Installing SQL Server Reporting Services 2017

By:   |   Updated: 2018-01-03   |   Comments (15)   |   Related: > Reporting Services Installation


Problem

SQL Server 2017 has just been released and with most releases there are changes that you need to be aware of. One of the changes in SQL Server 2017 is that the SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) installation is not part of the regular SQL Server installation. In this tip, we will explore how to install and configure SSRS in SQL Server 2017.

Solution

SQL Server 2017 was released in October and contains many new enhancements over previous SQL Server versions. Up until SQL Server 2016, SSRS installation was part of the regular SQL Server installation where we have to select Reporting Services from the feature pane, and then install and configure SSRS.

With SQL Server 2017, when we launch the SQL Server setup from the media, the SQL Server Installation Center provides a separate option: Install SQL Server Reporting Services. This is basically a hyperlink that launches a download page that provides a link to install SQL Server Reporting Services.

SQL Server Installation Center

If we go through the normal SQL Server installation by clicking on New SQL Server stand-alone installation or add features to an existing installation, we can see below that Reporting Services is not included in the list of instance features.  But there is a link above the Instance Features Looking for Reporting Services? Download it from the web.

SQL Server Installation Center feature pane

Once we click on the link, it takes us to the download page for SQL Server Reporting Services as shown below.

SQL Server Reporting Services Download Page

This downloads SQLServerReportingServices.exe which is a very small installation setup for SSRS.

SQL Server Reporting Services setup properties Page

This SSRS 2017 installer is small and easier to complete than previous SQL Server versions. If we already have a SQL Server database engine installed, we can simply download and install Reporting Services in just a few minutes. This installer is specific to Reporting Services, so it allows you to install the latest version of Reporting Services without impacting other SQL Server database features.

Installation of SQL Server 2017 Reporting Services

Once we have downloaded SQLServerReportingServices.exe, begin the install process by clicking on the setup file. This launches the setup process as shown below.

SQL Server Reporting Services Download Page

This setup shows the release version of SQL Server Reporting Services. For example, above you can see Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (October 2017).

When the install starts, we have an option to choose an edition to install from the drop down list.

SQL Server Reporting Services choose an edition - dropdown

SQL Server Reporting Services choose an edition

From this list, we can select the edition as:

  • Evaluation (expires in 180 days)
  • Developer
  • Express

To run SSRS 2017 in production, we need to enter the SQL Server 2017 product key during setup. To do so, click on Enter the product key.

SQL Server Reporting Services Product key

For my installation, I have selected the evaluation edition. Clicking on Next takes you to review and accept the license terms.

SQL Server Reporting Services Product key

Click on Next after accepting the license terms. The next screen shows that you will need a database engine instance on this or separate server for the report server database. Since this is lightweight installation for SSRS only, it will only install Reporting Services.

SQL Server Reporting Services- install reporting services only

It also contains a link to check supported database engine versions and editions. Click on Next to specify an install location. By default, it will be in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

SQL Server Reporting Services- install reporting services directory

Click on Next to start the SQL Server Reporting Services installation, this is very quick.

SQL Server Reporting Services- installation of reporting services

Once setup is complete, it installs all the necessary installation files for Reporting Services and gives the option to configure the report server manually. This basically launches the Report Server Configuration Manager.

SQL Server Reporting Services 2017 Configuration

Once we have installed SQL Server Reporting Services, we need to configure the report server. Clicking on configure report server, launches the Report Server Configuration Manager to connect to a specific SSRS instance. One thing to note is that the Report Server instance name shows as SSRS while in the previous version it shows as RSServer.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server

Once we have connected to SSRS instance, we can see a basic summary page that shows the Reporting Service Instance ID, Edition, Product Version, Report Service Status, etc. The Report Server database name and Report server mode show as blank since no configuration has been completed yet.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server summary page

To configure the report server database, click on Database from the left.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server - database configuration

Click on Change Database to configure it. It opens the Report Server Database Configuration Wizard.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Report Server Database Configuration Wizard

I want to setup a new report server database, so click on create a new report server database. If we want to use an existing database, select choose an existing report server database.

We need to provide the Server Name, Authentication Type (Windows/SQL) and credentials in case of SQL authentication and then click on Test Connection to check the connection status.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Report Server Database Configuration Wizard - provide server details

Click on Next and enter a database name and select the language to use for running SQL scripts.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Report Server Database Configuration Wizard- enter a database name and select the language to use for running SQL scripts

On the next page, specify the credentials of an existing account that the report server will use to connect to the report server database.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Report Server Database Configuration Wizard- enter credentials

The next page shows the summary of the Report Server Database Configuration Wizard. Verify the configuration and click on Next to start the configuration.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- summary of Report Server Database Configuration Wizard

Once all steps are completed successfully, it restarts the Reporting Service.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Report Server Database Configuration Wizard progress

This is what the Report Server Configuration Manager looks like after configuration.

SQL Server Reporting Services- Restart Reporting Services

Now that the database configuration is complete, we need to configure a URL used to access the report server. To do so, click on Web Service URL from the left menu.

SQL Server Reporting Services- configure report server- Web Service URL

Specify the Report Server Web Service Virtual Directory name and click on Apply. By default, the Report Server web service virtual directory name is ReportServer.

