SSRS Comprehension Questions

Question 1

You want to include an image in a report. How do you display the Image Properties dialog box? Answer.

When you drag an image item from the Toolbox window to the Report Designer, the Image Properties dialog box automatically opens.
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Question 2

You want to configure an amount to display the value in a currency format. Which property do you use? Answer.

To configure an amount to display a value in a currency format, select the report item, and then set the format property to C or c.
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Question 3

What are data regions? Answer.

Data regions are report items that display repeated rows of summarized information from datasets.
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Question 4

You want to generate a report that is formatted as a chart. Can you use the Report Wizard to create such a report? Answer.

You need to select the use Existing Tables method when you build the cube from the bottom up.
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Question 5

You want to use BIDS to deploy a report to a different server than the one you chose in the Report Wizard. How can you change the server URL? Answer.

You can right-click the project in Solution Explorer and then change the TargetServer URL property.
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Question 6

Which rendering formats are affected by the PageSize properties? Answer.

Because only the Adobe PDf file, Word, and Image rendering extensions use physical page breaks, they are the only formats that are affected by the PageSize properties.
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Question 7

Can you use a stored procedure to provide data to an SSRS report? Answer.

Yes, you can use a stored procedure to provide data to an SSRS report by configuring the dataset to use a stored procedure command type. However, your stored procedure should return only a single result set. If it returns multiple result sets, only the fi rst one is used for the report dataset.
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Question 8

You want to use a perspective in an MDX query. How do you select the perspective? Answer.

Use the Cube Selector in the MDX Query Designer to select a perspective.
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Question 9

Can you use data mining models in SSRS? Answer.

Yes, you can use the DMX Designer to create data mining queries for SSRS reports. However, do not forget to flatten the result set returned by the DMX query.
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Question 10

You want your report to display a hyperlink that will take users to your intranet. How do you configure such a hyperlink? Answer.

Create a text box item, set the action to Go To uRL, and then confi gure the URL.
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Question 11

You want a report to display Sales by Category, SubCategory, and Product. You want users to see only summarized information initially but to be able to display the details as necessary. How would you create the report? Answer.

Group the Sales information by Category, SubCategory, and Product. Hide the SubCategory group and set the visibility to toggle based on the Category item. Hide the Product group and set the visibility to toggle based on the SubCategory item.
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Question 12

You want to create an Excel interactive report from SSRS. In SSRS, can you create the same interactive experience in Excel that you would have on the Web? Answer.

No, you cannot create the same experience with SSRS. Although the design of interactive reports is closely related to the HTML rendering format. Microsoft Office Excel, Microsoft Office Word, Image, Acrobat (PDf) file, and Web Archive reports do not support the same type of interaction; details are hidden by default. XML and CSV reports display all information by default.
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Question 13

What is the main difference between a Matrix report item and a Table report item? Answer.

The main difference between a Matrix and a Table report item is in the initial template. Actually, both report items are just templates for the Tablix data region.
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Question 14

When you do not use report caching, is it better to use parameters to filter information in the query or to use filters in the dataset? Answer.

From a performance perspective, it is better to use parameters because they let SSRS pull fi ltered data from the data source. In contrast, when you use filters, the queries retrieve all data and then filter the information in an additional step.
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Question 15

How do you configure a running aggregate in SSRS? Answer.

You can use the RunningValue function to confi gure a running aggregate.
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Question 16

What is the main purpose of a report parameter? Answer.

The main purpose of a report parameter is to add interactivity to your reports, letting users change the report behavior based on options they select.
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Question 17

What is the main purpose of a query parameter? Answer.

The main purpose of a query parameter is to filter data in the data source.
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Question 18

You want your users to select a parameter from a list of values in a list box. How should you configure the parameter? Answer.

You should create a data source that contains the possible values and then bind the data source to the parameter.
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Question 19

What is the main benefit of using embedded code in a report? Answer.

The main benefit of using embedded code in a report is that the code you write at the report level can be reused in any expression in the report.
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Question 20

What programming language would you use to create embedded functions in SSRS? Answer.

An SSRS report supports only Visual Basic .NET embedded code.
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Question 21

How do you reference an embedded function in a report expression? Answer.

