Create
Linked Reports within the SQL Server Management Studio
In our
present practice example, we will create an individual Linked Report for
each Sales Territory Group, within the respective folder we have created
for that group of consumers. This will allow us to both filter the report to
show the data for the Sales Territory Group to which the report belongs,
and to restrict access to the report to the intended group through folder
security (which the organization will establish at a later time). The end
result will be that only members of a given Sales Territory Group will
be able to access the report for that group – a report that is physically
filtered to restrict the data it returns to that of the designated Sales
Territory Group.
1.
In the Object
Explorer pane, expand the AdventureWorks Sample Reports folder
(click the "+" sign to its immediate left), appearing underneath the Home
folder.
The AdventureWorks
Sample Reports folder opens, exposing RS031 Linked Report,
the report file that we modified and deployed to the Report Server in
earlier sections.
2.
Right-click RS031
Linked Report within the Object Explorer.
3.
Select New
Linked Report ... from the context menu that appears, as shown in Illustration
36.
Illustration 36: Creating
the First Linked Report in MSSQL Server Management Studio ...
The New
Linked Report page opens.
4.
Replace the
default Name, Linked to RS031 Linked Report, in the Name
box with the following name:
Sales Reason Comparison
5.
Click the
ellipses (...) button to the right of the third input box from the top,
labeled Create the linked report in this folder.
The Select
item dialog appears.
6.
Click Europe within the dialog, to highlight /
select it.
The Select
item dialog appears, with our selection of the Europe folder, as depicted in Illustration
37.
Illustration 37:
Assigning the New Linked Report to the Europe Folder
7.
Click OK
to accept the folder selection modification, and to dismiss the Select item dialog.
8.
Type the
following into the Description field:
European Territory Sales Reason
Comparison
The
New Linked Report page appears, with our input, as shown in Illustration 38.
Illustration 38: The New
Linked Report Page – with Our Input
9.
Click the OK
button, to finalize creation of the new Linked Report within the new
folder, and to dismiss the New Linked Report page.
Having
created a Linked Report for Europe, we will repeat the steps
immediately above, and create Linked Reports within the North America and Pacific folders next.
10.
Right-click RS031
Linked Report within the Object Explorer, once again.
11.
Select New
Linked Report ... from the context menu that appears, as we did in the
previous steps.
12.
Within the New Linked Report page that appears next, replace the default Name, Linked
to RS031 Linked Report, in the Name box with the following name:
Sales Reason Comparison
13.
Click the
ellipses (...) button to the right of the third input box from the top,
labeled Create the linked report in this folder.
The Select
item dialog appears.
14.
Click North America within the dialog, to highlight /
select it.
15.
Click OK
to accept the folder selection modification, and to once again dismiss the Select item dialog.
16.
Type the
following into the Description field:
North American Territory Sales Reason Comparison
17.
Click the OK
button, to again finalize creation of the new Linked Report within the
new folder, and to dismiss the New Linked Report page.
All
that remains, within our Linked Report creation requirements, is to add
a Linked Report within the Pacific folder.
18.
Right-click RS031
Linked Report within the Object Explorer, once more.
19.
Select New
Linked Report ... from the context menu that appears, as we did in the
previous steps.
20.
Within the New Linked Report page that appears next, replace the default Name, Linked
to RS031 Linked Report, in the Name box with the following name:
Sales Reason Comparison
21.
Click the
ellipses (...) button to the right of the third input box from the top,
labeled Create the linked report in this folder.
The Select
item dialog appears.
22.
Click Pacific
within the dialog, to highlight / select it.
23.
Click OK
to accept the folder selection modification, and to once more dismiss the Select item dialog, as we did when assigning
folders for the previous two Linked Reports.
24.
Type the
following into the Description field:
Pacific Territory Sales Reason Comparison
25.
Click the OK
button, to finalize creation of the new Linked Report within the new
folder, and to dismiss the New Linked Report page, once again.
26.
Right-click
the Europe folder in the Object Explorer.
27.
Select Refresh
from the context menu that appears, as depicted in Illustration 39.
Illustration 39: Refresh
the New Folder ...
28.
Expand the new
Europe folder by clicking the "+"
sign to its left.
The
new Linked Report, Sales Reason Comparison, appears (its icon
is a report image with a section of chain appearing at its bottom), as shown in Illustration 40.
Illustration 40: The New
Sales Reason Comparison Linked Report for Europe Appears
29.
Repeat the Refresh
procedure for the North
America and Pacific
folders, as necessary.
30.
Expand each of
the North America and Pacific folders, to expose their contents,
as we did for the Europe folder above.
The
new Linked Reports appear, within their respective parent Sales
Territory Group folders inside the Object Explorer tree, as depicted in Illustration 41.
Illustration 41: The New
Linked Reports Appear in Object Explorer ...
We
have finished our work within the SQL Server Management Studio for this
session. We can now exit the Studio, and continue the remaining steps
within Report Manager.
31. Select File --> Exit, to leave the SQL Server
Management Studio, when ready.
Having
created the Linked Reports, we are now positioned to customize each to
limit the data it returns to the respective Sales Territory Group
users. We will handle this in our next section, and then verify the operation
of the Linked Reports.
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