Report Model download and backup, also best practice

Question

Report Model download and backup, also best practice

Ells

SSCrazy Eights

Points: 9901
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March 26, 2015 at 12:49 pm

#299078

I will be deploying Models and Data Sources (potentially) to multiple servers. After my last mishap is there a way to get the latest Model downloaded from the SSRS site (SSRS native mode) so that I can start with what is there. (If you think of SSAS you can import it into a BIDS project)
Whats best practice for this. I am currently looking at one server and the copy in source control looks different to the version on the server file system, that intern has different dates to what is up in SSRS. Does not make me feel confident.
When deploying is there an easy way to avoid mistakes?
Thanks
E

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

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Ells SSCrazy Eights Points: 9901 More actions · Answer 1

Having spent a lot of time looking into this I am very concerned over the SMDL Report Model file. I cant seem to find a way to get it down from Reporting Services so that I can edit it in BIDS. It looks like I just have to cross my fingers and hope that the last person did keep it under source control. So far I have two RS Servers that have three different versions of one SMDL file so its toss a coin as to which one I use and deploy. This seems crazy! I have read multiple artickles and still cant see a way.

🙁

Now I remember why I avoid SSRS

E

Ells SSCrazy Eights Points: 9901 More actions · Answer 2

Wow,

I really seem to have drawn a blank on this. I can see that downloading and uploading Models is possible. But it looks like BIDS needs data source, data source view and model file to be able to alter your model.

It looks like you can not retrieve (download) enough from the SSRS web interface to allow you to recreate a project.

I am still searching for a rock solid way of getting the file available so that I can have a good recovery position.

Thanks

E

Lowell SSC Guru Points: 323518 More actions · Answer 3

i've used this project quite a few times:

https://ssrscatalogqueries.codeplex.com/

i had to enhance it quite a bit, and it's still not where i want it.

it downloads all the files into sub folders, but since Bids doesn't support sub folders in an SSRS project, you need to build a project for each folder...and if they were using a shared data source, it doinks up the whole schema;

i still haven't figured out how to fix that, but it does let me extract every object from the catalog, so i've got that going for me. you could extract everything, create a project, and add existing items, to at least get a decent colleciton of objects for development/.

Lowell

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Ells SSCrazy Eights Points: 9901 More actions · Answer 4

Thanks.

So that's given me two .rds files (which are the data sources) and one report. I am glad I can get the report down! However the data sources seem odd in that in BIDS they appear to be .ds files?

Cheers

E

Ells SSCrazy Eights Points: 9901 More actions · Answer 5

This does seem to offer me a chance of achieving what I want. The SMDL when imported creates the model and dsv. From looking at the DSV in notepad you can get the magic references to the data source and with the RDS file that come down you can use the info in the to create ds files.

All a bit error prone and still scares me but at least that enough for a plan.

Thanks

E