Top 20 SSRS Interview Questions & Answers For Freshers & Experienced

Introduction

In this competitive age, there is always a need for good information. Today, when Companies are generating a massive amount of data, it is growing exponentially with every passing day. Here, technology helps us in gathering related information and create reports that can be understood quickly. The report generation is easy with popular reporting tools in the technical marketplace and one of the most reliable tools is SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services).

SSRS is a reporting tool of Microsoft that helps in creating reports using graphs, charts, maps, and other visualization techniques etc. The main objective of this reporting tool is creating, managing, testing, or deploying reports to business users. SSRS is just a wonderful component of the Microsoft Business Intelligence Platform. 

So, finally, you are trying to find a job in the SSRS field but wondering how to prepare yourself for the interview. Well, you have reached the right place today where you can read multiple SSRS interview questions that are frequently asked by interviewers. Every interview is different and the scope of the job is also different. With these SSRS interview questions, you can always get success in your interview.

Get a complete SSRS interview questions and answers pdf here!

SSRS Developer Interview Questions with Answers for Freshers

Here are the ssrs interview questions and answers asked from the freshers or candidates applying on the entry-level positions.

Q1). What is SSRS and explain its features too?

Ans:- SSRS or (SQL Server Reporting Services) is a server-based report generation tool or software system from Microsoft and an important part of the business intelligence platform today. The features of the tool are listed as below –

• The tool is suitable for creating highly interactive reports.
• The reports can be administered ahead through a web-based interface.
• It could deliver customized reports as per the requirements.
• The tool helps you to create graphics-rich reports including charts, graphs, and other visual techniques.
• The reports could be generated in multiple formats like Excel, PDF, Word etc.

Q2). Explain the SSRS architecture in brief?

Ans:-SSRS tool is a multi-tiered system having applications, servers, and multiple data layers. The SSRS architecture is highly modular and scalable too. A single installation of the program can be utilized along multiple systems. The components included in the SSRS architecture are listed below -

Q3). Explain the life cycle of the SSRS reporting tool?

Ans:-The life cycle of an SSRS reporting tool includes three phases. These are Report development, Report Management, and Report Delivery.

• Report Development – The report designing and development is done by developers.
• Report Management – Once the report is created, it will be managed by the administrator ahead. He will check that the report should be accessed by authorized users only. Also, the report execution should be performed well to optimize the performance. And further, they are scheduled well based on the priorities.
• Report Delivery – This phase is executed by the DBA and developers together. Once the report is developed and managed well, it is deployed to the client after a proper data analysis. In case, you feel any issues then go back to the development stage right away.

Read: Future Growth of a SQL Server Developer

Q4). List the different reporting service components in SSRS.

Ans:-

• A Report Designer component is needed for report creation.
• The Report server is needed for the report execution.
• And the Report manager is needed for report management.

Q5). How will you define the crystal reports in SSRS?

Ans:-Crystal reports are processed by the IIS server while SSRS has a report server. Crystal reports can be enabled through a cache server where SSRS reports are available for Report history snapshots. Crystal reports have well-defined standard and custom user-defined labels while SSRS has only user-defined labels.

Q6). How can reporting service reports be added to any application?

Ans:-There are plenty of tools like Visual Studio / BI / SSDT tools that can be used to add reporting service reports to any application. There are two versions available for every tool, one is for Dot net framework and the other is for Windows framework.

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Q7). What is the objective of the Report Manager in SSRS?

Ans:-Report Manager is a web application that can be accessed through a URL in SSRS. You can define permission for this web application and limit the functionalities based on the type of users. Each user is assigned a role and permissions are defined for that particular role.

Q8). Can a report server be used for running reports in SSRS?

Ans:-The reports are integrated with Visual Studio projects with the help of a report designer and a report server. Here, you can analyze the data well collected from multiple sources and stored in databases further.

Q9). Name the multiple roles offered by the SSRS.

The multiple roles offered by the SSRS include Browsers, Content Managers, My Reports, Publishers, and Report Builders etc.

Read: Future Growth of a SQL Server Developer

Q10). Is there any drawback of the SSRS reporting framework?

