You can also disable a default value that has been provided in the report definition. When you disable the default value, the report will not execute until the user supplies a value for the report parameter. In this procedure, you will set the default value for the Category report parameter to 2, which is the key value for the Bike category.

In Report Manager, click the Home page link, click the Adventure Works Bikes folder link, and then click the Bike Sales And Profitability report link. Click the Properties tab, and then click the Parameters link in the left frame of the page. Change the default value for Category from 4 to 2 so that your screen looks like this:

The value 2 is the CategoryKey value that corresponds to Bike. Click the Apply button. Click the View tab. The report executes using the Bike category as a default. Notice that you can still select a different category. If you don t want the user to view another category, you must remove the prompt.

When you don t want a user to be able to change a report parameter value, you can remove the prompt so that a new value cannot be entered or selected from the list of available values. If you decide to use separate folders for linked reports using different parameter values, you can use this technique to prevent users from viewing another category. You can also remove a prompt from reports that run attended, as long as you make sure the report has a default value for the parameter; otherwise, the report will never execute. In this procedure, you will disable the prompt for the Category report parameter.

Click the Properties tab for the Bike Sales And Profitability report and then, if necessary, click the Parameters link. Clear the Prompt User check box for the Category parameter.

Important Don t disable the prompt without providing a default value. Otherwise, the report cannot execute and the user has no way to provide a value for the report parameter. The result is an empty report.

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Test the removal of the Category prompt by clicking the View tab to confirm that your report looks like this:

Notice that the Category prompt is no longer displayed. The textbox in the upper right corner of the report properly indicates that the report is filtered by the Bike category, and the table contains only data for the Bike category.

Report execution is the process of turning a published report into a rendered report. More specifically, Reporting Services retrieves the data defined by the query in the dataset, and then combines the report s layout definition with the resulting data to produce an intermediate version of the report. Reporting Services then uses a rendering extension with this intermediate report to produce the report in its final format, which is in turn delivered to users. You can optimize report execution by controlling whether the processing steps occur when the user is accessing a report online or before the user opens the report.