SSRS: Configure User Authentication with ReportCredentials

Many times I found that the Reporting service is configured to access as "Anonymous Access", so any user having URL can access reports from external world. Ideally it should be access by only users/application. For that SQL SERVER Reporting service should not be  accessed by "Anonymous Access". It also prevents Report server from unauthorized access. NOTE: In shared hosting, Hosting provider provides username/password and only those users can get access to the reports for that specific user. Today, I am going to explain to how to send user credentials from Report application, so Reporting service can authenticate user and allow to get reports. Only users having correct credentials can access the reports from the server. We are going to configure application to send credentials, so application can get access to the reports. To configure application to get access reports from Shared hosting/Domain, we need to do following: 1. Get credentials from shared hosting/Domain controller to access the reports 2. Configure Application to Authenticate (.Net) 1. Get credentials: Whenever we need to deploy/access report from the Report Server, we should have following information: Report Server URL UserName/Password to access the reports This information will be provided by Shared hosting provider/Domain controller. Information like: Report Server URL: http://<URL>/ReportServer UserName: xxxx Password: yyyy To check this information, Type Report URL in browser. It will ask for Username and password (if anonymous access is disabled). Enter given credentials, if Credentials are correct then Reporting service allow you to access the URL. 2. Configure Application to Authenticate (.Net) As we get Basic information in step #1, now we need to build application that pass credentials to the Report server, so Report server authenticate the request and allow application to access the reports. To authenticate request to Report server we need to implement IReportServerCredentials to send Report Credential to Report Server. Create a class to implement IReportServerCredentials Please find VB code here: Public Class ReportCredentials Implements Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.IReportServerCredentials Private _userName As String, _password As String, _domain As String Public Sub New(ByVal userName As String, ByVal password As String, ByVal domain As String) _userName = userName _password = password _domain = domain End Sub Public ReadOnly Property ImpersonationUser() As System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity _ Implements Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.IReportServerCredentials.ImpersonationUser Get Return Nothing End Get End Property Public ReadOnly Property NetworkCredentials() As System.Net.ICredentials _ Implements Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.IReportServerCredentials.NetworkCredentials Get Return New System.Net.NetworkCredential(_userName, _password, _domain) End Get End Property Public Function GetFormsCredentials(ByRef authCoki As System.Net.Cookie, ByRef userName As String, ByRef password As String, _ ByRef authority As String) As Boolean _ Implements Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.IReportServerCredentials.GetFormsCredentials userName = _userName password = _password authority = _domain authCoki = New System.Net.Cookie(".ASPXAUTH", ".ASPXAUTH", "/", "Domain") Return True End Function End Class Now we have created "ReportCredentials" class, now we need to use this class object to send credential info via Report Viewer Control as follows: Please find VB code here: Imports Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms Partial Class Report Inherits System.Web.UI.Page Protected Sub Page_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) _ Handles Me.Load If Not IsPostBack Then Dim ReportServerUrl As String = "https:///ReportServer" Dim ReportDataSourceName As String = "/My Reports/" With Me.ReportViewer .ProcessingMode = Microsoft.Reporting.WebForms.ProcessingMode.Remote With .ServerReport .ReportServerUrl = New Uri(ReportServerUrl) .ReportPath = ReportDataSourceName + "ReportName" .ReportServerCredentials = New _ ReportCredentials("Domain", "UserName", "Password") .Refresh() End With End With Page.Title = "Reports - " + Request.Params("Report") If Request.Params("HideOptions") = 1 Then ReportViewer.ShowParameterPrompts = False End If End If End Sub End Class That's it, now you can access your reports deployed at Shared Hosting/Domain from application, Report server allows to access if credentials are correct. Let me know if you have any question/problem in deploying/accessing reports from Shared Hosting/Domain.

SSRS: Introduction to SQL SERVER Reporting Services

Report is a better presentation of data. From report user/Management can easily analyze the information. Report is easy to explain such information like Sales graph, profitability etc.. SQL SERVER provides rich kind of report that can be easily generated from SQL SERVER and send it to user/management in different formats like Excel, word, HTML etc..SSRS (SQL SERVER Reporting Services) also supports CHARTS which is very useful when we need to develop reports for Management. To start with report, We can see how to create a report with SSRS. We will learn this by following steps: 1. Create Report. 2. Deploy Report on server 3. Use Report from application (Asp. Net) 1. Create a Report Open Visual Studio and select "Report Server Project" Check Solution Explorer (Right Side) and click on "Add New Report" Select Data Source. Enter information to connect with database and click on "Next" Build query which returns data to be displayed on the report. Select Report Format. For simple report we select "Tabular" format Select which are the columns that needs to be displayed on the report. User can also select columns if report needs to make GROUP BY For Sample report, I have selected only some of columns that should be displayed on Report. Select Table style Enter Report name, "Sample Report" It displays summary info we have selected so far. And that's it. We are ready with the report now. Preview Tab, we can preview report So, report is done. Now we need to deploy this report on server, so user can use it from server. 2. Deploy Report to Report Server: To deploy report on Report server, we need to have Report server information like Report Server URL, Credentials to connect to Report Server. Today we will just deploy report to Local Report server, I will explain in another post to How to deploy report to the server which requires credentials. Click on Report Project and open Properties: Here we need to enter Report server information where we need to deploy this report and from where application/user can get this report. Make OverwriteDataSources : True TargetReportFolder : "My Reports" (given by hosting provider/Remote computer) Target Server URL: <Report URL>(Report Server URL) Now we are done with server information and we need to deploy report. Once properties are set, we need to deploy report on server, right click on report file and click on "Deploy" Now report is deployed on the server. We can check that report is on server or not by: 1. Go to your browser (IE, FF, Chrome etc.) 2. Enter URL: Go to Report Server URL (http://<IP/domain>/ReportServer 3. It will display page like: 4. Click on "My Reports" Hurray, we can find our reports here on the server. Now, report is deployed on the server, now we need to build application from where we need to use this report 3. Use Report from application (Asp.Net) To use this report from Web application, we need to create "New Website" OR you can use existing website if you have. Now, in the application, we need to create one ASPX page where we need to use ReportViewer control as follows: Microsoft provides this control to load reports in web/desktop application. Now we need to write a code in this page, so Report Viewer control can load report on this page.   This is simple code, which tells Report Viewer control to load report. Let me explain each line. 1. ReportServerUrl and ReportDataSourceName are set up with server information. 2. Then we need to setup "ReportName", it tells report viewer control to load that report from Report server.      .ReportPath = ReportDataSourceName + "ReportName"     NOTE: "ReportName", will be actual report name 3. And we also need to setup Report Credentials, so "Report server" can allow our application to access this report. That's it. Now run application and you can find that you can access "Reports" in application.