Ans:-For many years, Microsoft had no direct solution for reporting other than crystal reports. Now it has SSRS but the framework has certain limitations too.

• It is quite complex to understand the structure and functionality of any newly added component. 
• Many users still believe that crystal reports are the best solution for reporting because they don’t want to switch to any other reporting tool.
• Sometimes, there come issues in case of large reporting that may lead to data loss as well.

To get SSRS scenario based interview questions for freshers, get here!

SSRS Interview Questions and Answers for Experienced Latest

Here are the SSRS interview questions and answers for experienced latestly asked by recruiters.

Q11). Name a few console utilities in SSRS.

Ans:- 

 

Q12). Name different parts of the RDL file and explain them in brief.

Ans:- 

1. Data – This part contains the dataset that can be used for writing queries and it is always well connected with the data source.
2. Design – Here, you can design the report in the form of tables or matrix etc. You just have to drag and drop the information you wanted to use.
3. Preview – It is used to check the preview of a report after the run command is executed.

Q13). RDL files are written in which programming language?

Ans:- These files are XML (Extensible Markup Language).

Q14). Is this possible editing RDL code that is further associated with the linked report?

Ans:- No, this is not possible because the linked report does not have RDL code of its own.

Q15). Name the different data sources in SSRS.

Ans:- These are Oracle, ODBC, SQL server analysis Service, Report Server Model, SAP, XML, Microsoft SQL Server etc.

Q16). What do you mean by the feature report rendering in SSRS?

Ans:- Exporting any report data in another format is called the report rendering. In SSRS multiple report rendering techniques are supported. These are Word, Excel, CSV, PDF, HTML etc. 

Q17). Why should you use SSRS for your next project?

Ans:- Here are the listed advantages that will teach you why someone should use SSRS over other reporting platforms.

• This is quite cheaper and faster too.
• It helps in generating effective reports with data residing in both databases either Oracle or MS SQL Server.
• There is no need for special skills to use this reporting tool.
• It can be quickly integrated with Visual Studio .NET for generating reports in the same environment.
• Once parameters are defined clearly by developers, the UI will be generated automatically as per requirements.
• There are also security mechanisms defined based on roles.

Read: How to Insert Multiple Rows Using Stored Procedure in SQL?

Q18). List the drawbacks that were reported in the previous version SSRS 2008 R2.

Ans:- Here is the list of drawbacks that were noticed in the previous version and modified later to make SSRS more suitable for reporting.

• There was no print button to take the printouts of PDFs, excel files etc.
• This was not possible debugging the custom code.
• Page numbers were not defined for the whole body of content.
• This was not possible passing values from subreport to the main report.
• Sub-reports could not be added in either header or footer.
• The page header was creating extra space in the next page.

Q19). What are the minimum software requirements for the SSRS framework?

Ans:- Here are the minimum software requirements for the SSRS framework as listed below –

• Operating System – Windows XP, Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003 either Standard or Enterprise Edition with service pack 4 or higher.
• Processor – Intel Pentium 2 and higher.
• Hard Disk – For a report server, it needs a minimum 50 MB space. For the DOTNET framework, it needs a minimum 100 MB space. For a report designer, it needs 30 MB, and 145 MB it needs for samples.
• RAM – Minimum 256 MB RAM is needed or more as per needs.
• Database – SQL server 2000 with a minimum service pack of 3 or higher.

Read: How to Insert Multiple Rows Using Stored Procedure in SQL?

Q20). What are the core components of the SSRS framework?

Ans:- These are a set of tools needed to design, develop and deploy some applications. It could be a report server component where the report can be prepared in different formats like XML, HTML, PDF, Excel, Word etc. It could be an API (Application Programming Interface) that is needed for app integration and to build or manage reports.

So, we have discussed popular SSRS interview questions that are asked frequently and help you in cracking interviews in the first attempt only. We have given an idea but it may include a lot more questions and related to similar topics. So, all the best for your next interview and don’t forget to share your experience that is actually helpful for learners. a 

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To get SSRS scenario based interview questions for experienced, get here!

Read: How to Insert Multiple Rows Using Stored Procedure in SQL?

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