SSRS Report Descriptions Query

  • Hi
    In SSRS 2016 is there a way to add a description to the report before it gets deployed so that when the report is deployed the new/updated description is deployed with it.

     We keep having to go to the Report Server and add in and change the descriptions for each report across all our environments, which is just daft.

    Thanks

  • darrenkelly - Monday, July 17, 2017 8:45 AM

    Hi
    In SSRS 2016 is there a way to add a description to the report before it gets deployed so that when the report is deployed the new/updated description is deployed with it.

     We keep having to go to the Report Server and add in and change the descriptions for each report across all our environments, which is just daft.

    Thanks

    I haven't played with it in Visual Studio/SSDT for awhile but the description property is exposed but it doesn't update. I traced it before and I think it just goes back to whatever the original value was.
    It is exposed and you can add/update it with Report Builder - report properties, Description.
    You can also update it using the web services. There is an example of updating a report description using web services in this link:
    ReportingService2010.SetProperties Method

    Sue

  • Thanks Sue_H

  • i have a job scheduled on each server that contains a reportserver database that updates the job description with the report name, so it's much easier to track down that the job named "someguid" is actually SSRS Report Subscription: /Departments/Information Technology/Public/Some Technical Report

    that metadata to build the command is surprisingly simple:
    SELECT
         'UPDATE msdb.dbo.sysjobs set description = ''SSRS Report Subscription: '
         + e.path COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS + Char(13) + Char(10) + e.NAME COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS + ''' WHERE job_id = ''' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(40), b.job_id) + ''';' AS Fix
         FROM dbo.ReportSchedule a
           INNER JOIN msdb.dbo.sysjobs b
              ON CONVERT(VARCHAR(40), a.ScheduleID) = b.NAME
           INNER JOIN dbo.ReportSchedule c
              ON b.NAME = CONVERT(VARCHAR(40), c.ScheduleID)
           INNER JOIN dbo.Subscriptions d
              ON c.SubscriptionID = d.SubscriptionID
           INNER JOIN dbo.Catalog e
              ON d.report_oid = e.itemid

    Lowell


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  • I may have misread but I had thought this was in reference to the description property for the report itself, not descriptions for the subscription jobs.

    Sue

  • Apologies for the delay in responding - just completed two upgrades, SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint Online and SQL 2008 to SQL 2016, now that the dust has settled, I have some spare capacity again 🙂

    @lowell - that's a great idea.  Those GUID subscription names are really annoying.
    @sue - your first assessment was correct.

    So I get two great pieces of information for the price of one question.  I'm on a winning streak 🙂

  • SELECT Description
     FROM [ReportServer].[dbo].[Catalog]
    WHERE Name='<reportname>'

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