SSRS

SQL Server Reporting Services Overview

Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is an enterprise reporting platform supporting traditional paper-based reports and interactive reports delivered over the Web or through custom applications. SSRS is data-source independent. Multidimensional sources and hierarchical sources of reports can also be used.

The Report Server Service, which is the server-side component, hosts reports in a variety of formats, including Microsoft Excel Worksheets and Portable Document Format (PDF) files. The server component is managed through a Web services infrastructure accessible using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). The client consuming the report might be as simple as a Web browser pointing to a Report Server URL. Reporting Services also has an API that allows reports to be embedded in other applications.