Summary

Deploying SSRS in its simplest form is very straightforward. A single server, although simple, cheap, and easy to maintain, does have its penalty when it comes to performance and reliability. A scale-out deployment that might make more sense from a reliability and performance perspective will cost in terms of licensing. It is up to the administrator to decide at what point the buck stops and what is more important.

Either way, after installing, various configuration options are possible. The Report Server Configuration Manager is the Swiss army knife for configuring SSRS. Its graphical interface makes it a cinch to change configuration options in SSRS.

After SSRS is up and running, back up the symmetric key and keep it in a safe place. From time to time, it might be wise to rotate it. Should you lose it, the only option is to delete the keys and reenter all encrypted data.