Creating a report in SSRS

To create a report with SSRS, you can use either:

• Report Builder

• SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT-BI)

Both of these tools can be downloaded, free from the Microsoft website. The difference between the two is that with Report Builder you are working on one report. With Data Tools you can create and manage multiple reports in one project or solution.

Note

SQL Server data tools for Reporting Services is abbreviated to SSDT-BI. (Online you will also find SSDT, which only contains templates for SQL Server project, and not the Reporting Services.)

You can download it from here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36843

Now, let's get started on our first report in SSRS. I would like to start with a simple list of customers. I will create it using the Report Builder, and then use Visual Studio data tools to further enhance the report and add it to a solution.

1. First, launch the Report Builder application. When it starts, it immediately opens a popup window:

   

2. Here...