Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS)

This article outlines the integration with the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) connector, enabling streamlined metadata management through features such as crawling, report preview, and lineage building (Auto and Manual). It also ensures secure authentication via Credential Manager.

Overview

Connector Details

Connector Category	Reporting Tools
Connector Version	Release7.2
Releases Supported (Available from)	Release4.0
Connectivity [How the connection is established with Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services]	JDBC
Verified Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Version	7.1.4.jre8-preview

The Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services connector validates with the listed “Verified Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Version” and supports other compatible Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services versions. If there are any issues with validation or metadata crawling, please submit a support ticket for investigation and feedback.

Connector Features

Feature	Availability
Crawling	✅
Delta Crawling	✅
Profiling	NA
Query Sheet	NA
Report Preview	✅
Auto Lineage	✅
Manual Lineage	✅
Secure Authentication via Credential Manager	✅
Data Quality	❌
DAM (Data Access Management)	❌

'NA' indicates that the respective feature is 'Not Applicable.'

Metadata Mapping

The following objects are crawled from Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services and mapped to the corresponding UI assets.

SSRS Object	SSRS Attribute	OvalEdge Attribute	OvalEdge Category	SSRS
Folder [Database]	Catalog.Name	Report Group	Reports	Folder [Database]
Folder [Database]	Catalog.Description	Source Description	Descriptions	Folder [Database]
Folder [File]	Name: Child Directory Name Under Base SSRS Path	Report Group	Report	Folder [File]
Report	Last Segment of Catalog.Path	Reports	Report	Report Name
Report	Literal “Report”	Report Type	Report	Report
Report [File]	.RDL Filename	Reports	Report	Report Name
Report [File]	“Report”	Report Type	Report	Report

Set up a Connection

Prerequisites

The prerequisites to establish a connection:

Whitelisting Ports

Whitelist the inbound port to allow OvalEdge to connect to the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services database.

When a port is configured, specify the required port number during connection setup, whitelist the port, and establish proper communication between the system and the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

Service Account User Permissions

It is recommended to use a separate service account to establish the connection to the data source, configured with the following minimum set of permissions.

👨‍💻 Who can provide these permissions? The Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services administrator grants these permissions, since users may not have sufficient access to assign them.

Objects	Permissions
Connector Validation	DB mode: SQL Server login or Windows Integrated Security to ReportServer DB; Network access to SQL Server. File mode: Read access to SSRS NFS path.
Crawling	DB mode: Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog; File mode: read/execute on SSRS base path
Lineage	DB mode: Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog; File mode: read .rdl/.rsd files
Delta Crawl	DB: Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog (ModifiedDate).
Domains (Folders)	DB mode: Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog. File mode: read directories under SSRS base path.
Reports (Under Domain)	Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog
Report Fields	Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog (RDL content) or file read (.rdl)
Source Code – RDL	Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog or file read (.RDL)
Source Code – Datasets (RSD)	Select on {sid}.dbo.Catalog or file read (.RSD)

Connection Configuration Steps

Users must have the Connector Creator role to configure a new connection.

1. Log into OvalEdge, go to Administration > Connectors, click + (New Connector), search for SSRS, and enter the required parameters.

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory for establishing a connection.

Field Name	Description
Connector Type	By default, "Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services" is displayed as the selected connector type.
Authentication	The following three types of authentication are supported for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services: Sql Server Authentication Windows Authentication File Authentication

Sql Server Authentication

Field Name	Description
Credential Manager*	Select the desired credentials manager from the drop-down list. Relevant parameters will be displayed based on the selection. Supported Credential Managers: OE Credential Manager AWS Secrets Manager HashiCorp Azure Key Vault
License Add-On	Auto Lineage Supported Data Quality Not Supported Data Access Not Supported Select the Auto Lineage Add-On checkbox to build data lineage automatically.
Connector Name*	Enter a unique name for the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services connection. (Example: "SSRS_Prod").
Connector Environment	Select the environment (Example: PROD, STG) configured for the connector.
Connector Description	Enter the description related to the connector.
Host Name*	Enter the host name or IP address of the server where Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is installed.
Port*	Enter the port number used by the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services instance for communication.
SID*	Enter the unique Security Identifier (SID) associated with the SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) instance.
SSRS Web Port	Enter the port number configured for the SSRS Web Service. This value ensures the connector can communicate with the SSRS web endpoint.
SSRS Web URL*	Enter the Web Portal URL of the SSRS server, typically in the format http://<server-name>/Reports or https://<server-name>/Reports. Ensure the URL is accessible and corresponds to the deployed SSRS instance.
Connection String*	Automatic Mode: The system generates a connection string based on the provided credentials. Manual Mode: Enter a valid connection string manually. Replace placeholders with actual server details: {server} refers to the SQL Server Reporting Services host or IP address. {sid} refers to the SSRS catalog database name (typically ReportServer or ReportServerTempDB). Authentication Plugins: jdbc:sqlserver://{server}:{port};database={sid};integratedSecurity=true This is the default authentication string used for connecting to the SSRS database.
Username*	Enter the SQL Server account name or domain user name with access to the Reporting Services instance.
Is WebService URL (Y/N)*)	Enter the value to ‘Y’ for a Web Service URL or ‘N’ for a standard Report Manager URL.
Password*	Enter the password associated with the specified SQL Server Reporting Services account used for authentication.
Driver*	By default, SSRS uses ‘com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver.’ This field is not editable.

