SSRS Interview Questions and Answers

Top 27 SSRS Interview Questions and Answers for Professionals

1. Describe the SSRS architecture.

The architecture of reporting services consists of integrated elements. It has multiple layers, including data, server, and application layers. Below are some of the crucial SSRS elements, including

• Reporting manager
• Reporting designer
• Various browser types supported by reporting services
• Reporting server
• Reporting server and many command line outlets
• Report server database
• Data sources.

2. Describe the fundamental elements of SSRS.

The fundamental elements of SSRS are:

• A set of tools for viewing, generating, and managing data reports
• The hosting and processing of reports in several data forms, including PDF, HTML, Excel, and CSV data files, is handled by various report server components.
• To build tools, numerous bespoke applications and custom reports are integrated using various APIs. 

3. What steps are in the report processing process when using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)?

As the SSRS report processing process is frequently a favorite among interviewers in SSRS interview questions, it's crucial to prepare them carefully. The steps a report goes through when we view it are as follows:

• Compile: Review report definition expressions, then save the resulting intermediate format to the report server.
• Process: Execute dataset queries, combine data and layout using the intermediate format to produce a finished result.
• Render: To determine how much information fits on each page, send the paginated report to a renderer extension.
• Export (optional): The report can be saved in many different file types, including a doc or a pdf.

4. What are data regions concerning SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)?

A data region in a report is an object that shows information from a report dataset. Report data can be presented graphically in a chart or gauge, numerically in a table, matrix, list, or against a specific geographic backdrop on a map. All tables, matrices, and lists are built upon the tablix data region, which can be expanded to show the entire dataset's contents. A tablix data region supports both static and dynamic rows.

5. What are the different data regions used in SSRS?

SSRS's (SQL Server Reporting Services) different data regions are as follows:

• List region: A list is a kind of data area that uses a freeform format to show data. You can create a form using text boxes, images, and other data regions by putting the report's components in a list.
• Table region: Tables are data regions that show information in a row-by-row format. When you design your report, you can choose how many columns you want because a table's number of columns is fixed.
• Chart region:  Visual representation of data is a chart. There are many charts, including bar, pie, and line diagrams.
• Matrix region: Another term for a matrix is a crosstab. Both dynamic rows and columns may exist in a matrix data area. In a matrix, columns and rows can be either dynamic or static.
• Gauge region: A gauge is a tool that displays data as a range with an indicator pointing to a particular value inside the range. The display of key performance indicators (KPIs) and other measurements is done with gauges. Gauges include linear and circular gauges.

6. Mention some features of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

The features of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) are as follows:

• It offers a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) application with a pluggable architecture.
• Database connections, ODBC (Open Database Connecting), and OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) databases can all be used to access data.
• Thanks to it, we may create and save ad hoc reports to the server.
• There are many different ways to display data, including tabular, free-form, and chart forms.
• The report-processing extension allows us to build specialized controls.

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)?

Advantages:

• It is less expensive and quick.
• It offers access to data kept in both MS SQL Server and Oracle databases for effective reporting.
• A rule-based strategy that can be used with folders and reports governs security.
• Users automatically receive subscription-based reports.
• It is possible to generate reports for relational and cube data more quickly.

Disadvantages:

• There isn't a print option. It would help if you exported something to PDF, Excel, Word, or another format before you may print it.
• Even if users do not want the report's data to be filtered, they must pass the parameter values if it includes any.
• It's challenging to modify custom code and debug expressions.
• The page header adds more space to each new page.

8. Mention the various server types that are compatible with SSRS?

SSRS is an extensively used database tool with server integration capabilities.

• Oracle
• ODBC and OLEDB
• Flat XML files
• Teradata
•  Hyperion

9. What other free source applications besides SSRS could you use?

One more of the most typical SSRS interview questions. Among the alternatives to open source software are:

• JFree Report
• Jasper Reports
• OpenReport
• BIRT (Business Intelligence Reporting Tool)
• DataVision and so on

10. Describe the process for deploying an SSRS report.

Three methods can be used to deploy an SSRS report.

• By Visual Studio: By specifying the report server URL in the project properties under Target Server URL, you may deploy the report directly in Visual Studios through the solution explorer.
• Through Report Server: You can deploy the report to the report server by browsing the information from the server's disc location.
• By establishing the Utility: Another choice is to develop specialized software to distribute the report.

11. What is a sub-report?

Parameters and queries can be passed to a subreport. A sub-report can be viewed as an expanded version of your preliminary report. Like the main report, any report can be utilized as a subreport inserted into the main domain. However, a different data set is used in the subreport. For instance, you can establish a customer report in a sub-report, and that sub-report can display an order list for each client.

12. Explain Tablix.

The Tablix is a collection of tables and matrices used in reporting services. The Tablix data area is the foundation for every report we produce utilizing SSRS technology. In other words, it can be managed using a table's and a matrix's combined capabilities.

