Category Archives: SQL Server 2012

SQL Server 2012

Top 4 Quotes For Report Developers


Top 4 Quotes For Report Developers

Before I start into the quotes, I want to let you know about something I’m trying for 2015. I have committed myself to writing at least one blog post per month. As a personal incentive, if I fail to post, I will give away one copy of the new “Pro T-SQL Programmer’s Guide, 4th edition” –Miguel Cebollero to the first person to call me out on it by commenting on my previous month’s post. If I reach my goal and post at least once each month, I’ll give away one copy in a random drawing of those who have written at least one (relevant) comment to one of my 2015 posts.

Now, to the quotes. I am a big movie and book fan and often wonder if the quotes I cite to folks are lost on them or if they “get” my references. So I thought it might be fun to explain a few of my favorites. I’m sure if you’ve ever written a report once you read these, even if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, you’ll get them.



Counting down from number 4:

As the saying goes, “If you had an infinite number of monkeys and an infinite number of typewriters, you could have the entire works of Shakespeare in no time.” I throw this one out there any time a question of data quality comes up. Sure, you just might have the entire works of Shakespeare, some unimaginable gems hiding in your data, but you also have so much junk that it would take you an eternity to find them. Still as report writers, we are expected to present that gem, and ONLY that gem in a report that has more exception criteria than results!

ITProCamp 2013 Is this Saturday, register today!

logoITProCamp 2013

Just a quick reminder before you set your weekend plans. This Saturday will be ITProCamp 2013, October 26, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM (EDT). At Keiser University 5002 West Waters Avenue
Tampa, FL 33634. This is a free event, but please register at: http://tampaitprocamp2013-eorg.eventbrite.com/

I will be presenting an introduction to SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

SSRS Reports As User Interface

SSRS Reports As User Interface


Shortly after starting to work with SQL Server Reports (SSRS) and getting a feel for what they could do as singular presentations of summary and detailed information, I started to consider more elaborate systems presenting suites of reports and a customized user experience. Much of my experience with SSRS has been to present reports through the ASP.Net report viewer control, and that is what sparked my interest in using reports as a user interface.

At the onset of a typical assignment I would be presented with the existing work which would be a list of links to an ASP page that would render the report for a visitor. After proving my worth making some alterations and updates to the existing reports I’d be asked to add new reports to the list. This would go on for some time and became rather dry, creating one stand alone report at a time.