Reporting Services 2012 BI Training

Just wanted to get the word out that our SSRS 2012 training course is available.  Are you looking for expert training on SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services?  SolidQ now offers a SSRS training course with focus on designing report solutions for  Business Intelligence and SharePoint integration.  Not using SharePoint?  Private classes can be adapted to use Reporting Services in native mode.  Training is available for public and private events, onsite or remote delivery.

Designing BI Report Solutions with SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services and SharePoint 2010

The 5-day class covers basics and then quickly moves on to advanced-level topics for both business professionals and IT professionals with emphasis on real-world problem solving and demonstrations based on several years of actual field work in several different industries.  Hands-on labs are provided with a complete, working design and server deployment environment using SQL Server 2012, SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Edition, Report Builder 3.0 and Visual Studio 2010.

Specialized training sessions are also offered with the following emphasis.  These classes can be taught in 2 to 5 days depending on the level of focus and prior experience.

• Report design for the business information worker, emphasizing self-service reporting.
• Reporting design and solution management for the IT professional (developer & administrator) using custom code, advanced query & programming techniques.
• Advanced report design techniques for experienced professionals.
• Dashboard design and solution integration.

For more information about this and other training from SolidQ, training schedules and related information, visit the SolidQ Training site.  To contact us by email or phone, visit SolidQ and select your region.

The outline for the 5-day course follows:

Description

This course will teach students to apply industry design patterns and best practices to create business reports and reporting solutions based on years of field experience with the product in a variety of industries and business scenarios. Students will learn to avoid common pitfalls and to apply effective design techniques to meet business requirements. This course is focused on business intelligence solutions, dashboards and analytical reports deployed to an integrated SharePoint business portal environment.

SQL Server Reporting Services is the industry-standard reporting tool from Microsoft, available in the SQL Server product suite. It can be used to report on data from many different data sources and database platforms, for operational, business intelligence and analytical reporting. Many of the techniques and practices taught in this course can be applied to a variety of reporting styles and environments with and without SharePoint integration.

Customizations & Options

For private classes, this course can be customized by omitting modules and adjusting the emphasis on different topics. In business environments where certain technologies, such as SharePoint and SQL Server Analysis Services, are not being used (or not yet being used), the modules related to these services can be omitted. Students will work in a lab and demonstration environment where these services are present but can be deemphasized. The course virtual machine environment includes report servers in both SharePoint integrated mode and in native (non-SharePoint integrated) mode so demonstrations can be performed in either configuration.

Target Audience

This course is intended for business users and IT professionals who need to design business reports to support operational or analytical reporting needs. Report designers can leverage their skills using other reporting tools or start fresh with no prior report design experience. Less experienced business users should be prepared to keep pace with advanced users and to follow directions using common Windows menus, controls and dialogs.

IT professionals and developers who do not have prior experience with Reporting Services will find this course helpful for learning to design and manage reports that may be used in integrated applications and enterprise reporting solutions. Students with prior Reporting Services version experience will find this course useful for learning to use capabilities introduced in the new product version.

Prerequisites

Students will learn fundamental query design and data manipulation and are not required to have these skills before attending this course. They must be proficient using Windows and business productivity software, common Windows dialogs and controls, and should be able to use Windows Explorer to manage files and navigate a folder structure. They should be proficient using Internet Explorer to navigate hyperlinks and Internet addresses. Students who are very proficient using Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel should be comfortable with this course. Advanced skills with Visual Studio and SQL Server are helpful but not required.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

· Define, articulate and document business report requirements

· Use Report Builder and SQL Server Data Tools to design reports and report solutions

· Create data sources and datasets to retrieve data from business data stores

· Use fundamental T-SQL and MDX queries to retrieve data

· Filter data using a query or dataset filter definition

· Design basic report styles including tables, lists, matrices and charts

· Group, sort and summarize data using report data regions

· Define report layout and formatting elements to present information

· Build dynamic drill-down and drill-through reports using report actions

· Use advanced report design techniques to present complex data

· Use parameters and expressions to create a dynamic reporting experience

· Design analytical reports based on semantic data models and OLAP cubes

· Apply industry standard design patterns and best practices

· Use shared data sources, shared datasets and report parts

· Design and build BI dashboards using KPI indicators, sparklines and gauges

· Use maps to visualize and analyse geographic and spatial data

· Deploy and manage reports to test, and production environments

· Manage report folders and document libraries

· Integrate reports into SharePoint document libraries

· Understand and articulate report management and security requirements

· Define and manage a self-service reporting solution using Report Builder

· Enable user data discovery and insights with PowerPivot, BI semantic tabular models and Power View

