I’ve learned enough that it’s time to see what others are doing. I know there are SQL queries in the forum, but I want to see a finished product from Report Builder. Best place to start is the CW Marketplace.
- Fire up CW, expand the Other menu, and you’ll see Marketplace at the very bottom.
- Refine your results to just “Custom Reports”
- Start browsing and find a report you wish to work with.
- Click the Import button (which really should say Download in this case)
- Save the .zip file.
Actually, stop right there. Push your chair back from the desk. Let me save you a bunch of time.
I downloaded EVERY SINGLE REPORT listed on those 7 pages (well, not those named asdf or test) and ended up with 4 usable items. Two saved Report Builder .rdl files and 2 files with defined queries in them. Everything else was useless to me:
- Partner specific output from the report. Yes, the actual client information in a PDF.
- Some Crystal Report .exe files that didn’t do anything but crashed when I ran them.
- Lots of test.docx files
I was also shocked to see a couple of reports actually linking back to their publicly accessible Report Server! I’ll be sending e-mails about those.
To hurt me more, the 2 Report Builder files weren’t really helpful. One was even more basic than what I’ve thrown together. The other had the wrong Data Type configured for the Parameters, so I couldn’t even enter valid data. Easy enough to correct, but…
In the end, it was a surprisingly depressing experience. It would be nice for CW to clean this up. (Let me help – Delete them all!) Hopefully things will pick up from the community (Brad? Dan? CW? Anyone?).
Looks like y’all might have to rely on me a bit longer. 🙂
CW Reporting 101 