SQL Server Reporting Services- Report Server web service virtual directory name

This applies the configuration by creating a virtual directory and restarts Reporting Services as shown in the results section above.

Similarly, we need to configure a URL to access Web Portal URL. To do so, click on Web Portal URL from the left hand menu and specify the virtual directory name and click Apply to accept the changes.

SQL Server Reporting Services- Web Portal URL

Now SQL Server Reporting Service configuration is complete and we can configure and publish SSRS reports.

Facts about SQL Server Reporting Services 2017

The SQL Server Configuration Manager is used to manage services related to SQL Server (i.e. Database Engine, Analysis Services, Integration Services, etc.). Prior to SQL Server 2016, Reporting Services also used to be managed from here as well as from the Reporting Services Configuration Manager. In SQL Server 2017, Reporting Services is not part of the SQL Server Configuration Manager.

However, we can find it in the Services if we run services.msc.

SQL Server Reporting Services-services.msc

SSRS 2017 is now completely separate from the SQL Server directory as well. Previously, the Reporting Services directory used to be in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS13.SQL2016\Reporting Services. Now it is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services.

SQL Server Reporting Services directory level change
Next Steps


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About the author
MSSQLTips author Rajendra Gupta Rajendra Gupta is a Consultant DBA with 14+ years of extensive experience in database administration including large critical OLAP, OLTP, Reporting and SharePoint databases.

This author pledges the content of this article is based on professional experience and not AI generated.

View all my tips


Article Last Updated: 2018-01-03

Comments For This Article




Tuesday, November 29, 2022 - 4:49:00 PM - Elvis Back To Top (90728)
How can you install report server on a domain server?

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 10:49:26 AM - Rajendra Back To Top (86167)

Check the URL, is it for report server or web portal?

Monday, July 20, 2020 - 7:30:04 PM - Sreejith Back To Top (86161)

I installed 2019 version. Configured perfectly. but web portal didn't get. I shows server version . Didn't get any errors. Please help me

Monday, January 14, 2019 - 8:57:40 PM - RaJ Back To Top (78768)

 Yes you need to run the installer. 

Monday, January 14, 2019 - 11:48:01 AM - Barney Back To Top (78763)

Thanks for the instructions. Now that SSRS is a separate install how does it get updated?

Do you have to run a new install everytime or will new versions be pushed through windows updates, etc?

Maybe one day Microsoft will make the upgrade process easier, it seems everytime you run into upgrade issues - deleting the encrypted content in the SSRS config manager is the only way around them but that wipes all your data connection credentials

Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 6:25:02 AM - Sylvain Back To Top (78754)

Thanks for the help but even if the configuration ran properly without any issue, I cannot access the web portal. It asking for authentication credentials.

I don't know which kind of credentials I should provide.

Can you please help?

Sunday, January 13, 2019 - 6:22:47 AM - Sylvain Back To Top (78753)

Thank you much Rajendra for the article. 

Everything seems to be properly configured but I cannot access the web portal. It asksing from credentials and I don't what kind of credential I should provide..

Sylvain

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 - 10:45:43 AM - Thanuja Vithanage Back To Top (78669)

 I get "Error" for Running database script in Report Server Database Configuration Wizard.

Please give some hints

Thursday, November 1, 2018 - 4:26:32 PM - Richard Uchytil Back To Top (78132)

We're running SQL Server 2014.  Is it possible to upgrade just SSRS to 2017 and leave SQL Server at 2014?  Is there a cost associated with that or can I just download SSRS 2017 & install it?  Thanks!

Thursday, January 18, 2018 - 9:36:07 AM - Sureindran Nadesan Back To Top (74986)

Can you give an example?

 

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - 11:08:30 PM - rajendra gupta Back To Top (74983)

 URL is same as previous versions however you can check it in reporting service configuration manager -

 Web portal user

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - 3:23:41 PM - Sureindran Nadesan Back To Top (74979)

 What is the URL to see the homepage whcihas setting, etc?

 

Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - 5:12:45 PM - Andrew Nakamura Back To Top (74726)

Thanks for the article!

Here are some more things to note.  If you install on Core edition, the process would still be the same as your article.  You get a nice GUI window to walk through, even though its CORE.  Also, if you want to use Report Config Manager at a later time, simply navigate to Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\Shared Tools\RSConfigTool.exe and you can create/modify from there.

Even though I added the RS parameters in the FEATURE upon install of SQL 2017 Core, it did not install, along with all the RS switches like /RSSVCACCOUNT & /RSINSTALLMODE.   Someone should inform Microsoft that their documentation is wrong for SQL 2017!  

Thanks for this article as I would have never gone down this bunny trail.

 

Andy

Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - 11:34:17 AM - Parik Back To Top (74711)

Hi Rajendra, thanks for the article.

Is there a way to install more instances of SSRS 2017 in one operating system? 

 

Wednesday, January 3, 2018 - 8:56:43 AM - David Back To Top (74707)

Thank you Rajendra. Useful article!!

 

Is there a way to connect SSRS 2017 to an database engione instance of SQL 2012 Professional?














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