What’s New in SQL Server 2008

Reporting Services

Brian Welcker
Group Program Manager, Microsoft
bwelcker@microsoft.com
What’s New in SSRS 2008?

• Report Server Architecture Changes

• Report Engine Scalability Enhancements
• Tablix
• Report Design Enhancements
• Data Visualization
Report Server
Report Server 2008 Architecture

• Report Server is not hosted in IIS

● RS 2008 uses HTTP.SYS directly
● Uses SQL Server’s networking stack
• IIS is replace by SQL Server internal
components
● SQL OS
● SQL CLR
● SQL Network Interface
• Design Goal: Don’t break “anything”!
Why Remove IIS

• IIS complexity increases support costs

● Many IIS settings can impact RS
● Other applications hosted in IIS impact RS
● Requires a two service model
- Hard to deliver features like resource governing
- Communication between services causes problems
• Reusing SQL Server components has great
future benefits
● Can reuse SQL Server’s enterprise features
● Can focus on additional value in RS
• Sometimes blocks deploying RS in the
enterprise
SSRS 2005 Services Architecture
Report
Web Report Server
Builder Service Database
Report
Designer
IIS SharePoint V3
Databases
Report ASP.NET
Manager
SharePoint
Configuration
URL Interface SOAP
V3 Files
Report Report
Extensions
Processing Models
Management
Studio
Configuration
Tool Windows
3rd Party Service
Applications

RPC Scheduling
Report
Processing
Report Data
WMIService Subscriptions
Report Sources
Models
WMI Delivery Extensions

WMI Provider Database

Maintenance
SSRS 2008 Service Architecture
Report Server
Report RS Windows Service Database
Builder
Report Service Network Interface (SNI) RPC
Designer SharePoint V3
Authentication
Databases
Report Manager Report Server Background
Web Service Processing
SharePoint
Configuration
ASP.NET ASP.NET Files
V3
Report
UI Pages SOAP Processing
Management
Report
Studio URL Interface Models
Configuration
Report Scheduling
Tool
Processing
3rd Party Subscriptions
Report
Applications & Delivery
Models
Database
Maintenance Report Data
WMI Service Extensions Extensions Extensions Sources
WMI App Domain Management Memory Management
WMI Provider Legend
Service Platform External Components
Internal Components
Feature Components
Impact on IIS Settings

• Most common IIS settings are supported

● Specific IP address, host headers, multiple ports
● SSL certificates and usage
● Security modes – NTLM, Kerberos, Negotiate, Basic, Custom
• Tools support is provided for common settings
● Configuration tool is updated
● WMI API Support for setting URLs, SSL bindings
• IIS settings that were not supported are now not allowed
● Anonymous authentication
● Digest authentication
● Client certificates
IIS & RS Coexistence

• RS & IIS 6+ use the same network stack

● RS & IIS do not conflict in most Operating Systems
• Can share a single port
● Windows XP 32bit (IIS 5.1) is the only exception
• Must have different ports
• URL Reservations
● RS & IIS create URL reservations in HTTP.SYS
• IIS makes weak wildcard reservations
• RS makes strong wildcard reservations by default
● Report Server URL supersedes IIS Virtual Directory
with same name, port
Memory Management

• Server infrastructure for process memory monitoring

● Dynamic, self-managing with memory pressure
● Reduces throughput in memory pressure situations
• Report Processing uses a file system cache to adapt to
memory pressure
● Receives memory events from server
• Administrator is able to set targets (Min, Max)
● Minimum threshold defines the amount of memory the server
thinks ‘belongs’ to it
● The memory is only used if a request needs it
● Maximum threshold defines the not to exceed value
• Adapts to other processes consuming memory
DEMO
REPORT SCALABILITY
Memory and I/O Implications
App Domain recycle stops report execution

2005

2008
Constrained Memory Usage at Runtime
Web Services API Changes

• Old clients continue to work (SOAP, URL

Access)
• RS 2005(6) Web Service Namespaces have
small changes
● Namespace version has not changed
● New methods have been added inline
● Clients should conditionally call the new methods
● Warning: we still may change the namespace version
in a future CTP!
• RS 2000 SOAP Endpoint is not supported
Report Processing Engine
Report Engine Scalability

