Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services and Mobile Reports

Chapter 5Data Access and Query Basics

WHAT'S IN THIS CHAPTER

• Database and query essentials
• Understanding relational database principles and concepts
• Data source management
• Datasets and using query design tools
• Query authoring using the Report Builder query designer
• Query authoring with SQL Server Management Studio
• Using single and multi-select parameters

Data source queries are the foundation of reporting and writing effective queries and are essential to design. If your reports use the SQL Server relational engine, or SQL Server Analysis Services for data sources, you may prefer to use a familiar and more-sophisticated query design tool like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). By contrast, the report designer includes useful but simplified query tools. Many other data sources are supported with more rudimentary query design options, as well. This chapter addresses T-SQL query design for SQL Server.

NOTE

If you are new to the T-SQL language and are designing reports for SQL Server, pick up a copy of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 T-SQL Fundamentals (Microsoft Press: Redmond, WA, 2012) by Itzik Ben-Gan.

Reporting Services strives to reach two audiences—namely, a broad spectrum of users who can be grouped into two camps. The first is the business user needing to create simple reports easily, and the second is the experienced developer or database professional who needs to create sophisticated reports using complex queries and intricate program logic. History has proven ...