13. What is the name and location of the Reporting Services Configuration file?

The reporting services file, known as Rsreportserver.config, can be found under Report Manager's settings or those utilized by the Report Server Web Service and background operations.

14. What programming language is used to create RDL files?

SSRS reporting services use it as an XML extension. These documents were created in XML (Extensible Markup Language).

15. Describe the various types of reports in the context of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Knowing the various types of SSRS reports is crucial because SSRS interview questions frequently touch on them. Following are the various report kinds that SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) offers:

• Parameterized Reports: A parameterized report uses input variables to finish processing reports or data. By altering the values set when the report runs, you can change the result of a parameterized report.
• Linked Reports: Reports linked to existing reports are found on the report server as linked reports. In principle, it's comparable to a software shortcut you use to launch a program or access a file. A related report is produced from an existing report and keeps the original report's report definition.
• Cached Reports: Reports that have been cached are copies of processed reports that have been preserved. Cached reports improve speed by reducing the number of processing requests submitted to the report processor and the time needed to retrieve extensive reports.
• Drilldown Reports: By toggling conditionally hidden report components, drill-down reports let users choose how much detailed data they wish to view.
• Clickthrough Reports:  A clickthrough report shows pertinent information from a report model when you click the interactive data in your model-based report.

16. Mention a few rendering extensions that SQL Server Reporting Services offers (SSRS).

The rendering extensions offered by SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) include the following:

• Word
• PDF
• Excel
• XML
• CSV
• HTML

17. How is data mining implemented in SSRS?

The use of DMX designer to develop data mining queries for SSRS reports enables data mining to be implemented in SSRS.

18. Differentiate between a tabular report and a matrix report?

19. What do you know about SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) pagination?

Pagination refers to the number of pages in a paginated report and the layout of the report's elements on those pages. The pagination in Reporting Services depends on the renderer extension you use to view and transmit the report. The HTML renderer is utilized when you run a report on the server. The pagination of the report changes when you export the same report to PDF, for instance, because a different set of rules and the PDF renderer are utilized.

20. What advantages do paginated reports offer concerning SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)?

The advantages of paginated reports in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) are as follows:

• Reports offer an integrated view of the facts to support business decision-making. We should use a single set of data sources to obtain a single collection of facts.
• We can see reports for personal use or share them with our team or organization by publishing reports to a report server or SharePoint site.
• A report can be used in various ways once it has been defined. The report can be exported to many different file formats, shared with subscribers, or sent as an email attachment.
• We can use report sections, shared data sources, queries, and subreports to build reusable data visualizations.
• Expressions that we define let us customize how report data is filtered, grouped, and sorted.

21. Briefly describe each of the three command-line utilities.

The three command-line tools consist of

• RsConfig.exe: It establishes the connection properties between the Report Server database and the SSRS instance.
• RsKeyMgmet.exe: It carries out scaling out deployment setup and necessary procedures.
• Rs.exe: It runs Report Server Script files that can deploy reports and carry out management tasks.

22. How Do You Create An SSRS Report?
 

You must set up data sources before you can start creating and utilizing SSRS reports, as one or more datasets are needed to produce the report's parameters and body. Then add the required toolbox controls to make it function as a container for all datasets. The controls you have added to the report body should now be formatted. Before deploying the report, confirm and validate it.

23. What do you mean by cascaded parameterized reports?

Cascaded parameterized reports are those with a lot of parameters. On the other hand, specific parameters will have values or value sets that depend on different parameters. The optimization of the report may be impacted by order of the parameters. For instance, if a customer parameter yields a million results, we might filter it by first adding a gender parameter, reducing half the number of results for the customer parameter. For instance, we have a subcategory parameter, but its values are not set until the category parameter is chosen.

24. What data type should be utilized when creating a Radio Button Parameter Type in a SQL Server Reporting Services Report?

Go to parameter properties and switch the data type to boolean when adding a query to your report using the bit-type column. If not, a text box with the parameter value will show up.

25. How would you produce a Sequence Number for every record in an SSRS Report?

Use the row number function to get a sequence number for each record in your SSRS report. To do this, create a new blank column in your Tablix, switch to expressions, and then enter expressions in the cell.

26. What are the new improvements in the most recent version of SSRS?

SSRS 2019 is the most recent version as of this writing. This version has increased support for Azure Managed Instances and publishing SSRS reports on Power BI. Furthermore, the installation of SSRS has been split from the primary installation of SQL Server and requires a separate download and installation.

27. Explain the differences between Power Bi and SQL Server Reporting Services.

It is one of the most frequently asked SSRS interview questions. The following are the variations between Power Bi and SQL Server Reporting Services:

Conclusion

This article extensively discussed the essential SSRS interview questions. SSRS is a more advanced tool than Crystal Reports which allows faster processing of reports using relational and multidimensional data. Moreover, it also provides users with a quicker and more precise decision-making system, thus enabling interaction between people and information without needing IT specialists.

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So, go ahead and prepare these SSRS interview questions thoroughly to ace your interview.

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