Seeing a list of SQL Server Reporting Services reports from Report Explorer WebPart is pretty simple.  Set the “Report Manager URL” property to the URL of the report manager.  In my case http://localhost/Reports.  What I couldn’t figure out for a while was viewing a report that I clicked on from the Report Explorer WebPart in the report viewer WebPart.  This is actually simple once I figured it out.  Here are the steps.  This assumes both web parts are added to the same page.  And the Report Explorer is configured.  For help on that click HERE.

1) Click Edit “Site Actions” top right of page
2) Edit Page
3) On the Report Viewer WebPart click edit
4) Go to connections from the popup menu (follow next path in popup menu)
5) Connections -> Get Report From -> Report Explorer
6) Exit Edit Mode, top right of page

There you go you should now be able to click on a report in the Report Explorer and view it in the Report Viewer WebPart.  Hope that helps.

One HUGE problem I have run into while messing with SharePoint Services and Reporting Services is lack of 3.0 information. 

I have been working the last 2 days on getting SSRS and WSS 3.0 both working and getting them to work together.  I am now a bit closer to this with the addition of adding the Reporting Services WebParts to SharePoint then getting a list of reports.  Here are the steps I followed to get it all working. (note: yours could be different)

1) Install SQL Server 2005 and with Reporting Services (Advanced SQL Server Express)
2) Install SQL Server Toolkit ( with Business Intelligence Developer Studio, just a good idea)
3) Run the Report Services Configuration Tool and set the web application to be under the SharePoint.  Pay attention to this post when doing this step.
4) Create a new Reporting Services Database.  (Look at this post)
5) I found the .cab file for the Reporting Services Web Parts to add to SharePoint  on my machine here: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Reporting Services\SharePoint”
6) With the cab file I run this command using stsadm.exe from this folder “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\BIN”
7) Once that is complete open up SharePoint in your browser and add the Report Explorer WebPart.
Click edit web part -> modify shared web part on the Report Explorer web part.
9) added the following URL to “Report Manager URL” http://localhost/Reports
10) hit ok button. 
11) See a list of available reports.

What I don’t have figured out yet is viewing these reports in the report viewer web part.  I also don’t know if that is even possible. yet.  So stay tuned.

So I just spent quite a bit of time on another issue, that seems like there is no solution to and you can’t seem to find info on anywhere.

Basically, you assume when doing database setup that you just grab the default database you want to run reports off of and click ok.  Well that is what I did, then it came back with an error.  The error said that there wasn’t the correct role permissions for the role “RSExecRole.” Anyway, I finally found something similar here and assigned the role and correct permissions and moved on to the next error.  Well there were 2 errors one was a wrong connection string and the second was incorrect user.  Well neither was coming up in a Google search.  Finally, someone heard me complaining enough to myself to come help.  They helped point out the wrong connection string.  Well when someone is in my office others get curios.  Well one of the guys that seems to have done everything walks by and asks what’s going on we tell him the problem and boom he solves it in 2 minutes.

Here is how and why he solved it.

1) Clicked on the Database Setup tab
2) Clicked New…
3) Clicked Ok
4) Click Apply
5) Click Ok

That was it.

Here is the why.

In order for the report services to work it needs its own database with database with certain things in it.  Without this database it doesn’t work at all.  So you must create this database during the configuration.  The message at the top of that page says this, but is so “Technical”ish that it doesn’t make much sense at all.

I just spent about 4 hours trying to figure out why in the world I couldn’t get the “Report Manager Virtual Directory” which was red to go green.  Well I figured it out.

If you are looking at your “Reporting Services Configuration Manager” and have “Report Server Virtual Directory” with a green check mark automatically then you will not be able to get the rest to work.  You HAVE to configure “Report Server Virtual Directory.”

So basically  to get it to work follow these steps.

1. Click Report Server Virtual Directory tab on the side.
2. Click the New… button.
3. Choose the Web Site.  ( I just chose Default Web Site)
4. Click Apply

After doing that it should auto configure the rest until you hit Database Setup and that is pretty straight forward.  Part of my problem is I went straight to the red without looking at anything else.

Hope this saves someone a couple of hours.

As a person that has ADHD organized is not in my list of strong abilities, however it is an essential part of life that I need to get under control.  Therefore, for the next 30 days I am going to try a new method of getting organized and getting things done.  I am going to categorize it.

Accomplishing Tasks:
Break up my day into “work” and “personal.” My goal will be to accomplish only 3 goals per day nothing more that way I don’t overwhelm myself which is easy to do with ADHD.  Here is it visually

Work:
1. Design new data structure
2. Redo class and add unit testing
3. Work on Report service

Personal:
1. Study Calc III for an hour
2. Research, CSS adapters for ASP.NET
3. Make post about CSS Adapters

For studying I will make flashcards to just carry around with me and still do the 1 hour thing with a book cracked open.

Events, Dates, and Tasks will all be handled in outlook integrated with my PDA.  My PDA will become and integral part of me or a note book can work too.  We’ll see what I end up using.

And for the final thing to do.  Once a week clean my desk and office so that it isn’t cluttered and won’t overwhelm me.

My goal is to do this for 30 days then see how I did and where I can tweak this system to do better.

As a person that has ADHD organized is not in my list of strong abilities, however it is an essential part of life that I need to get under control.  Therefore, for the next 30 days I am going to try a new method of getting organized and getting things done.  I am going to categorize it.

Accomplishing Tasks:
Break up my day into “work” and “personal.” My goal will be to accomplish only 3 goals per day nothing more that way I don’t overwhelm myself which is easy to do with ADHD.  Here is it visually

Work:
1. Design new data structure
2. Redo class and add unit testing
3. Work on Report service

Personal:
1. Study Calc III for an hour
2. Research, CSS adapters for ASP.NET
3. Make post about CSS Adapters

For studying I will make flashcards to just carry around with me and still do the 1 hour thing with a book cracked open.

Events, Dates, and Tasks will all be handled in outlook integrated with my PDA.  My PDA will become and integral part of me or a note book can work too.  We’ll see what I end up using.

And for the final thing to do.  Once a week clean my desk and office so that it isn’t cluttered and won’t overwhelm me.

My goal is to do this for 30 days then see how I did and where I can tweak this system to do better.

In SQL 2000 and previous there was Northwind which was your dummy database that you could use if you need to do database stuff, but didn’t have a database.  Well with the release of SQL 2005 they came out with a new Database called AdventureWorks.  Problem is it doesn’t come with SQL Express so you have to find it.  Well I finally found the link and am sharing it with you all.

Download: AdventureWorks Database

Edit: I just figured out it got moved yet again to Code Plex

http://www.codeplex.com 

I must say I love to program I find a lot of joy in it, especially after solving a problem that takes forever to fix.  My problem though is lack of ideas for programs that I can make.  I either come up with a good idea that I don’t know how to solve or go about solving or I want to make something that is so far out of my reach skill level wise that I get very discouraged when I don’t come close.

I guess this probably happens to a lot of people I just wanted to tell someone.