SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services - Pros and Cons

Question

I am developing a web application using ASP .NET 2.0, VS 2008 and SQL Server 2005. I would like to Use SSRS 2005 for the various reports I need to build for this web application

Answer 1

One of the Cons I see with your setup, is you will have to use Visual Studio 2005 for your reporting project since you are using SSRS 2005.

Since it looks like you are using Visual Studio 2008 for your other development, this means having both versions installed and having to have both open and running most the time.

I'm in the same situation and it is a hassle, but one I've gotten used to.

EDIT:
Some of the other Cons I've run across are usually designer related. They may have been fixed in 2008 (don't know for sure), but I attribute them to the infancy of SSRS compared to other more mature reporting solutions.

• Datasets changing to Text even though you set them to Stored Procedure every time you enter the data tab

• Web Service datasets losing their parameters when changing the query

• The expression editor is very dumbed-down. Its slightly better than using notepad.

Answer 2

The CONS:

1. Rendering might be different in Firefox or other browsers. When using SSRS ReportViewer on an ASP.NET page, just make sure to verify the look/feel/layout of the report when rendered on browsers other than IE.

2. One con is that with SSRS, there are so many options available to the developer that it could be confusing at first. I am talking more about whether to use Local Reports or Server Reports, whether to put code inside code modules, in reusable assemblies, or use reusable Managed Code (C#) Stored Procedures.

3. The biggest con I could think of in SSRS is that the code module is very basic. No intellisense and no debugging features. Also it would be great if SSRS scripting supported C# instead of just VB.NET.

4. While expressions are great, the problem is there is no single container/place which allows you to see all the expressions defined in a report. This could present a maintenance nightmare down the road.

That said, SSRS is a powerful tool in the hands of a seasoned developer.

Answer 3

I will only put some cons here as most people have already mentioned the benefits.

SSRS 2008: Primitive user interface little flexibility to do fancy stuff i.e. flashy charts, geo maps (w/o lat long) user interaction is only limited to applying filters, rest is pretty static

MS seriously has to re-think what competitors are doing in the field of BI & Data visualisation.

Answer 4

I find SSRS is very Robust and provides a very large range of capabilities to suit your reporting needs. I have tried others (Crystal) and did not like it nearly as much. (This could just be personal taste though).

Even for a beginner, SSRS has many wizards which will get you the results you desire and for the experienced developer, you can fine tune your reports with drill-throughs, colors, coding, etc.

I honestly have nothing bad to say about SSRS. The one downside that Dustin pointed out is that your VS version and SQL version are different. I have an app that is in VS2005, but uses a SQL 2000 backend and I have to have my reports separate in a VS2003 project to get them to work properly.

Answer 5

SSRS 2005 Pro integrated in Sharepoint Cons integration in Sharepoint could be a mess to set up using Kerberos etc...

Answer 6

Pros:

• Free
• Probably better tied to MS SQL than most others
• Works well for most types of reporting

Cons:

• Free; Support access isn't like Crystal
• Doesn't have every feature other, older competitors have. Being a newer piece of software, it is still getting new functionality that other products like Crystal Reports has had for years.

I often end up running reports in whatever way they're easiest. Lately I built my own web based interface that drives any combination of PDF/HTML/Crystal/SRSS reports and delivers them. Often Crystal will do some in 2 steps, or SRSS does something else better. If I had to pick one right now as a go-to for all scenarios I'd probably pick Crystal. The more I use SRSS being a few years old and still in active feature development (catching up to products like Crystal), I can see it being used a lot more... not quite yet though.