Windows Authentication

File Authentication

Default Governance Roles

Default Governance Roles*	Select the appropriate users or teams for each governance role from the drop-down list. All users and teams configured in OvalEdge Security are displayed for selection.

Admin Roles

Admin Roles*	Select one or more users from the dropdown list for Integration Admin and Security & Governance Admin. All users configured in OvalEdge Security are available for selection.

No of Archive Objects

No Of Archive Objects*	This shows the number of recent metadata changes to a dataset at the source. By default, it is off. To enable it, toggle the Archive button and specify the number of objects to archive. Example: Setting it to 4 retrieves the last four changes, displayed in the 'Version' column of the 'Metadata Changes' module.

Bridge

Select Bridge*	If applicable, select the bridge from the drop-down list. The drop-down list displays all active bridges configured in OvalEdge. These bridges enable communication between data sources and OvalEdge without altering firewall rules.

1. After entering all connection details, the following actions can be performed:

   1. Click Validate to verify the connection.

   2. Click Save to store the connection for future use.

   3. Click Save & Configure to apply additional settings before saving.

2. The saved connection will appear on the Connectors home page.

Manage Connector Operations

Crawl

To perform a crawl operation, users must be assigned the Integration Admin role.

The Crawl/Profile button allows users to select one or more schemas for crawling.

1. Navigate to the Connectors page and click Crawl/Profile.

2. Select the schemas to crawl.

3. Click Run to collect metadata from the connected source and load it into the Data Catalog.

4. After a successful crawl, the information appears in the Data Catalog > Report / Report Column tab.

The Schedule checkbox allows automated crawling for a selected timeframe, from a minute to a year.

1. Click the Schedule checkbox to enable the Select Period drop-down.

2. Select a time period for the operation from the drop-down menu.

3. Click Schedule to initiate metadata collection from the connected source.

4. The system will automatically execute the crawl operation at the scheduled time.

Other Operations

The Connectors page provides a centralized view of all configured connectors and their health status.

Managing connectors includes:

• Connectors Health: Displays the current status of each connector, with a green icon for active connections and a red icon for inactive connections, helping monitor connectivity to data sources.

• Viewing: Click the Eye icon next to the connector name to view connector details, including Reports, Report Columns, and Folders.

Nine Dots Menu Options:

To view, edit, validate, build lineage, configure, or delete connectors, click on the Nine Dots menu.

• Edit Connector: Update and revalidate the data source.

• Validate Connector: Check the integrity of the connection.

• Settings: Modify connector settings.

  • Crawler: Configure data extraction.

  • Access Instructions: Add notes on how data can be accessed.

  • Business Glossary Settings: Manage term associations at the connector level.

  • Lineage: Select server dialects for parsing and setting connector priority for table lineage.

  • Others: Configure notification recipients for metadata changes.

• Build Lineage: Automatically build data lineage using source code parsing.

• Delete Connector: Remove a connector with confirmation.

Connectivity Troubleshooting

If incorrect parameters are entered, error messages may appear. Ensure all inputs are accurate to resolve these issues. If issues persist, contact the assigned support team.

S.No.	Error Message(s)	Error Description & Resolution
1	Error while validating SSRS connection Exception occured : Login failed for user 'sqluser'. ClientConnectionId:3c5a0e81-cc60-4316-b853-766b3d49131e	Error Description: The system failed to validate the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) connection due to incorrect or invalid login credentials for the specified user. Resolution: Verify the username and password provided for the SSRS connection, and ensure the user account has the required permissions to access the SQL Server instance.

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