SSRS Interview Questions And Answers For Experienced Pdf
1. How to send an SSRS report from SSIS?
Answer: Often there is a requirement to be able to send an SSRS report in Excel, PDF or another format to different users from an SSIS package once it has finished performing a data load. To do this, first, you need to create a subscription to the report. You can create an SSRS report subscription from the Report Manager. At the report subscription, you can mention the report format and the email address of the recipient. When you create a schedule for the SSRS report, a SQL Server Agent Job will be created. From the SSIS, by using sp_start_job and passing the relevant job name you can execute the SSRS report subscription.
2. What are things to consider before Caching, Snapshots, or Subscriptions?
Answer:
Before you schedule any caches, snapshots, or subscriptions, Make sure:
- SQL Server Agent is running
- There are proper Execution Accounts
- Account Credentials are stored in the report server
- The schedule properly follows the requirements
3. Can you import Microsoft Excel data to SSRS?
Answer: Reporting Services does not import data. It only queries data in whatever format it is stored in its native storage system. I will assume that you’re asking whether you can create reports and use Excel spreadsheets as data sources. The answer is Yes, Reporting Services supports a wide variety of data sources, including Excel files. You’ll get the best performance with the built-in native .NET providers but you should be able to connect to any ODBC or OLE-DB data source, whether it comes from Microsoft or a third-party company.
4. Intranet. How Do You Configure Such A Hyperlink?
Answer: Create a text box item, set the action to Go To URL, and then configure the URL.
You Want A Report To Display Sales By Category, Subcategory, And Product. You Want Users To See Only Summarized Information Initially But To Be Able To Display The Details As Necessary.
5. What are Subscriptions?
Answer: Subscriptions are functionality with SSRS that pushes or delivers reports to multiple users on an automatic and scheduled basis.
6. What is a Report Server Project?
Answer: It is the project template used to create Managed Reports. It includes all of the functionalities that developers need to retrieve data, transform it using code, and create Managed Reports or embedded reports.
7. What are Managed Reports?
Answer: A Managed Report is for users who know how to use all of the aspects of the reporting tool.
They are Enterprise Reports that are managed by the SQL Developers up until the finished product.
These users know the structure of the underlying data and they know how to retrieve the data. These reports are code-based for developers. You use the Report Designer to make Managed Reports.
8. How Would You Go About Developing A Ssrs Report?
Answer: The general development methodology for an SSRS report is to start by creating a data source. Based on the data source create one or multiple datasets as needed for parameters and the body of the report. Add required controls from the toolbox which would act as a container for the fields in the dataset. Format the controls added to the report body. Verify and validate the report and finally deploy the report.
9. What is a Report Model Project?
Answer: It is the VS project template used to create Ad Hoc Reports. It allows the developer to create a basic model (.SMDL file) that is the input of the Report Builder. The model is a container for metadata.
The non-technical user can then use the Report Builder to make an Ad Hoc Report show whichever data they want. Model → Report Builder → Ad Hoc Report.
10. What Is Reporting Lifecycle?
Answer: Generally, Reporting Services has three main three phases:
Development of Reports (Developer): at first reports need to be developed and it is done the developers.
Management of Reports (DBA): When the Report is being developed DBA ensure the following things:
Security: only authorized user should access the report
Execution: how the report will be executed to optimize data sources performance
Scheduling of Reports: so that report is executed on scheduled timings
Report Delivery (DBA + Developer): When the report is being developed and executed the report is transferred to the business users. They use it and if any modification is required the report goes back to the development stage.
11. Which is the latest version of SSRS and what are the new enhancements?
Answer: SSRS 2008 R2 is the latest RTM version of SSRS. Rich data visualizations, better programming functions for lookup and aggregation, improved performance and better control over exported data are some of the major enhancements.
Further Reading.
12. What are the limitations of SharePoint Mode?
Answer: There are two important limitations with SharePoint integrated mode. It does not support linked reports nor does it support performing administrative tasks such as report deployment in batch mode using the RS utility.
13. How would you deploy SSRS Reports using out-of-box functionality and how can you automate SSRS report deployment?
Answer: Business Intelligence Development Studio is generally used to deploy SSRS reports. There is no out-of-box support in SSRS to automate reports deployment, but free third-party products like RSScripter can be used for this.
Further Reading.
14. What is a report subscription?
Answer: Subscriptions are standing requests to deliver report data to requested recipients. Once the report is being subscribed and the subscriber will get updates from the report server on a scheduled interval.
15. Explain how you can deploy an SSRS report?
Answer: SSRS report can be deployed in three ways
By Visual Studio: You can directly deploy the report in Visual Studios through solution explorer, by declaring the report server URL in project properties at Target Server URL.
By Report Server: By browsing the report from the disk location of the server you can deploy the report to report server
By creating the Utility: Another option is to create a customized utility to deploy the report.
16. What are Drill Down Reports?
Answer: Drill Down Reports are reports that have hierarchies within their rows or columns. They take advantage of expanding pivot tables to give the user aggregated data that can be expanded to show greater detail.
