By: Ghanesh Prasad | Comments (1) | Related: > Reporting Services Best Practices
Problem
I have read the previous tip SSRS Best Practices for Performance and Maintenance, but I was wondering what best practices should I follow for report development?
Solution
This tip assumes that you have read the previous tip from SQL Server Reporting Services Best Practices for Performance and Maintenance, if not I recommend you that tip first. In this tip I will discuss 15 more best practices a developer should follow while working on SSRS report development.
1: Display parameter selection
It is always recommended to display the parameter values which are used to filter the data in the report. If a report is exported and shared without displaying the parameter values it will be a little difficult for the end user to understand the data.
For detailed explanation please read this tip.
2: Don't wrap number and date data fields
Number and Date data fields are very important in reports. When number or date data fields wrap into two or more lines it is difficult to read the data, so always make sure your report has enough space to display the numbers and dates without wrapping.
3: Use NoDataMessage property field
"NoRowsMessage" property is applicable to Table, Matrix, List data regions, Subreports and Charts. When your dataset doesn't return any records the data region will not display anything and it will be empty. It is recommended to display text instead of displaying an empty data region. Use the NoDataMessage property field to display a customized message for an empty dataset.
4: Use proper textbox orientation
Proper orientation of a Textbox saves a lot of space in the report layout, which may help to display all of the data in a single page. It is recommended to use proper textbox orientation.
For detailed explanation please read this tip.
5: Display date and time for last refreshed data
If your database is getting refreshed frequently by ETL or some other job, it is recommended to display the last refresh date and time in the report. This will help the user understand how current the data is that they are viewing.
6: Use uniform font type and size
Formatting is a very important part of report design. It is recommended to use a uniform font type and size for all data elements like data fields and textboxes in the report.
7: Don't make your report too colorful
Don't make your report too colorful, it may reduce visibility and lose focus on important data. If you want the users attention for a specific dataset then you should highlight only that section with different colors, fonts and styles.
8: Limit number of categories in a Pie chart
When the number of categories in the Pie Chart is too large it becomes very difficult to identify which item on the legend corresponds to which slice of the pie chart. It is recommended to have less categories when using pie charts. When the number of categories is large it is recommended to use different types of charts such as a bar chart or a line chart.
For detailed explanation please read this tip.
9: Separate smaller slices into a separate Pie chart
When you have a large number of categories and you are asked to display data using a pie chart it is recommended to group all small slices into one category and then you can separate the small slice group into a separate pie chart.
For detailed explanation please check this tip.
10: Split the report into multiple reports
In many cases you will find there are many data fields which are not so important, but the report displays the data. The first thing you should do is eliminate these extraneous data fields; it will help decrease the report size. If the report is still returns a lot of data fields it is advised to split the report into smaller chunks.
11: Alternate Row Background Color
The alternative row background color improves the readability of data in your SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Reports. It is not a must best practice, but you can consider this if you are looking to improve readability.
For detailed explanation please read this tip.
12: Try Avoiding Lookup functions
Lookup functions are used to retrieve data from a second dataset at report time. If possible try to join two tables at the query level, because Lookup functions will be overhead on the Report Server if the call against the second dataset might be lengthy. There might be situations when you can't write the query to join the data, so you will have to use lookup functions.
If Lookup functions are used then:
- Impact on Report Performance- High
- Impact on Report Maintenance- Medium
For detailed information on Lookup functions, please check this tip.
13: Avoid aggregation at report time
Always do aggregation at the query level, because the database server can handle these calculations better compared to the report server.
If aggregation is done at report level
- Impact on Report Performance- High
- Impact on Report Maintenance- Low
14: Avoid First, Last, Previous, RunningValue functions
These functions are more expensive to calculate than other aggregates, therefore avoid if possible.
15: Export and check report readability
Once your report development is done, it is always recommend to export the report into the desired format (i.e. Excel, PDF) and check for readability. Always make sure your data fits on the page and meets user expectations.
Next Steps
- Stay tuned for the last part of this series.
- Check out report performance article for detailed information.
- Check out SSIS best practices here.
- Read the first tip in this series
About the author
Ghanesh Prasad leads a team in Microsoft Business Intelligence and has over 5 years of experience working with SQL Server.
This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.
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