Generate Multiple Pages in a Single SSRS Report: A Comprehensive Guide
Creating reports with multiple pages in SSRS can be a necessity when dealing with large datasets or complex information. This guide breaks down the process, providing a clear and concise approach for achieving this functionality.
Understanding the Problem:
Let's say you're generating a report in SSRS that needs to display a large number of sales transactions. Simply displaying all data on a single page can be overwhelming and difficult to read. The solution? Splitting the data into multiple pages for enhanced readability and clarity.
Example Scenario:
Imagine you're building a report to display a list of customers, their orders, and associated order details. You want to ensure that each customer's order information is presented on its own page. Here's a basic example of how this could be implemented using the "Page Break" functionality in SSRS:
Original Code:
<Table>
<TableRows>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="CustomerName" Value="Customer Name" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="OrderNumber" Value="Order Number" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="OrderDetails" Value="Order Details" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
</TableRows>
</Table>
How to Split Data into Multiple Pages:
-
Group Data: Identify the field that determines how you want to split data (in this case, "Customer Name"). Group your data by this field using the "Group" functionality within the SSRS Report Designer.
-
Add a Page Break: Right-click on the group and select "Page Break" > "Between Each Instance". This will insert a page break after each group, effectively creating a new page for each customer.
Revised Code:
<Table>
<TableRows>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="CustomerName" Value="Customer Name" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="OrderNumber" Value="Order Number" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
<TableRow>
<TableCell>
<Textbox Name="OrderDetails" Value="Order Details" />
</TableCell>
</TableRow>
</TableRows>
</Table>
<Group Name="CustomerGroup" >
<Grouping>
<GroupExpression>=Fields!CustomerName.Value</GroupExpression>
</Grouping>
<PageBreak>
<BreakLocation>BetweenEachInstance</BreakLocation>
</PageBreak>
</Group>
Additional Considerations:
- Page Header and Footer: Utilize page headers and footers to include consistent information (like report title, page numbers) across multiple pages.
- Subreports: If your report needs to incorporate subreports, ensure that you also use page breaks between each subreport instance.
- Report Parameters: Dynamically adjust the number of pages generated based on user inputs or report parameters.
Further Resources:
- Microsoft SSRS Documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/report-design/report-layout
- SSRS Community Forums: https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/sqlserver/en-US/home?forum=sqlreportingservices
Conclusion:
Generating multiple pages in an SSRS report is a powerful tool to improve report readability and structure complex data. By leveraging grouping and page break functionalities, you can effectively separate data and create a clear and engaging report for your audience.
