We arrive
at Step 5 - Create a data-driven subscription: Foodmart Sales.
On this page, we have
the option to specify the last of the subscriber database references, the
source of the parameter information for the Data-Driven Subscription.
The potential for this capability is great, as we have the ability to specify
(via the appropriate field in our database) the parameters that are
applied to a report before it is delivered - for each individual subscriber!
We can thus ensure that consumers receive only relevant information on a
recurring basis, with parameterization of the report supporting
virtually any sort of filtering we might imagine. This is a Reporting Services
capability that, together with numerous others within the Data-Driven
Subscription functionality, provides advantages over the capabilities of
other enterprise reporting solutions. (Sure, you can accomplish this in many
with macros or other coding, but this is about as "out of the box" as
it gets.)
30.
Select the radio button to the
left of Get the value from the database.
31.
Select Parameter (the
column in our SubscriberDetails table where we specify the "fill in"
for the report parameter, for each respective subscriber) in the selector to
the right of Get the value from the database.
The Step 5 - Create a data-driven subscription:
Foodmart Sales page appears, with
our settings, as shown in Illustration 37.
Illustration 37:
The Step 5 - Create a Data-driven Subscription: Foodmart Sales Page
We arrive
at Step 6 - Create a data-driven subscription: Foodmart Sales.
Finally, we have come
to the scheduling portion of the Data-Driven Subscription setup process.
33.
Click the radio button to the
left of On a schedule created for this subscription, as depicted in Illustration
38.
Illustration 38:
The Step 6 - Create a Data-driven Subscription: Foodmart Sales Page
We thus elect to
establish a schedule (versus an event) trigger for our new
Data-Driven Subscription. We will specify the details on the next page.
We arrive
at Step 7 - Create a data-driven subscription: Foodmart Sales, the last
of the Data-Driven Subscription creation pages. Here we specify the
processing schedule of the subscription, including time and starting / ending
dates.
35.
Click the radio button to the
left of Hour in the Schedule details section.
36.
Specify a time that is a few
minutes away, if convenient. (I chose five minutes later than my
present time when inputting the time initially).
37.
Assign today in the Begin
running this schedule on box, in the Start and end dates section of
the page (the calendar icon allows selection of a date, or it can be typed in).
The Step 7 - Create a data-driven subscription:
Foodmart Sales page appears, with
our settings, as shown in Illustration 39.
Illustration 39:
The Step 7 - Create a Data-driven Subscription: Foodmart Sales Page
38.
Ensure that MS Excel is
not open.
39.
Click Finish
The next page that
appears lists the subscriptions we have created, and, once the scheduled time
for processing has passed, the various details about the most recent processing
cycle (we may have to refresh the page at some point after the subscription was
scheduled, in our last step, to run). Our entry should indicate that four
reports have been processed, with no errors. The page with entry for our newly
created and processed subscription should appear similar to that depicted in Illustration
40.
Illustration 40: Status
of the Data-driven Subscription (Post-Processing)
NOTE: If the subscription indicates
errors, a good place to start to troubleshoot it is the ReportServerService_[DATE].log,
although other trace logs are also available. See the Books Online
for more information. I will also be addressing various troubleshooting and
processing optimization topics in future articles in this series.
We can
edit both Standard and Data-Driven Subscriptions from this page
by clicking the Edit link appearing next to the respective subscription
title, and walking through the setup pages to the point(s) we wish to modify.
40.
Click My
Subscriptions to open the My Subscriptions page.
The My
Subscriptions page opens, and appears as depicted in Illustration 41.
Illustration 41:
The My Subscription Page
We can
also view, modify and delete existing subscriptions from the My Subscriptions page. This is a "maintenance"
center, as it were, and does not provide the capability to create subscriptions.
My Subscriptions typically also shows (depending, however, upon our
security setup) only those subscriptions that we have created - not
those that are created by other users.
41.
Return, via
the Edit link, to reset the subscription settings you have made
(that is, the recurrence settings, etc.), or perhaps take steps to delete the Data-Driven
Subscription entirely, as desired.
42.
Close Report
Manager, after reviewing the steps we have accomplished in this lesson -
and after experimenting further, as desired.
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