• Reports in SQL 2005 are memory bound

● Memory usage is proportional to data size
● Large datasets can cause out of memory
exceptions
● Memory usage in problem renderers (PDF,
Excel, CSV)
• Very large reports can starve or fail many
smaller reports
• Much more common scenario than
anticipated in RS 2000 and RS 2005.
Report Engine Changes

• Report Processing
● On-demand processing
● Hierarchical cursor-based object model
• Rendering
● New rendering architecture
● Renderer rewrites
● New Word renderer
 2005 Architecture
2008
Data

Table HTML Webforms

Soft Page
Group

Tablix
Matrix
Calcs Layout HTML
List Excel
Chart
Chart
Winforms
CSV Image
Storage ROM Data
XML

Hard Page Image Print

Layout PDF Image
Scalability and Additional Benefits

• Layout and pagination consistency

• Distributed client/server computation
• Robust rendering based on client-side
capabilities
• Improved first-page response time
• Lay the foundation for future features
(Bursting, renderer-dependent behavior,
editing in rich clients)
• Opportunity to implement Tablix
Page Response Time
Rendering Improvements

• CSV Renderer redesign

● True data renderer, not hybrid data/text layout
● Excel Mode
● CSV Compliant Mode
• Excel Renderer
● Support for nested data regions
● Support for nested subreports
• Scale improvements throughout
• Many performance improvements
New Word Renderer

• Output RDL to Microsoft Word binary

format (.doc)
• Support for Word 2000 – 2007
• Documents fully editable in Word
Report Design
Report Design Improvements

• New Standalone Report Designer

● Full-featured design surface that understands
all RDL elements
● Consistent look and feel across design tools
● Usability Enhancements (Zoom, Snaplines,
Tokens)
● New Property Dialogs
● Office 12 look and feel with Ribbon
• Layout surface shared with Visual Studio
Report Designer
DEMO
SSRS 2008 REPORT
AUTHORING
Tablix
 Table + Matrix

Customer Growth
Retail 2001 2002 Total

Acme 19% Retail Acme 1,115 1,331 2,446

Nadir, Inc. 322% Nadir, Inc. 152 642 794

Wholesale Wholesale ABC Corp. 11,156 13,312 24,468

ABC Corp. 19% XYZ, Ltd. 1,523 6,421 7,944

XYZ, Ltd. 322% Grand Total 13,946 21,706 35,653

Grand Total 56%

Tablix = Best of Both Worlds ++

• Matrix plus:
● Multiple parallel row/column members at each level
● Each member may be dynamic or static
● Optional omission of member headers
• Table plus:
● Dynamic, nested column groups
● Multiple parallel row groups
● Static rows
● Optional spanning row headers
 Tablix Example 1
Hierarchical rows with dynamic headers
Current Desired

2005 2006 2005 2006

West Total 140 180 West 140 180

Washington Total 80 100 Washington 80 100

Seattle 50 60 Seattle 50 60
Spokane 30 40 Spokane 30 40

Oregon Total 60 80 Oregon 60 80

Portland 40 50 Portland 40 50
Eugene 20 30 Eugene 20 30

East Total 200 220 East 200 220

...

...
 Tablix Example 2
Mixing dynamic and static columns

2005 2006 State City Pop Area

WA Seattle 50 60 WA Seattle 20 30
Current Spokane 30 40 WA Spokane 10 20

OR Portland 40 50 OR Portland 10 10

Eugene 20 30 OR Eugene 25 5

State City 2005 2006 Pop Area

WA Seattle 50 60 20 30
Desired
Spokane 30 40 10 20

OR Portland 40 50 10 10

Eugene 20 30 25 5
 Tablix Example 3
Parallel dynamic groups

2005 2006 Table Chair

WA Seattle 50 60 WA Seattle 20 30
Current Spokane 30 40 Spokane 10 20
OR Portland 40 50 OR Portland 10 10
Eugene 20 30 Eugene 25 5

Year Product

2005 2006 Table Chair

Desired
WA Seattle 50 60 20 30

Spokane 30 40 10 20

OR Portland 40 50 10 10

Eugene 20 30 25 5
 Other Tablix Examples
Non-aggregate details in subtotals Non-detail aggregates in subtotals