17. What is the process of Authorization?
Answer: After authentication, the process of authorization grants permissions to the user to access content on the report server and to perform specific actions. In native mode, Reporting Services uses a role-based authorization system to control what users can see and do on the report server.
18. What are the tools available in the market as an alternative to SQL Server Reporting Services?
Answer:
Non-Open Source:
1. Actuate
2. Hyperion (BRIO)
3. SIEBEL-CRM
4. BusinessObjects
5. Oracle Express OLAP
6. Qlikview
7. Cognos
8. Informatica Power Analyzer
9. Proclarity
10. IntelliView
11. Dundas Chart for .NET
12. MS-Excel
13. SAS
14. MicroStrategy
15. Pentaho
Open Source:
1. Jasper Reports
2. JFreeReport
3. BIRT (Business Intelligence Reporting Tools)
4. OpenReport
5. DataVision
6. Pentaho
19. When to Use Null Data-driven Subscription?
Answer: Create a data-driven subscription that uses the Null Delivery Provider. When you specify the Null Delivery Provider as the method of delivery in the subscription, the report server targets the report server database as the delivery destination and uses a specialized rendering extension called the null rendering extension. In contrast with other delivery extensions, the Null Delivery Provider does not have delivery settings that you can configure through a subscription definition.
20. How to backup SQL Server Reporting Services?
Answer: There are mainly three things, which should be backed up as part of reporting services backup
1. Report Server Databases, which can be backed up by the SQL server backup and restore method.
2. SQL Server Reporting Services Configuration, SQL Server Reporting Services Configuration is saved in config files, which can be copied as part of the backup. look for other to know config files and their location.
3. Encryption Keys backup, use SQL Server Reporting Services Configuration tool to backup symmetric keys.
21. What are the Server Modes for Reporting Services?
Answer: Two server modes are available for Reporting Services: native mode and SharePoint integrated mode. The server mode you select is closely connected to the structure and usage of the report server databases so if you change modes you must create a new database.
22. What is the Report Server Database Configuration Wizard?
Answer: The Report Server Database Configuration Wizard allows you to change the settings of the database that holds the Report Server. With it, you connect to the database server with your credentials. Then, you can change the Database Name, language, and Report Server Mode (Native or SharePoint).
23. How do users use Report Builder with SQL Server data sources?
Answer: While models that provide access to SQL Server Analysis Services are automatically generated on the report server, the Report Builder Model Designer can be used to generate or modify the models that are built on top of SQL Server relational databases. These model-building projects are a new type of project within a Visual Studio-based development shell.
24. How to fine-tune Reports?
Answer: To tune-up, the Reporting Services, follow the below mentioned ways: – Expand the Server or utilizing the reporting services of another database server. For better embedding of report contents, report application’s logic and characteristics can have a duplicate copy of data. – Replication of data continuously. Using (nolock), the issues of locking can well be resolved and the performance of the query can be improved. This can be done by using dirty read at the time of duplicating the data is unavailable.
25. List out what other servers you can use with SSRS?
Answer: Most of the times companies use SQL server with SSRS, but there are other servers you can integrate
Oracle
ODBC and OLEDB
Hyperion
Teradata
Flat XML files
26. What are Embedded Reports for?
Answer: SSRS allows you to develop and manage Embedded Reports for an organization’s portals or custom applications. They allow developers to integrate .NET, Java, C# codes into the report or embed the report into the codes. It is a development platform that can be used by in-house developers or third-party independent software vendors to create either Microsoft Windows or Web Reporting applications.
27. Can we deploy SSRS reports on our website?
Answer: Your reports can only be deployed on a reporting services site. Your only option for viewing them from other sites is an HTTP link. Some tools, like SharePoint, offer controls allowing you to view reports in the context of the other websites, but the report is still deployed to and hosted from reporting services.
28. What is the web service used for reporting services?
Answer: Reporting Service Web Service used in SSRS. By accessing this web service you can access all report server components and also get the report deployed on the report server.
29. What is a cache in SSRS?
Answer: The report server can lay up a copy of the processed report in memory and return the copy when a user opens the report. This server memory is known as cache and the process is called caching.
30. You want to use BIDS to deploy a report to a different server than the one you chose in the Report Wizard. How can you change the server URL?
Answer: You can right-click the project in Solution Explorer and then change the Target-Server URL property.
31. What is SSRS?
Answer:
1. SSRS or SQL Server Reporting Service is a server-based report generation software system from Microsoft and is part of Microsoft BI.
2. It is used for preparing and delivering interactive and a variety of reports.
3. It is administered through a web-based interface.
4. Reporting services utilizes a web service interface for supporting and developing customized reporting applications.
5. SSRS lets you create very rich reports (Tabular/Graphical/Interactive) from various data sources with rich data visualization (Charts, Maps, sparklines)
32. Explain how would you store your query in an SSRS report or a Database server?
Answer: Storing SQL queries directly in text format in the data should be avoided. Instead, it should be stored in a stored procedure in the database server. The advantage is that the SQL would be in a compiled format in an SP and gives all the benefits of SP compared to using an ad-hoc query from the report.
