SSRS Interview Questions

If you are planning to give an interview for an SSRS Developer role but confused on how to crack that interview and also what would be the most probable SSRS interview questions that the interviewer may ask? Well, you have reached the right address. Mindmajix has collected the most popular SSRS interview questions and answers for both freshers and experienced which are asked often in several SSRS interviews. All the answers on this page are sourced from SSRS experts and will definitely help you land your dream job.

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Below mentioned are the Top Frequently asked SSRS Interview Questions and Answers that will help you to prepare for the SSRS interview. Let's have a look at them.

Frequently Asked SSRS Interview Questions 2023

1. What is Tablix?

2. What other servers to use with SSRS?

3. How to implement data mining in SSRS?

4. Explain the different stages of Report Processing?

5. How do you create an SSRS Report?

6. Explaining is the Multi-value parameter for SSRS Report?

SSRS Interview Questions And Answers

Q1. What is Tablix?

Ans. In reporting services, the Tablix is a sum of tables with matrices. Every report we create using SSRS technology is based on the Tablix data region. In other words, It can be managed with the combined capabilities of a table and a matrix.

Q2. RDL files are written in which programming language?

Ans. It is an extension for XML used for SSRS reporting services. These files are written in XML (Extensible Markup Language).

Q3. What is the name of the Reporting Services Configuration file and where it exists?

Ans. Rsreportserver.config is the reporting services file and it can be found in settings in Report Manager or that used in Report Server Web Service and background processes.

Q4. Explain what a sub-report is?

Ans. In a subreport, you can pass parameters and queries to it. Simply, a sub-report is considered to be an expanded version of your main report. Any report can be used as a subreport that is inserted into the main domain, just like the main report. However, in the subreport, it consists of a separate data set. For example, in a sub-report, you will be able to create a customer's report and then a sub-report can show an order list for every customer.

Q5. What other servers to use with SSRS?

Ans. Companies use SQL servers with SSRS most of the time, however, other servers can be integrated with SSRS as well.

• Oracle
• Flat XML files
• ODBC and OLEDB
• Teradata
• Hyperion

------     Related Article: What is SSRS     ------

Q6. What are the six rendering extensions available in SSRS?

Ans. There are the top 6 rendering extensions that will be available in SQL Server Reporting Services.

• Excel
• Word
• XML
• HTML
• CSV or Text
• PDF

SSRS Interview Questions For Experienced

Q7. Which tool can be used by the Business Users to create their reports?

Ans. Report Builder could be the best choice for a tool that can be used by business users or even by developers to create reports.

Q8. What is an Ad Hoc Report?

Ans. Ad Hoc Reports enable users with limited technical skills to create new, easy to access reports on their own. Usually, these reports are created from report models. Also, users can select their priorities and requirements whether to save the reports to a personal server or to share with others by posting them to the reporting services center. Ad hoc reports can generate quick reports which are created to meet user needs and requirements. Users can modify these reports with a powerful analysis of report data.

Q9. How to implement data mining in SSRS?

Ans. Yes, the Implementation of data mining is possible in SSRS. You execute the implementation using DMX designer and create data mining queries required for SSRS reports. In SSRS, you have the option to create a custom data mining report containing text and images and export them into HTML, email, and get prints to distribution.

SSRS Tutorial For Beginners in 2021

Q10. Explain SSRS reports Cache results?

Ans. Cache results are based on the format of the report.SSRS allows cache reports on the reporting server, you will also find built-in caching capability. However, the server only caches for one instance of the report in most cases. It also enables users to access and view reports quickly. 

Q11. Explain the different stages of Report Processing?

Ans. Different stages of report processing 

Compile: In this stage, it analyzes all expressions in the report definitions and saves the compiled in intermediate format to the server.

Process: Process is the stage where SSRS runs dataset queries and compile intermediate format with data and layout

Render: In the third stage it sends an end processed report to a rendering extension to show how much data fits in each page to create the page report.

Export: Finally in this stage, It exports the reports into a different file format to be shared with 

------     Related Article: Types of Reports in SSRS     ------

Q12. How do You Create An SSRS Report?

Ans. Before you begin developing and using SSRS reports you need to start by creating data sources, as to create an SSRS report one or multiple datasets are required for parameters and to form the body of the report. Then add necessary controls from the toolbox to make it work as a container for all datasets. Next format all the controls that you have added to the report body. Then verify and validate the report to deploy the report.

SSRS Scenario Based Interview Questions

Q13. What data type should be used when creating Radio Button Parameter Type in SSRS Report? 

Ans. When using the bit-type column to add a query for your report, go to Parameter properties to set the data type to boolean. As it is to show Radio Buttons, Or else, a text box will appear for the parameter value.

Q14. If you have created a report that has a month name as its parameter, Explain what would be the easiest way to provide values for the parameter?

Ans. As we have fixed the set of month names, they will don't change in the report. We can add month names in it as the static values. And If the values of parameters change often, then it is a great idea to add them in a table and use a Query to get them for Parameters in the SSRS report. With such practices, if we are adding or removing any of the values from the report we don't have to make changes every time. We can simply add or remove values in the reports that will be collected by the query.

