More Reports for the Masses from SCCM

In an earlier article, I went through two useful ways to receive reports from System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager as alternatives to using the SCCM Management Console to run reports.

Subscriptions are indeed a fine way to ensure that a report is available when and where you need it. Sometimes, however, a user might want to run a report just once instead of a regular update. For that we needn’t install the management console but rather have the user point his or her web browser to the Report Manager website.

As you probably already know, Microsoft SQL Server is already working hard behind the scenes managing the SCCM site database. The database engine is responsible for that but MS SQL Server also has other components that provide useful services, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Of course SSRS is a prerequisite for the Reporting Services Point site system role and is used to provide a robust and efficient, industry-standard report server. In so doing it also provides the alternative to console-based access to reports: the Report Manager Website.

Report Manager is a web-based report access and management tool that you use to administer a single report server instance over an HTTP connection. You can use Report Manager for operational tasks, for example, to view reports, modify report properties, and manage associated report subscriptions.  

We are interested in viewing reports on demand. To run reports, you must have Read rights for the Site permission and the Run Report permission that is configured for specific objects.

In order to run a report in a web browser Users must do the following:

1.  In your web browser, enter the Report Manager URL, for example, http://SSRS_Server/Reports. (You can determine the Report Manager URL from the System Center 2012R2 Configuration Manager Console or on the Report Manager URL page in Reporting Services Configuration Manager which is available on the SQL server.)

2.  Sign in if necessary. In Report Manager, click the report folder for Configuration Manager, for example, ConfigMgr_S01.

3.  Click the report category for the report that you want to run, and then click the link for the report. The report opens in Report Manager.

4.  When there are required parameters, specify the parameters, and then click View Report.