Using the Report Viewer WebPart with an Extranet

• Glenn Owens

  SSCrazy

  Points: 2099

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  June 22, 2007 at 2:07 pm

  #174194

  I'm trying to use the Report View Webpart to host client reports within our extranet environment.

  Setup:

  As a preliminary test I set up and installed the SSRS Web Services on Server A and the database on Server B. Server A also has SSL. Currently for the test both servers are inside the firewall and within the same domain. The Sharepoint .aspx page containing the Report Viewer Webpart is on a 3rd Server C in a different domain.

  Test:

  The final test before moving the SSRS Web Services into a server in the Extranet DMZ was to verify (via WireShark) what types of traffic/requests are taking place when the client accesses the SSRS Report Viewer Web part.

  Expectations:

  • I expect that the SSRS Report Viewer Webpart (per the WP Config Properties) will request Server A to retrieve and render a report and provide the Report Viewer Webpart with the report results via HTTPS.
  •  I expect that Server A will retrieve any/all information (.RDL, .RDS, report data)
  • I expect that the client will not make any calls to any of the database servers

  Findings:

  Apparently, based on the WireShark report, the SSRS Report Viewer has been endowed with the "ability" to not only contact the SSRS Web Service Server but to retrieve information from the Web Service (including .RDL, RDS, etc). With this information: the Report Viewer Webpart attempts to retrieve data from the production databases and render the report on the client.

  Well... this may be all well-and-good for internal Sharepoint sites but this won't fly for our Extranet sites.

  When I substitute the Report Explorer within a Form View webpart the data retrieveal, rendering, etc all happens as expected. However, I can't use the Report Explorer (as the header provides access to the SSRS environment: folders, report properties, etc).

  Stuck again...

  Questions:

  1. Is there any way (via configuration, etc) to force the Report Viewer webpart to have the work done on the Web Service Server (thereby restricting the amount of client traffic, access, etc)?
  2. Is there any way to configure (via URL parameter, etc) to have the Report Explorer not display/provide access to the SSRS GUI Explorer environment and use it only to display reports?
  3. Am I missing something? I know that other have used the Report Viewer Webaprt to do this type of secure reporting...

  Thanks

  Glenn