Q15. How to Create a Calendar Parameter in SSRS Report

Ans. We would be able to create the parameters and have the Calendar icon to choose a date. As we always have the column/s in the table which is the date of the DateTime type and we can write our query as below.

1) Create a new parameter as StartDate, change the data type to DATE/TIME.

2) Click on the default value, if you want to set the current date as the default date, use this expression: = Today.

3) Do not specify any value in the Available Values tab and leave it as a No Default value. 

By following this, your date parameter will be set and the user will be enabled with Calendar control when the report is run on the server.

Q16. How would you generate a Sequence Number for all the Records in SSRS Report?

Ans. Use the row number function to generate a sequence number for all the records in your SSRS report. You can do that by put in a new blank column to your Tablix and then click on the cell to pivoted to expressions and write expressions.

Q17. How will you display data on a single Tablix extracted from two datasets in an SSRS report by joining on the single column?

Ans. To display data on a single Tablix using the ‘Lookup Function’ in the SQL server report to find corresponding values in a dataset that has unique values, join the data from two datasets. Also, there are many other guidelines that you may be required to follow to create SSRS reports using two or more datasets. Such as there should be at least one matching column on which we will join the datasets.

We can use the Lookup Function and write our expressions as shown below.

Lookup Function with Parameters

LookupSet(source_expression, destination_expression, result_expression, dataset)

Q18. Will you store your query in an SSRS Report or a database server? Explain why?

Ans. The SQL queries should be stored in a stored procedure in a database server. As practices of storing SQL queries in text format are not considered to be good anymore and it should be avoided. By storing queries in SP to a data server SQL would be in an accumulated format while providing all the benefits of using an SP.

SSRS Advanced Interview Questions

Q19. What are the command prompt utilities for SSRS? List out some and explain.

Ans. Following is the list of utilities of the command prompt for SSRS.

RSS Utility: Command ‘RS.exe’, is the command-line utility that supports SharePoint and Native development modes. That can perform many scripted operations related to SQL SSRS and also be used while publishing reports on the report server or move another report from the server.

Powershell cmdlets: Powershell is getting popular amongst power users as well as IT pros as their preferred language and CLI. CMdlets are important to interact with CLI, in PowerShell, most of them are likely to be written in 'C' and perform functions that return a .NET object. It supports only SharePoint modes, and it installs SSRS service and proxy servers while providing provisioning and managing of SSRS applications and proxies. 

List of the most useful cmdlets in PowerShell:

• Get-Command 
• Get-Member
• Get-Help
• Get-Process

Rsconfig utility: Rsconfig utility is a script host that is used to perform scripted operations such as Publish reports, create items in a report server database, also configuring and managing report server connection with report server database. The command file is ‘rsconfig.exe’, which only supports native developer mode. 

RsKeymgmt utility: The command ‘rskeymgmt.exe’, it is an encryption key management tool used in database recovery operations. It supports only the Native development mode. Also used to back up, apply, recreate, and delete symmetric keys using the command line.

(For more information about SSRS blogs Click Here]

Q20. Explaining is the Multi-value parameter for SSRS Report?

Ans. The multi-value parameter enables users to enter and pass more than one query for the parameter while creating an SSRS report. In any report parameters that we use to filter out the data and extract useful information that is required for the current scenario. In the multi-value parameter, you can choose to enter either static values or we can get values from the databases.

Q21. List out the drawbacks reported in the previous versions of SSRS?

Ans. SSRS is most suitable for the reporting needs, however, it has drawbacks too, which are listed below for better assessment of the reporting tool. (Modifications can be different for these drawbacks in the current version before and after posting this article)

• No print button to take the printouts of excel files, PDFs, etc.
• Lack of availability of debugging the custom code.
• Numbers of pages not available for the whole content.
• Passing values from a subreport to the main report is difficult.
• Sub-reports can not be added to the header or footer.
• would also be able to choose values for the XML;’parameter.

[ Related Article: Power BI vs SSRS ]

Q22. Explain the minimum software requirements for the SSRS framework?

Ans. Here is the list of software required for the SSRS framework :

Operating System - Windows Server 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003.

Processor - Intel Pentium 2.

Hard Disk - A report server, required approximately 50 MB space. 

                    For the .NET framework, it needs 100 MB of space. 

                    For a Report designer, it would be 30 MB and needs 145 MB for samples.

RAM - Needs a minimum of 256 MB RAM for the report server.

Database - Needs SQL server 2000 and a minimum service pack of 3.

Q23. Why should you use SSRS for your next project?

Ans. SSRS can have many advantages, compared to other reporting platforms. Following are:

• SSRS is cheaper and faster than others.
• Helps generate effective reports using exciting data of both databases (Oracle or MS SQL Server)
• SSRS does not require special training or skills to use tools and features.
• Secure and quick integration with Visual Studio also uses .NET for generating reports.
• UI will be generated and available to access automatically as per requirements once parameters are defined specifically by the developers.

Q24. What is mixed mode database security?

Ans. At the point when you install SQL Server, it's smarter to get a different SQL Server user name and password when signing in to the database server. As windows are not considered to be the most secured database security option. In SSRS you have the alternative to allow SQL Server to integrate with Windows or require your users to keep a different SQL Server user ID and password. Your reports will require their username and password key to run reports from SSRS.

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