SSRS Report Builder

[Danp]

Anyone using it? Anyone write their own school reports for their MIS?

 

I taught myself enough to get by using existing reports and tweaking, editing etc as needed. Every now and again, I get stuck, I could got back to the MIS (iSAMS) but they would charge and I won't learn.

[SteveSaywell]

Anyone using it? Anyone write their own school reports for their MIS?

 

I taught myself enough to get by using existing reports and tweaking, editing etc as needed. Every now and again, I get stuck, I could got back to the MIS (iSAMS) but they would charge and I won't learn.

 

Yes, I use it with Progresso/Cloud School. Have written a lot of reports using it... I'll try my best to answer any questions you've got (feel free to PM)

[Ditto]

Used to when I worked on Progresso. I tended to modify standard reports too - to be honest, I found SSRS part science, part magic! With Progresso, I think their data model made life harder, but they were tackling that - @SteveSaywell, how is it nowadays? I'd hope iSAMS was a cleaner model, but don't know that is he case.

[TechMonkey]

I do. Gradually taught myself from fiddling with the iSAMS reports to creating them from scratch. I'm sure mine aren't the best of the most efficient but they do what we need.

@Danp have you done the iSAMS SSRS course? I did it during lockdown so it was a bit of an odd experience but the course was really good. It was 1 to 1 remotely and it gave a good grounding on the iSAMS way, tips and tricks and the like. I've found iSAMS pretty good on not charging for tweaks.

 

I've just started looking at Power BI dashboards and that is a whole different kettle of fish!

[Danp]

I do. Gradually taught myself from fiddling with the iSAMS reports to creating them from scratch. I'm sure mine aren't the best of the most efficient but they do what we need.

@Danp have you done the iSAMS SSRS course? I did it during lockdown so it was a bit of an odd experience but the course was really good. It was 1 to 1 remotely and it gave a good grounding on the iSAMS way, tips and tricks and the like. I've found iSAMS pretty good on not charging for tweaks.

 

I've just started looking at Power BI dashboards and that is a whole different kettle of fish!

 

No, I've not done the course yet. When I was at my last school, the plan was to sign up to a course at some point in the run up to Christmas, but I left at half term. Since I have been at my current school, I've not got round to booking it. I know I really should. How long was it, full day? Maybe I should use one of my +2 weeks days for it.

 

So far, I've only had two things that have beaten me, one I did post in the 'annoying things' topic at the time. iSAMS were really good and basically said we should charge you for this, but can see what you are trying to achieve and what you have done, so here, we fixed it for you. The other issue I have got now is getting attendance details to show on the end of year report. It's the same table that was used in previous years and there is no reference (that I can see) to it looking up anything other than the current academic year, but when 'printing' the table is empty, no error, no wrong figures. I find that parking it, going back in with fresh eyes helps, I'll have another look today. After that, I need work out how to include more than one report into the final end of year.

[TechMonkey]

It was meant to be a 2 day course but where it was 1 to 1 and there didn't seem much point breaking for tea every couple of hours we smashed it out in one day.

 

I do find the iSAMS reports quite confusing in how they are built, but that maybe just my poor little brain can't get itself wrapped around them. I can look at our report we had made by iSAMS and see how they did attendance if it helps? Ours only displays a percentage. Sounds like a visibility setting though, but why that would have been added, I'm not sure.

[Danp]

It was meant to be a 2 day course but where it was 1 to 1 and there didn't seem much point breaking for tea every couple of hours we smashed it out in one day.

 

I do find the iSAMS reports quite confusing in how they are built, but that maybe just my poor little brain can't get itself wrapped around them. I can look at our report we had made by iSAMS and see how they did attendance if it helps? Ours only displays a percentage. Sounds like a visibility setting though, but why that would have been added, I'm not sure.

 

I'll email them now, thanks for the indirect prompt!

 

If it's ok, I'll PM you what I've got, see how that compares with yours?

[TechMonkey]

If it's ok, I'll PM you what I've got, see how that compares with yours?

 

Not a problem.

[Danp]

Replying to this as it's still sort of related.

 

iSAMS have replaced one of their modules which means I now am not able to download/upload .rdl files as easily as before. But, the killer is when I do upload a file, it's lost the data connection and it's not possible to relink. I've got a ticket open with them and but updates for over 24 hours

[TechMonkey]

That's interesting, only issue I've had with the new module is it didn't like Academic Reports, which has been fixed. Apart from that it is has been fine, even swapping the data connection automatically for me which I nearly always forgot to do.

[Danp]

That's interesting, only issue I've had with the new module is it didn't like Academic Reports, which has been fixed. Apart from that it is has been fine, even swapping the data connection automatically for me which I nearly always forgot to do.

 

I know there's something I'm missing, but I've never been able to save the connection details to the individual reports. I used to link the data source to the file once uploaded.

[TechMonkey]

Shouldn't be anything to miss. I don't know how it works but I have the connection setup in Visual Studio, copy it across and it works. Before I had to go in through the web interface and adjust the data source.

[Danp]

Shouldn't be anything to miss. I don't know how it works but I have the connection setup in Visual Studio, copy it across and it works. Before I had to go in through the web interface and adjust the data source.

 

I've not been able to set the data source in the file. I don't know why, obviously something I'm doing wrong. I've been using Report Builder rather than VS though.

[Danp]

Update from iSAMS, now when a file is uploaded it automatically links the data source. I'm grateful to know this, pity it took 13 days to get an answer.