Chapter 3. Reporting Services Architecture

In This Chapter

• Report Server Web and Windows Service

• Programmatic Interfaces

• Report Processor

• Command-Line Utilities

• Reporting Services Extensions

• Report Server Databases

• Scheduling and Delivery Processor

• Report Builder ^{NEW in 2005}

• Report ModelDesigner ^{NEW in 2005}

• Report Designer

• Report Manager

• SQL Server Management Studio ^{NEW in 2005}

• Reporting Services Configuration Tool ^{NEW in 2005}

• RSPrintClient Control ^{NEW in 2005}

• WMI Provider

• Performance Monitoring Objects

SSRS is a comprehensive and extensible reporting platform, which includes an integrated set of processing components, programmatic interfaces, and tools. Processing components are the basis for the multilayered architecture of SSRS and interact with each other to retrieve data, process layout, render, and deliver a report to a target destination. SSRS supports two categories of components:

• Processors Ensure integrity of SSRS and supply an infrastructure that enables developers to add a new functionality (extensions). Processors itself are not extendable in this release of SSRS.

• Extensions Assemblies that are invoked by processors and perform specific processing functionality, such as data retrieval. Developers can write custom extensions.

Reporting Services architecture diagram is depicted in Figure 3.1; components are described in more details later in this chapter. Arrows on the diagram show a data flow between components "within" and "outside" of SSRS (external tools, applications, services, and utilities).

Figure 3.1. Reporting Services architecture.