Summary

Custom embedded code can provide a more elegant approach to medium-complexity custom code than expressions through function reuse, centralized code repository, and additional error-handling options.

Custom embedded code is a VB.NET code embedded in a report. A code is embedded as a part of a report definition (RDL) file and compiled together with the container report. Many errors are caught by the compiler when a reporting solution is built.

Although embedded code allows a developer to use full object-oriented functionality of VB.NET, embedded code is mostly used for simple logic. It is possible to develop complex embedded code, but this is not usually done due to limited debugging facilities and limited functionality of the embedded code editor. The embedded code editor is a simple text box that does not have advanced features, such as code completion, available in Visual Studio.

When functions are too complicated for embedded code to handle efficiently or you have a preference to use C# instead of Visual Basic, you can develop and call a custom assembly from a report. The next chapter explains how to leverage a custom assembly within a report.