33. What are the Reporting Services components?
Answer: Reporting services components assist in development. These processing components include some tools that are used to create, manage and view reports.
1. Report Designer is used to creating the reports.
2. Report Server is used for executing and distributing reports.
3. Report Manager is used to managing the report server.
34. Mention what method you can use to reduce the overhead of Reporting Services data sources?
Answer: Cached reports and Snapshots can be used to reduce the overhead of Reporting Services Sources.
35. What are the different Service Account types?
Answer: The different Service Account types include:
1. Local System(Uses Windows Credentials)
2. Network Service(Uses the credentials supplied by your Network Connection)
3. Local Service(Uses the credentials specific to the Reporting Services engine)
36. What are the Preparation Tasks for installing Reporting Services?
Answer: Before you can begin installing Reporting Services, you must make several decisions and perform several preparation tasks:
- Understand the features supported in each of the six editions so you can choose the one most appropriate for your reporting needs
- Decide whether to implement Reporting Services in native mode or SharePoint integrated mode and whether you should deploy it in a single-server or multi-server topology.
- Review the hardware and software requirements for Reporting Services to ensure that the installation completes successfully.
- Consider whether you need to create Microsoft Windows accounts or whether you want to use build-in accounts for use as service accounts.
37. What Is The Main Purpose Of A Query Parameter?
Answer: The main purpose of a query parameter is to filter data in the data source.
You Want Your Users To Select A Parameter From A List Of Values In A.
38. What are the benefits of SharePoint Mode?
Answer: Office SharePoint Server provides several additional business intelligence features that enable you to integrate reports into dashboard pages using a Report Viewer Web Part with SharePoint filter Web Parts.
39. Name some of the open source software that you can use in an alternative to SSR?
Answer:
Some of the open source software alternatives are
- Jasper Reports
- free Report
- BIRT (Business Intelligence Reporting Tool)
- OpenReport
- DataVision and so on
40. Explain Reporting Life Cycle?
Answer:
Reporting Services has mainly three phases:
- Development of Reports (Developer) – First of all a report needs to be the design which is primarily done by report developer
- Management of Reports (DBA) – Once the Report is being developed, DBA need to ensure
- Security – Only authorized user should access the report
- Execution – How the report will be executed to optimize data sources performance
- Scheduling of reports – so that report is executed on scheduled timings
- Report Delivery (DBA + Developer) – Once the report is being developed and executed now the report should be reached to final recipients (business users) who are going to understand/analyze report data. if any changes, we again go back to the development stage.
41. You Want To Generate A Report That Is Formatted As A Chart. Can You Which Rendering Formats Are Affected By The Pagesize Properties?
Answer: Because only the Adobe PDf file, Word, and Image rendering extensions use physical page breaks, they are the only formats that are affected by the PageSize properties.
42. Explain what data regions are and what are the different data regions?
Answer:
Data regions are report items that show repeated rows of summarized information from datasets.
- Different data regions include
- Chart
- Gauge
- List
- Matrix
- Table
43. What kinds of accounts can Reporting Service be run under?
Answer: The Report Server Service can be run under a built-in service account, a Windows account on your local computer, or in your network domain.
44. Explain can SSRS reports Cache results?
Answer: Caching reports enable users to access and view reports much faster. SSRS does allow Cache reports on the reporting server.
45. How can I add Reporting Services reports to my application?
Answer: Visual Studio / SSDT / BI Data Tools (Standard and Enterprise editions) contains a set of freely redistributable Report Viewer controls that make it easy to embed Reporting Services functionality into custom applications. Two versions of the Report Viewer exist, one for rich Windows client applications and one for ASP.NET applications.
46. Do I need a report server to run reports in my application?
Answer: In addition to publishing reports to a report server, you can build reports using the Report Designer that is directly integrated with Visual Studio language projects. You can embed reports directly in any Windows Forms or ASP.NET Web application without access to a report server. The data access in embedded reports is a natural extension of the Visual Studio data facilities. Not only can you use traditional databases as a source of data for your reports, but you can also use object collections as well.
47. what are the different types of roles provided by SSRS?
Answer:
1. Browsers
2. Content Manager
3. My Reports
4. Publishers
5. Report Builder
48. What Are The Different Kinds Of Ssrs Reports?
Answer: Reports can be categorized into operational and analytical reports. The distinction is based on the source of data and level of analysis facilitated by any particular report. Operational reports are based on OLTP sources and are static reports and Analytical reports are based on OLAP sources and generally facilitate drill-down and drill-through for analysis. Technically, SSRS reports can be categorized into parameterized, linked, snapshot, cached, etc…
49. Mention what are the important architecture components of SSRS?
Answer: Important architecture components of SSRS includes
Report Manager
- Report Designer
- Browser types supported by reporting services
- Report Server
- Report Server and Command-line utilities
- Report Server Database
- Data Sources
50. What is the Reporting Service Configuration Manager?
Answer: Reporting Services Configuration Managers to allow you to manage ALL the different settings and configurations of your Reporting Services instance in one GUI based application.
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