· Use subscriptions, snapshots and cached report instances to define business report solutions

· Enable business user solutions by planning a self-service reporting solution for users to design their own reports, simply, using report parts and shared objects

 

Course Summary Outline

Day 1

Module 01 – Report Solutions & Architecture

· Architecture

· Data sources & semantic models

· Authentication & accounts

· SharePoint

· Lifecycle

· Extension

 

Module 02 – Basic Design

· Design tools

· Wizards, building blocks

· Connections, datasets

· Formatting

Lab 02A: Using the Matrix Wizard to Design a Basic Report

· Manual design

Lab 02B: Manually Designing a Matrix Report Using Report Builder

Lab 02C: Creating a SQL Server Data Tools Report Project

 

Module 03 – Report Layout & Formatting

· Data sources

· Datasets

· Regions & layout

· Tables

· Matrixes

· Lists

· Table groups

· Formatting numbers

· Sorting option

· RDL, page layout, tablix, gauges

Day 2

Module 04 – Designing Data Access

· Data sources, datasets and query filtering

Lab 04A: Understanding Query Design Essentials

· Parameters, lists and cascading

Lab 04B: Using Parameters

· Stored procedures

· Report filtering

· Other data sources, shared datasets

 

Module 05 – Chart Report Design

· Essential chart concepts

· Stacked charts, colors, palettes, and multi-series charts

· Calculated series, scale breaks, multiple chart areas, and collected pie

Lab 05: Creating Advanced Charts

 

Day 3

Module 06 – Groups & Totals

· Report body, headers, and footers

· Totals and subtotals

Lab 06A: Using Headers, Footers, and Totals

· Aggregate functions & scope

· Nested regions

Lab 06B: Creating a Nested Gauge Report

· Recursive groups

Lab 06C: Reporting on Recursive Relationships

 

Module 07 – Expressions and Custom Logic

· Textbox expressions

· Expressions, dynamic formatting, specialized functions, and calculations

Lab 07A: Using Basic Expressions

· Advanced programming, custom code

Lab 07B: Using Custom Code in a Report

· Assemblies

Lab 07C: Using a Custom Assembly

 

Day 4

Module 08 – Dynamic Reports and Actions

· Dynamic visibility

Lab 08A: Creating Drill-Down Reports

· Document maps and bookmarks

· Links and drill-through reports

Lab 08B: Creating Links and Drill-Through Reports

· URL actions and URI parameters

· Multi-column

· Subreports

Lab 08C: Federating Data with a Subreport

· Conditional rendering

· Dynamic groups

 

Module 09 – Semantic Models and Analytical Data Sources

· Dimensional modeling, MS BI, semantic model, and tabular model

· PowerPivot for Excel, SharePoint

· Power View

· Export to PowerPoint

· Migrate to SSDT tabular project

Lab 09: Using PowerPivot and Tabular Models for Reporting

· SharePoint connections

· SharePoint connections

· Tabular data source in SSRS

 

Module 10 – Multidimensional Reporting with SSAS and MDX

· SSAS architecture

· MDX and MDX graphical designer

· Query modification, language, and properties

· Aggregation in reports

· Advanced MDX

· Trend report, language, and functions

Lab 10A: Creating a Report with a Manually Written MDX

· Dynamic MDX

Lab 10B: Adding Parameters and Dynamic Query Logic

 

Day 5

Module 11 – Map Report Design and Geospatial Reporting

· Mapping basics

· Geocoding and spatial data

· Map wizard and layers

· Map design guidelines

Lab 11: Building a Multilayer Geographic Map Report

 

Module 12 – BI Dashboard Design

· Principles of visual presentation

· Examples of good and bad designs

· Dashboard design components

Lab 12A: Designing a KPI Business Scorecard

· Sparklines & trend reports

Lab 12B: Building and Interactive Sparkline

· Summary

 

Module 13 – Enabling Report Delivery and Self-Service Reporting

· Planning and organizing

· Execution options

Lab 13A: Configuring the Environment

· Enabling self-service

Lab 13B: User Reporting Experience

· Summary