SSRS 2008 and Report Builder 2.0

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Today i finally had a chance to look at SSRS 2008. some of the new features that i already like about it:

 

  • the new tablix control: a mix of table + matrix, will let you combine both table capabilities and matrix capabilities in one grid. some examples of its new features are combining both static and dumanic columns, and having multiple parallel dynamic groups in a grid.
  • gauges indicators, gives you new ways to visualize KPI data
  • enhanced design experience for tablix and charts
  • new chart types
  • and export to Word, so now you can expert your report to Word, and then edit it to add commentary before publising

also, the new Report Builder 2.0 looks cool, unline the old builder, this one allows you to connect to any data source known to the designer. not only report models. I am still to experiment with custom built data extensions. I find more user friendly for report designers who are not developers or dont want to deal with Visual studio tools to create and design reports.

the new builder can be downloaded from here: https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9f783224-9871-4eea-b1d5-f3140a253db6&displaylang=en.

 

cheers,
- mutaz