Q1 Q2 Total 2005 2006

Prof Enroll Prof Enroll NY Joe 50 60

Calculus Galt 25 Rand 30 55 Sue 80 100

Physics Ellis 14 Chan 21 35 Total Count 2 2

Yoga Zehn 42 Tau 53 95 Sales 130 160

Biology Rasa 31 Starr 35 66 Avg 65 80

...
Scope-specific aggregates in subtotals

2005 2006 Total

Jan- Jul- Total Jan- Jul- Total

Jun Dec Jun Dec
$ Gr $ Gr

Cog 10 15 25 - 11 20 31 6 56

Sprocket 20 25 45 - 22 30 52 7 97
DEMO
SSRS 2008 TABLIX
Data Visualization
Data Visualization

• MS has acquired Dundas Software’s Data

Visualization products
● Chart
● Gauge
● Map
● Barcode
● Calendar
• Chart and Gauge in SSRS 2008
• Other controls planned for post-2008
Chart Improvements
• Key Features • Additional Chart types
● Annotations ● Stepped Line
● Custom Palettes ● Spline Area
● Multiple Axes ● Pie Callout
● Axis Break ● Polar
● Large data volumes ● Radar
● Error Bars ● Gantt
● Merged charts ● Range Line/Column
● Anti-aliasing ● Funnel
● Alpha Blending ● Pyramid
● Custom Drawing ● Histogram
Events ● Box
Chart Examples
Chart Examples
Gauge Examples
DEMO
SSRS 2008 DATA
VISUALIZATION
Deployment and Upgrade
 Deploying SSRS 2008 at a Glance
Usage Scenario Support Statement
Applications built for RS 2005, Will work
2005 SP2
Applications built for RS 2000 RS 2000 SOAP APIs are not
supported
URL Access will work
RS 2005 RDL, RS 2000 RDL Can publish
Cannot edit with RS 2008 Designer
RS Database hosted in SQL 2005 Will work
RS Database hosted in SQL 2000 Not supported
VS 2005 ReportViewer Control Supported
SharePoint integration Supported
SharePoint v2 WebParts Supported
Upgrading Reports
• RS 2008 server WILL support running legacy RDL
● RS 2005 RDL
● RS 2000 RDL
• RS 2008 designer has PARTIAL support for legacy RDL
● Converts legacy RDL to 2008 RDL
● If you don’t convert, you cannot open the RDL in the 2008
designer
● CANNOT save to legacy RDL formats
• Published reports upgrade on the fly
• RS 2008 RDL will NOT work with SQL 2005
• SQL 2005 Report Engine is deprecated
● Snapshots created in 2000 or 2005 WORK in SQL 2008
● They will not work in a version after 2008
Questions / Discussion
Your Feedback is Important

Please fill out a session evaluation form and

either put them in the basket near the exit
or drop them off at the conference
registration desk.

Thank you!
Appendix
How URL Reservations Work

• URL Reservations are stored in HTTP.SYS

● URLs must be reserved prior to being used
• Report Server keeps a copy of its URL reservations in
the RSReportServer.config file
● Report Server tries to register URLs listed in the file at runtime
• URL Reservations are associated with an account/SID
● Only the account/SID can use the URL reservation
● Only processes running as the account/SID and register the URL
• URLs are registered at runtime
● Registering the URL starts HTTP.SYS accepting requests on the
URL
Web Sites and Virtual Directories
• URL Reservations (“URLs”) replace IIS Web Sites
● Used to direct requests to a particular service
● Report Server and Report Manager have independent URLs
● URLs encompass:
• Scheme: http:// or https://
• Hostname: + | * | DNS name | FQDN | IPv4 | IPv6
• Port: <number>
• Virtual Directory: <string>
● Multiple URLs are allowed for each application
● Generally should configure identical URLs for RS & RM
● Wild cards (+, *) catch all request
• + is ‘strong’ wildcard that catches ALL requests
• * is ‘weak’ wildcard that catches all requests NOT HANDLED by others
• Virtual Directory concept is simplified in RS 2008
● In IIS, Virtual Directories have many settings
● In RS 2008, Virtual Directory is just a name
● Only one virtual directory name is allowed for RS or RM
WMI API Changes

• New namespace that works better across versions

● Old Namespace
• \root\Microsoft\SqlServer\ReportServer\v9
● New namespace
• \root\Microsoft\SqlServer\ReportServer\<InstanceName>\v10
• Report Server 2005 WMI namespace is not supported
• Configuration classes are merged
● Instance class provides discovery
● ConfigurationSetting class provides configuration
● New methods - URL Reservation, SSL Configuration