Saturday, December 6, 2008

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
  • Architecture Overview
  • Presented by Adam Cogan
  • Chief Architect of SSW and
  • Microsoft Regional Director
  • http://www.ssw.com.au/
  • Delivering Awesome Web Applications
Agenda
  • Why Upgrade?
  • Installing
  • Architecture
  • IIS
  • Report Processing Changes
  • Report Design Improvements
  • Memory Improvements / Performance
  • Discontinued Features
Why Upgrade (to SSRS 2008)?
  • Dundas Charts – Beautiful charts
  • No IIS – will improve performance
  • Stability
  • 503 errors: server too busy
  • Performance – big reports always work now
  • Report Builder 2.0 – Report development in the browser
  • Tablix control – Table + Matrix
Performance (how to measure)
  • Create Web Test
  • Record Contacts.rdl (6704 pages)
    • Open SSRS
    • Open Contacts Report
    • Goto last page
    • Goto random pages
  • Look at ‘Total Time’
    • Add Duration field to Test Results pane
    • Run a couple of times each
    • Run both 2005 and 2008
Rule #49
  • never accept user’s emotive description of performance slowness
  • measure before and after
How was it faster?
  • The new architecture allows them to cache a few bytes per page
  • Enables quick restart of pagination of a partially/fully…
Ways to install
  • Upgrade
  • Side by Side
  • Fresh Install
Green ticks on installation… Next
  • Next get 2005 and 2008 working – using Justin King’s blog to help
  • Upgrading
  • Show a few new features
Architecture Changes
  • Report Server is not hosted in IIS
  • IIS is re3place by SQL Server internal components
  • Report Manager is gone (moved to part of Windows Service)
Upgrading
  • No Support for custom virtual directories
Why remove IIS?
  • IIS complexity increased support costs
  • Now easier to configure
  • Too many other IIS settings impacted RS
  • Other application hosted in IIS impacted RS
  • IIS required a two service model
    • Hard to deliver features like resource governing
    • Communication between services causes problems
  • Reusing SQL Server components has great benefits
  • Sometimes block deploying RS in the enterprise
  • Management don’t like IIS not on same machine as SQL Server
  • Cross platform environment on Web
IIS – The Lost Functionality
  • Some IIS functionality is not provided
    • Anonymous and Digest authentication
    • Client certificates
  • ISAPI’s are not supported
    • Use ASP.NET HTTP Modules instead
    • Most impacted are Single Sign on solutions
    • ISA Server is…
Report Builder 1.0
  • Only worked on Reporting Models
  • Accessible from tool bar
Report Design Improvements – Reports Builder 2.0
  • A Standalone Report Designer (don’t need VS.NET)
  • (Not included in RTM – download)
  • Layout surface shared with Visual Studio…
Discontinued Features
  • IE 5.5 support

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