Report Definition File (RDL) Deployment

1. As far as deploying the RDL file, that is all done through the SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) web interface, which you can get to by being on the network or on the server itself. Hint: It's usually http://Reports ;)
2. The RDL file is created by the report authoring tools mentioned in the above section. 
3. The RDL can be updated to any directory you want inside the web interface, but it's probably best to create your own directory apart from the standard MP folder since we do a lot of deployments through the year cycle. If your reports are in their own folder, it is easier to "spot" and stay away from. You can feel free to use our data source (MPReportsDS) * but, again, if you have specific requirements it is probably best to have your own: 
   • *If you choose to use the MPReportsDS data source, note the source type is “OLE DB”. You may find using the SQL Server type as a data source will expose more features to the report authoring tool. 

Making Reports Available to MinistryPlatform

1. In MP, go to System Setup > Reports. You can add an entry there and give the report the name you want to see inside the system. The report path is just the exact path to the report inside of SSRS with a slash at the beginning. So, if you upload an RDL called "My Report" into a folder called "My Custom Folder", the report path would be "/My Custom Folder/My Report" (spaces are totally permissible).
2. At that point, you can add which pages you want into the sub-page of that report and they will show up on that page. Also, understand that the reports are role-based, so you have to go into Role Reports under Administration and make sure the roles are set correctly. The roles are the same as the security roles, so all the security is wired in.

3. When laying out the object within the report body (tables, matricies, text boxes, lines, etc.) you must be careful not to make the objects wider than the width of the paper size and orientation of the report. If the report is too wide, the object will run over on to another piece of paper. One way to ensure this does not happen is to run the report and click the Print Layout button. This view will indicate if the report will fit on the page as expected.
4. If you intend to save the file as a PDF file and then print it, some of the report properties must be set so the report will print properly:
   • Open the report in MSRB. Right-click in the main authoring background area (anywhere other than on the body of the report) and select Report Properties…
   • Set the paper size, units, orientation and margins. Make note of the paper width and right and left. margins. 
   • Close the Report Properties window.
   • Right-click on any blank area in the body of the report page and find body Position property category. Expand Position and Size and make note of the Width property value. 
     
   • As the report prints, the report will automatically set page breaks and print the report on one or more pages. In other words, the report height and top and bottom margins will take care of themselves during the printing process. However, Adobe Reader will not make automatic adjustments to keep the report from being too wide. If the report is too wide, the report will break between columns or it will insert blank pages. To avoid this, you must add the values of the right and left margins (from the report properties) and add them to width value of the body of the report. This total must be less than or equal to the width value of the report paper size.
     • For example, Figure 1 above shows the page is set to the Letter paper sized report with the Landscape orientation. So the total paper width is 11 inches. The right and left margins are each 0.5 inches. That leaves a total of 10 inches on which the body of the report can be printed. The body width value is 10 inches. So this report will print without printing blank pages. If the body value were anything higher than 10 inches in this case, then the report width would “run over” on to other pages thereby printing blank pages in Adobe Reader.