Use the Code prefix and the name of the function to reference an embedded function in a report expression.
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Question 22

Which of the following are valid options for deploying a report? (Choose all that apply.)

With BIDS
With the Computer Management console
With the .NET START command
With SSMS
With Report Manager

Answer.

The correct answers are a and e, BIDS and Report Manager.
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Question 23

Why should you not overwrite a shared data source in production? Answer.

When Deploying reports, for the OverwriteDataSources property, you typically will not want to overwrite a data source when you deploy a report in the production environment because an administrator might have changed the data source properties to connect to a production database server rather than the server the developer used when authoring and debugging the report.
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Question 24

Can you edit a report that an end user created by using Report Builder in BIDS? Answer.

Yes, if an end user created a report by using Report Builder in BIDS and saved the report definition file, you can open the file in BIDS and edit it.
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Question 25

How can you manage reports from your application if the report server is deployed in SharePoint integrated mode? Answer.

Use the ReportService2006 endpoint of the SSRS Web service if your report server is deployed in SharePoint integrated mode.
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Question 26

In which processing mode of a report viewer control can you use the full functionality of your report server? Answer.

You should use the remote processing mode to use the full functionality of your report server.
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Question 27

What types of roles are available in SSRS 2008, and what are their purposes? Answer.

Item-level roles and system-level roles are the two types of roles available in SSRS 2008. An item-level role is a collection of tasks related to operations on an object of the report object hierarchy of SSRS 2008. A system-level role is a collection of tasks related to operations on server objects outside the report object hierarchy of SSRS 2008.
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Question 28

Can a user or group belong to more than one item-level or system-level role? Answer.

Yes, in SSRS 2008, a user or group can have more than one association to a system-level or an item-level role.
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Question 29

When storing the credentials of a data source in the server, are those credentials safe? Answer.

Yes, the data source credentials are safe because Reporting Services encrypts them and stores them in the ReportServer SQL Server database.
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Question 30

What happens if you do not specify a parameter value in a subscription and the parameter does not have a default value? Answer.

If you do not specify a parameter value in a subscription and the parameter does not have a default value, the execution of the report will fail.
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Question 31

You want to create a subscription to a report. However, when you right-click the Subscription subfolder of the report, you notice that the new Subscription option is dimmed. What is wrong? Answer.

When the new Subscription option is dimmed, the report probably does not use stored credentials for accessing the data. SSRS needs these credentials stored in its own ReportServer database to execute a report on a schedule.
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Question 32

What can you do if your query with properties for a data-driven subscription does not provide values for all of the subscription properties? Answer.

If your query with properties for a data-driven subscription does not provide values for all of the subscription properties, you can use text and default values instead. These values are then used for parameters of all subscriptions you get from the query.
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Question 33

What mechanisms do you identify to reduce the overhead of Reporting Services data sources? Answer.

Snapshots and cached reports can help reduce the processing pressure on data sources and improve report response time.
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Question 34

Can you always create a cache of a report? Answer.

No, you can create a cache of a report only when certain requirements, such as having credentials stored in the Report Server, are met.
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Question 35

Can you edit the .rdl code associated with a linked report? Answer.

No, because a linked report has no .rdl code of its own. It refers to the .rdl code of the base report.
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Question 36

Which of the tools and utilities can change or create the virtual directories for the report server and Report Manager after installation? Answer.

Only Reporting Services Configuration Manager can enable and name the virtual directories for the report server and Report Manager.
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Question 37

What is the file name extension for an encryption key backup? Answer.

Encryption key backups have an .snk file name extension.
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Question 38

What are the three SSRS command-line utilities and their primary functions? Answer.

RSConfig.exe is used to define the connection properties from the SSRS instance to the Report Server database; RSKeyMgmt.exe performs encryption key operations and scale-out deployment setup; RS.exe runs Report Server Script files that can perform report deployment and management operations.
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Question 39

If you want to disable one of the rendering options in the Save As drop-down list when viewing a report through Report Manager, where do you do that? Answer.

The visibility property for any of the rendering devices can be changed by modifying the RSReportServer.confi g file and locating the tag for the specific device.
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SSRS Interview Questions - Part 2 of 3 (On Comprehension from TK 70-448)