sql server reporting services: Hi All,
I have been learning how to build vb.net code to access and use report
services. I have the WROX book and I am also studying that.

What I am finding, and please correct me if I am wrong. It looks like
all the functions built into the MSFT supplied web interface such as
dependent parameters etc are not supported in managing parameters as a
'combined' set of parameters or something like that.

It looks to me that if we want to write our own interface then we must
develop the same process of retrieving and passing parameters between
the various parameters so that the hierarchy of parameters can be
supported etc.

Is this correct? Or am I missing something in the calls/interfaces to
RS?

What we are looking to do is to put RS into DotNetNuke and to make the
interface to RS as 'good looking' as possible....

Thanks

Peter
www.peternolan.com

Hi All,
I might have answered my own question with my research in the last few
hours...

I found and article on odetocode called 'Reporting Services and the
Report Viewer component - Part II'

I've downloaded the code and played around with it and looked at it in
some detail.

Please correct me if I am wrong....it looks to me like that if I want
to get really good control of my parameters. For example, I want to put
the number of the parameters on a line that varies and I want to make
sure that if they are dependent on each other that the results from one
parameter are passed to the next. And then to have a 'view report'
button etc.....

If I want to do all this then I'm going to have to write all this into
code...or, if in DNN, then I am going to have to write a module such
that the user can enter all this information into tables and then use
them like that.....which would seen a bit strange because all this
information is inside the RDL itself.

Is there any way to tell parameter dependency etc from the ReportViewer
itself?

All ideas most welcome.....it is fast looking like the supplied
interface is the one to go with for version 1.0..

Best Regards

Peter Nolan
www.peternolan.com

Hi All,
just in case it helps other people...I've continued looking....and my
best guess now is that in order to get control of the parameters we
would have to pretty much re-write the functionality of the existing
interface and add the piece to control the parameters....In particulare
we do not want to separate the parameter controls from the report
control which was the mechanism used in the second odetocode
append....we would want the parameter drop down boxes to be built from
the RDL......

Probably a bit too much effort to control the parameters like we want!!
(LOL)...

And perhaps the kind of control I'm interested might come in a later
release or some other bright spark with lots of time on his/her hands
might write one.. ;-)

Best Regards
Peter Nolan

With the next release (RS 2005 due out in November) there will be two new
controls releases with VS 2005 (the controls come with Visual Studio, not
SQL Server). One is a winform control, one a webform control. These will be
much easier to use.


--
Bruce Loehle-Conger
MVP SQL Server Reporting Services

[quoted text, click to view]

Hi Bruce,
thanks.....we are just about to try out all things 2005....

Peter

Hi Bruce,
I have the CTP of 2005 working and it comes with BI Studio based on
Visual Studio. These controls that you mention....do they come in the
BI Studio or only in the full blown Whidbey?
Thanks
Peter

They only come with Widbey. They are available with Beta 2 of Widbey. I
haven't used them myself so I can't help you there. I just know that they
are there.


--
Bruce Loehle-Conger
MVP SQL Server Reporting Services

[quoted text, click to view]

Hi Bruce,
thanks very much.....getting control of the positioning of the
parameters would be 'the icing on the cake'....:-)

Next stop.....Widbey....all aboard..;-)

Peter