sql server reporting services: My background is as a Java programmer.

I am using SRS to create some reports. I am having a hard time getting used
to only dealing with the output from the database server. I'm used to having
access to objects, methods, etc...

I am trying to determine if I am better off just writing stored procedures
or if there is some way to use a .Net language (perhaps C#).

My data needs a fair amount of processing after it comes out of the database
before it is ready for display.

For instance, I need to get a row, perform some calculations, update another
row and then display... I think I could get it done in a stored proc, but it
still seems like a limited environment and a lot of what I need seems to
require cursors, which I am told are expensive.

So... Any comments on the best way to attack this?

Can I use C# to sit between my database and SRS? What kind of output would

Hunter,

I would gravitate toward doing as much as possible data massaging at the
data source level. It will be less expensive than doing it in code. RS
allows you to use expressions where the field values can be changed before
displayed on the report but in your case this may not be enough. Another way
you can tackle this is to create a custom data extension which will get the
dataset, pre-process it, and return it to the report. Mine ADO.NET dataset
extension could get you started.

http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/UserSamples/Details.aspx?SampleGuid=B8468707-56EF-4864-AC51-D83FC3273FE5

--
Hope this helps.

---------------------------------------------
Teo Lachev, MVP [SQL Server], MCSD, MCT
Author: "Microsoft Reporting Services in Action"
Publisher website: http://www.manning.com/lachev
Buy it from Amazon.com: http://shrinkster.com/eq
Home page and blog: http://www.prologika.com/
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"Hunter Hillegas" <HunterHillegas@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
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I agree with Leo.... If there are common functions, etc, do these in views
or in the sql for your data source. Especially when you do views, these
expressions can be used by many reports, ( like formatting a name, or date,
or taking several values and making some business calculation). You can
write code in each report using VB, and that is OK for small things, but the
code is not sharable across many reports except though copy/paste. Which
leaves writing a customer assembly, and referencing it in reports. This
allows for sharing a single code base of common functions across many
reports, but increases the level of complexity and management...

hope this helps....

--
Wayne Snyder, MCDBA, SQL Server MVP
Mariner, Charlotte, NC
www.mariner-usa.com
(Please respond only to the newsgroups.)

I support the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS) and it's
community of SQL Server professionals.
www.sqlpass.org

"Hunter Hillegas" <HunterHillegas@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
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