SSRS Mobile Report Publisher Basics
By Tom Nonmacher
SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is a comprehensive and versatile platform for developing, deploying, and managing reports for your organization. One of the new features added to SSRS in SQL Server 2016 is the ability to create mobile reports using the Mobile Report Publisher. This post will provide a basic overview of the Mobile Report Publisher and its uses.
SSRS Mobile Report Publisher is a tool that you can use to create mobile reports for viewing on mobile devices or in a browser. This tool is a standalone Windows application, and a new feature in the SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services (SSRS) suite. It is designed to be used with SSRS in native mode and can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center.
To create a mobile report, you need to connect to a SQL Server 2016 or later Reporting Services report server. You can do this by selecting File > New > Mobile Report in the Mobile Report Publisher. From there, you can choose a data source for your report. You can use either a shared dataset from the report server or an embedded dataset that you create in the Mobile Report Publisher.
Here's an example of how you might create an embedded dataset using T-SQL in SQL Server 2017:
USE SalesDB
SELECT CustomerID, SalesAmount
FROM SalesTable
WHERE SalesDate BETWEEN '2017-01-01' AND '2017-12-31'
Once you have a dataset, you can start building your mobile report. The Mobile Report Publisher provides a variety of visualizations that you can use, including charts, gauges, and maps. You simply drag and drop these items onto the design surface and then bind them to your dataset.
When your report is complete, you can save it to the report server, where it can be accessed by others in your organization. You can also preview your report in the Mobile Report Publisher to see how it will look on different devices.
What's exciting about this feature is that it's not just limited to SQL Server databases. You can connect to any database that SSRS supports, including MySQL 5.7, DB2 11.1, and Azure SQL. This makes the Mobile Report Publisher a valuable tool for organizations that work with a variety of database systems.
This has been a basic overview of the SSRS Mobile Report Publisher. There's a lot more you can do with this tool, including creating master-detail reports, using parameters to filter data, and customizing the appearance of your reports. If you're interested in learning more, I encourage you to download the Mobile Report Publisher and start exploring its features.