Connecting to SSRS

Introduction

We recommend using Metadata Import in the Portal as the primary method of connecting your data sources.
The Portal offers significant advantages compared to the Desktop application:

• Schedule Metadata Import.
• Manage connections centrally.

Import through Desktop is still available and allows importing one source at a time.
You can find the instructions at the bottom of this page.

Prerequisites

To connect to an SSRS server, you need access to the ReportService2010.asmx web service (usually located at https://your_ssrs_server_address/ReportServer/ReportService2010.asmx).

Required privileges:

• At least the Browser Role on the SSRS Home folder
• At least the Browser Role and the Content Manager Role on Reports and Datasets

You will also need to prepare connection details. If you need help locating them, expand the text below.

Connection details breakdown

Necessary connection details:

• Report Server Web Service URL - an address where ReportService2010.asmx web service is located. E.g. https://your_ssrs_server_address/ReportServer.
• Web Portal URL - an address of SSRS web portal.
• Authentication - Windows Authentication or Standard Authentication
• User and password - this is only necessary if you chose Standard Authentication.

How to find the required URLs

To get Report Server URL and Web Portal URL you can check them in Report Server Configuration Manager of SSRS.

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Importing metadata in Dataedo Portal

Entry point

Make sure that you have the Connection Manager role. Then open Connectors>Connections and press the Add Connection button. Select SQL Server Reporting Services.

Step 1. Host Details

Provide the connection name, and (optionally) the connection description. These impact how the connection will be visible in your repository.

You also have to provide the URL of the Report server web service. The URL of the Web Portal can be provided too but it is optional, and should be done only if your Web Portal does not follow standard naming conventions. Make sure that the Display Name is filled out with a name that will let you quickly identify the connection later on — this connector does not let you connect multiple sources at once, so one connection will point to only one database.

warning

If your Web portal's address is anything other than https://your_ssrs_server_address/Reports, and you did not fill it in in the Web portal URL field, the Report URL won't work in Dataedo.

Step 2. Credentials

Choose your credentials from the list of the ones already saved for your chosen service, or add new ones using the New credentials button.

Step 3. Objects to Import

You can select which objects to import. You have two ways to control that.

Select Schemas lets you choose schemas and object types (tables, views, procedures etc.) you want to import.

The Advanced Filters let you include or exclude objects based on schema and name patterns using SQL-style regular expressions. You can configure multiple patterns, and each one can apply to all or only certain object types.

Step 4. Schedule Metadata Import

warning

You must configure at least one Metadata Import task in the schedule section.
If you skip this, an empty database will be created and no metadata will be imported.

Configure scheduling options for each source individually. You can schedule imports, data quality runs, and refresh data profiling.

When you schedule a Metadata Import, you can:

• Modify the import behavior
• Manage automatic Data Lineage extraction
• Choose its frequency (daily, on selected weekdays, on selected days of the month)
• Choose a time of its execution
• Set its state (Active tasks will run as scheduled, Draft ones will be saved for future but will not run until changed to Active)
• Schedule a task to run immediately — this will run the task immediately after you finish configuring imports and according to schedule after that.

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Importing metadata in Dataedo Desktop

To connect to SSRS create new documentation by clicking Add documentation and choosing New connection.

On the connection screen choose SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) (beta) and provide the required connection details.

Importing objects

When the connection is successful Dataedo will read objects and show a list of objects found. You can choose which objects to import. You can also use advanced filter to narrow down the list of objects.

Confirm the list of objects to import by clicking Next.

The next screen will allow you to change the default name of the documentation under which your schema will be visible in the Dataedo repository.

Click Import to start the import.

When done, close the import window with the Finish button.

Your SSRS has been imported to new documentation in the repository.

Importing changes

To sync any changes in the schema in SSRS and reimport any technical metadata simply choose the Import changes option. You will be asked to connect to SSRS again and changes will be synced from the source.