Welcome to our blog post on configuring SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up SSRS on your SQL Server instance.

Installing Data Tools and Reporting Services

If you have already installed SQL Server but are missing the Data Tools or Reporting Services, you can easily add them by following these steps:

1. Double-click the SQL Server 2012 installation media.
2. Click the Installation link on the left to view the Installation options.
3. Click the top link “New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation”.
4. Follow the SQL Server Setup wizard until you reach the Installation Type screen.
5. Select “Add features to an existing instance of SQL Server 2012”.
6. Click Next to move to the Feature Selection page.
7. Select “Reporting Services – Native” and “SQL Server Data Tools”.
8. If the Management Tools have not been installed, choose them as well.
9. Continue through the wizard and reboot the computer if instructed to do so.

Configuring Reporting Services

If you installed Reporting Services during the installation of the SQL Server instance, SSRS will be configured automatically for you. However, if you install SSRS later, you will need to configure it manually. Here’s how:

1. Click Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2012 > Configuration Tools > Reporting Services Configuration Manager > Connect on the Reporting Services Configuration Connection dialog box.
2. In the Reporting Services Configuration Manager, click Database on the left-hand side.
3. Click the Change Database button on the right side of the screen.
4. Select “Create a new report server database” and click Next.
5. Click through the rest of the wizard accepting the defaults. This will create two databases: ReportServer, used to store report definitions and security, and ReportServerTempDB which is used as scratch space when preparing reports for user requests.
6. Now click Web Service URL on the left-hand side of the Reporting Services Configuration Manager.
7. Click the Apply button to accept the defaults. If the Apply button is grayed out, move on to the next step.
8. This step sets up the SSRS web service, which is the program that runs in the background and communicates between the web page and the databases.
9. Finally, select the Report Manager URL link on the left.
10. Accept the default settings and click Apply. If the Apply button is already grayed out, this means that SSRS was already configured.
11. This step sets up the Report Manager web site where you will publish reports.
12. Exit the Reporting Services Configuration Manager dialog box.

And that’s it! You have successfully configured SQL Server Reporting Services on your SQL Server instance. In our next blog post, we will show you how to create your first report using the Report Wizard.

If you want to learn more about SSRS in simple and easy-to-understand language, we highly recommend getting the “Beginning SSRS” book from Joes 2 Pros.