In this article you’ll learn how to install SQL Server Reporting Services 2022 (SSRS) and configure it. It’s important to realize that you must have a previously installed instance of SQL Server running in order to install and use SSRS.
Introduction to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
SSRS is a set tools and services that enable you to create, deploy, and manage printed, web, email and mobile reports. SSRS reports can retrieve data from SQL Server databases and SQL Server Analysis Services, as well as other relational databases such as Oracle, MySQL, and Azure SQL Database. These reports can be incorporated into web and Windows-based applications as well as viewed in SharePoint, Power BI dashboards and mobile devices like Android and iOS.
Install SQL Server Reporting Services
The SSRS installation used to be part of the main SQL Server installer up through SQL Server 2016. Starting with SQL Server 2017, the installation has been moved into its own separate installer. The new SSRS installation media can be downloaded from the Microsoft Download Center and it is named SQLServerReportingServices.exe.
Running the SQLServerReportingServices.exe installation program displays the following setup dialog.
SQL Server Reporting Services 2022 setup dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
This initial setup dialog allows you to choose the edition of SQL Server 2022 where you want to add the SSRS subsystem.
The top radio button enables you to choose one of the free SQL Server editions: Evaluation, Developer or Express edition.
The bottom radio button enables you to enter the product key for your Standard, Web, or Enterprise edition.
Clicking Next displays the license terms dialog that you can see below.
SQL Server Reporting Services 2022 license terms (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
You can read the license agreement by scrolling through the dialog.
Check the I accept the license terms box and then click Next to proceed with the SSRS installation. This will display the Install Database Engine prompt that you can see in the following figure.
SQL Server Reporting Services 2022 setup – install the database engine (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
This dialog essentially informs you that you need an installed instance of the SQL Server Database Engine in order to use Reporting Services.
Click the Install Reporting Services only radio button.
And then click Next to proceed with the SSRS installation. This will display the Specify an install location dialog that you can see in the next figure.
Specify an install location dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
This dialog enables you to change the location where Reporting Services will be installed. In most cases the SSRS installation will be performed where there is already an installed SQL Server instance.
You can usually accept the default of C:\Progam Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.
Clicking the Install button will begin the actual installation process which only takes a few minutes. While the SSRS installation is running you’ll see a dialog with the two progress bars like the one shown below.
Installing SQL Server Reporting Services 2022 (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Once the SSRS setup has completed you’ll see the Setup completed dialog like you can see in the following figure.
Setup completed dialog – (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
At this point the Reporting Services programs have been successfully installed. A Windows service is created as part of the installation. The service name is SQLServerReportingServices and it’s displayed as SQL Server Reporting Services.
Click Restart to complete setup.
Configuring SQL Server Reporting Services
Once the SSRS installation process is finished you need to configure Reporting Services for your environment. In order to configure SSRS you need to run the Report Server Configuration Manager.
The Reporting Services Configuration Manager can be found on the Start menu.
You need to create a report server database and assign a web portal URL to complete the initial configuration of Reporting Services. The first screen prompts you for your SQL Server name along with the Reporting Services instance name, which by default is SSRS, like you can see below.
Configure SQL Server Reporting Services for your environment (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
You need to supply your SQL Server name and accept the SSRS instance name for the initial configuration.
Clicking the Connect button connects the Report Service Configuration Manager to your Reporting Service instance allowing you to perform the configuration. This will display the main Report Server Configuration screen like the one you can see in the following figure.
Connect the Report Service Configuration Manager to your Reporting Service instance (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
The most important points to consider during the initial configuration are:
the Reporting Services database.
and the Web Service URL.
In most cases you can use the default values for the Service Account and other settings, although you are can certainly go back and modify these in the future. That said, before you can use SSRS you must create a Reporting Services database.
To create the database, click the Database link in the left pane like you can see in the figure above. Initially, the SQL Server Name, Database Name and Report Server Mode will be blank.
To create the Reporting Services database, click the Change Database button that you can see on the right portion of the screen. This will display the Report Server Database Configuration Wizard that you can see in the following figure.
Report Server Database Configuration Wizard (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Using the Change Database dialog, select the Create a new report server database radio button.
And then click Next to display the Database Server dialog that you can see in the figure below.
Database Server dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Integrated vs SQL Server authentication
To create a SQL Server database you first need to connect to the server. This prompt enables you to supply the server name and the type of authentication that you want to use. The default is ‘integrated security’, which uses your current login.
But you can also use ‘SQL Server authentication’, which will authenticate to a preexisting set of SQL Server logins. Like you might expect, the login you use requires the rights to create databases.
You can test the connection using the Test Connection button.
After you have supplied the SQL Server authentication clicking Next displays the following database name dialog.
Database name dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
This Report Server Database Configuration Wizard dialog enables you to supply a name for the Reporting Services database. The default value is ReportServer. You can change that name or accept the default.
Clicking Next displays the Credentials dialog that is shown in the next figure.
Credentials dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Here, you need to supply the credentials that the Report Services server will use to connect to the Reporting Services database.
The default value of Service Credentials that you see in the preceding figure will work fine. But you can also supply a different value to meet your own requirements.
Clicking Next will display the Summary dialog that you can see below.
Summary dialog (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
The Summary dialog shows all of the choices that you made using the Report Server Database Configuration Wizard.
You can click Previous to go back and change any of the settings.
Clicking Next will apply the changes.
While the Reporting Services database is being configured a progress bar will be shown and when it has completed the following Progress and Finish screen that you can see below will be displayed.
SQL Server Reporting Services configuration progress (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Clicking Finish takes you back to the main Report Server Configuration Manager screen.
Finally, you’ll want to configure the Web Service URL that you will use to connect to Reporting Services. The Web Service URL configuration is shown in the following figure.
Web Service URL (Image Credit: Michael Otey/Petri.com)
Here you can accept the default value of ReportServer for the Virtual Directory and this will also generate the URL you can see near the bottom of the dialog.
The values for IP Address, TCP Port, HTTPS Certificate and HTTPS Port can remain at their default values unless you have other requirements.
Click Apply.
The Reporting Services service will automatically restart following the configuration of the database and the Web Service URL. At this point, SSRS will have been installed and configured and it can be used to create and run reports using tools like Report Builder and Report Designer.
Summary
In this article you saw how to install and configure SSRS 2022. The installation process requires that you download and run the standalone installer while you use the Report Server Configuration Manager to perform the initial SSRS configuration.