XS✔ ◾ 🚚 Migrated rule - Do you know when to use reporting services

rules/when-to-use-reporting-services/rule.md

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+---
+type: rule
+archivedreason:
+title: Do you know when to use Reporting Services?
+guid: d6d27c88-7697-436e-a66a-1d82287664c2
+uri: when-to-use-reporting-services
+created: 2023-12-11T12:38:33.0000000Z
+authors: 
+  - title: Jeoffrey Fischer
+    url: https://ssw.com.au/people/jeoffrey-fischer
+related:
+- customization-do-you-know-which-version-of-sql-reporting-services-and-visual-studio-you-are-using
+redirects: []
+
+---
+
+<!--endintro-->
+
+From our experience, we have discovered these things about Reporting Services:
+
+### Cons
+
+* Parameters - you are forced to use built-in controls.
+* Query string - when you change the parameters and refresh a report, the values do not appear directly in the query string, making it hard to copy/paste URLs.
+* Can't separate SQL into a strongly-typed dataset or middle-tier object like in ASP.NET.
+* There are potential difficulties with the deployment of RS reports and the exposing of them. However, once we have the infrastructure...
+* Not able to work natively with modern .NET.
+
+### Pros
+
+* You can develop read only reports faster in Reporting Services than ASP.NET.
+* Maintenance with RS is easier than ASP.NET, as with most cases you don't have to write any code.
+* Flexibility with groupings and totals is easier. In ASP.NET you would need to iterate through the DataSet, keeping variables with the totals.
+* Parameters are built-in. In ASP.NET there is code.
+* Drilldown interactivity. In ASP.NET you need to code up a treeview.
+* Users can have reports automatically emailed to them on a schedule.
+* Users can export natively to PDF and XLS, plus a variety of other popular formats.
+
+Nowadays, better technologies are used to handle reports. Examples include
+
+* Power BI: cloud-based solution that provides visually appealing reports and dashboards.
+* HTML based reports: HTML frameworks have evolved significantly, making it quick and easy to make great reports.
+
+For a more detailed comparison between reporting solutions, take a look at our [Guidelines for Report Solutions - Web Clients](https://www.ssw.com.au/ssw/Standards/DeveloperDotNet/guidelinesforreportingwebclient.aspx).
+
+![Figure: Reporting Services has built-in support for PDF/XLS export and can be embedded in your ASP.NET pages](RSRulesUseRS1.gif)