michael-fraser.com

MS Reporting Services – Dynamic SQL

Michael — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:38:29 +0000

Over the last couple of weeks, I have started to use and get my head around Microsoft Reporting Services. As with all new products, it takes a while to start to understand the feature-set of the product and how to work-around some of the limitations.

The power of SQL Reporting Services is the ability to create and deploy reports that end-users can consume and refine if necessary, without giving them direct access to the database. It also make sense that these same end-users can refine datasets as required before exporting to MS Excel.

In my case, I wanted to provide an easy way for users to be able to modify some of the search logic for a given report once published out i.e. Ability to select a search field, basic logic to search on and required search value. In order to do this, I had to convert the SQL within the dataset into ‘Dynamic SQL’. This small tutorial will take you through the steps of how to do this using the MS AdventureWorks Database.

On a side note, I am also testing out ScreenSteps Pro, which helps in the production of documentation and publication. It looks pretty good so far!

1. Create Datasource to Adventure Works

Start by setting up a connection to the Adventure Works Database

2. Create Parameter Variables

For this exercise, we create three parameter variables. I have named these as follows with the following attributes for the ‘General’ Screen

QueryField | DataType – Text | Prompt – Search By
QueryText | DataType – Text | Prompt – Search Value (no other parameter settings need to be defined.
QueryLogic | DataType – Text | Prompt – Logic

3. Parameter Value Options – Query Field

Unfortunately ScreenSteps only allows for single images under each step, so I will not include screen shots of each parameter properties. Create fields as shown in the above image. The Label field is what will be displayed to the users. The Value is the name of the table columns we will be searching by.

On the default value screen, select LastName. This will simple pre-select the drop-down list for report viewer users to a default value.

4. parameter Value Options – Query Logic

This is where we add the SQL logic. I had difficulty trying to get report builder to evaluate ‘=’ as a value, so I resorted to the string equivalent. It will become apparent how this works later in the exercise. Once again, set the default value to Equal.

5. Creating Data-Set

For starters, we will create a simple dataset using the following SQL Query.

SELECT title,firstname,lastname,phone FROM [Person].[Contact]

Name the dataset DS_PersonRecords and Select OK.

6. Create & Bind Data-Set to Data-Table

Create a table and bind the dataset to it. I do this by dragging the columns from the Data-set we just created to the columns to the table.

Do a quick test by selecting the ‘Preview’ tab.

7. Test Report

We have now added the criteria to our report for which we want to search by i.e. Fieldname, Operator and Value. To proceed with the test, just enter a value into the Search Value field and press the ‘View Report’ button. Note: These parameters are not yet hooked up to our SQL query. We will do that next.

8. Creating the Dynamic SQL

Now that you have tested that the basic report is functioning, lets proceed with modifying the SQL to handle our search logic.

Re-open the DS_PersonRecords dataset.

Select the fx button to the right of the query pane and past the following SQL in.

= "SELECT title,firstname,lastname,phone FROM [Person].[Contact] WHERE "
& Parameters!QueryField.Value & " " & iif(Parameters!QueryLogic.Value = "equal","= @QueryText","like @QueryText")

I will quickly explain how this works. We are now treating the following sql as a string expression. This is evaluated as such when the query starts with the equal sign. i.e. = ” ”

With the use of the variables and a little logic, we are creating a dynamic string. We can reference our parameter variables in two ways. i.e. Parameters!QueryLogic.Value or @QueryLogic. Referencing by the first method Parameters!QueryLogic.Value must be outside the string, so we close the string and concatenate using &.

Properties referenced by @ can be done directly within the string.

I have also added a simple if statement into the mix to test whether or not the QueryLogic is equal or like and display the necessary SQL as needed based on the outcome.

Once you have pasted in the SQL, select OK.

9. Binding Parameters

The last step of the exercise is to Bind the Parameters to the dataset. I have kept the Parameter Name and Parameter Value the same to avoid confusion.

Select OK once finished.

10. Preview Final Results

Go ahead and preview the final results. To test that our like operator is working, select Like from the list. Search By Surname and enter fra% in the search value, % being a wildcard.

This will pick up all records with a surname starting with the letters fra. I returned 2 results.

This is just a quick walkthrough of how you can go about adding in additional logic to create more useful and dynamic reports for end users. From here you can extend the capabilities further.

Let me know if you have come across any other methods to achieve similar results.

Playstation Welcome Back–Missing Games

Michael — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 00:46:11 +0000

After over a month of waiting for the network to come back up, and days of trying to log into it just to receive error messages, I finally managed to login and checkout the Welcome Back Offer. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of downloading the welcome back offer (yes it is downloadable) just to realise that then removed all my options to download the free games!

So, whether or not this is a result of what I did or a system wide bug, I am not sure. Will do a bit of searching and find out what is going on. I did however manage to join up for the 30 day free playstation plus offer.

Update:

Thanks to DryEarth.com for posting up a workaround to this problem – http://www.dryearth.com/playstation-welcome-back-missing-free-game/

Have to access from the playstation account management section. Logical… See link above for detailed instructions.

Legal Document & Legal Forms

Michael — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 13:18:45 +0000

Depending on your occupation or circumstances, at times it will be necessary to source and complete a legal document. Whether it be a will and testament, the creation of a trust dead or simply a loan agreement, these are all legal documents. The Internet has numerous sites that deal with legal documents and it can be a daunting undertaking to determine good from bad documents. Over the coming months, I will start looking at different legal document sites, their technology and what to look for in online legal documents and forms.

Integration Services – Multiple Environments

Michael — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:03:45 +0000

Best Practice with version control of DB schemas..

So I am currently working a Microsoft data integration project (more on that later). For the first time, we have setup multiple SSIS environments to mirror that of our production database environments, i.e. Development, Test and Production. I am currently using Visual Studio 2010 to manage database changes (via a database project). All source code is version controlled via TFS.

At the moment, if I make any changes to the development SSIS database, I do so directly through SQL Server Management Studio. Within VS 2010, I then perform a schema compare against the Project schema and update the project schema with any changes.

Once packages have been deployed and tested, on Development, I build and deploy my database solution out to test and production.

This process while it works seems to be a little combersome. I was wondering if anyone out there reading this, has experience in managing multiple database instance using VS, and how they manage schema changes. Thanks!

Happiness about life choices

Michael — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:53:24 +0000

Interesting article in the Australian today about lifestyle choices and theaffect that can have upon your psychological wellbeing. Key factors that contribute to happiness include:

healthy lifestyle
long-term goals,
faith
working hours
social participation

Your partners personality plays a part in this as well (a large part I would imagine!). Getting married to a nag would probably neutralize any benefit of the above… Article below.

HAPPINESS comes from individual choices about how to live your life rather than genetic or childhood influences.

A neurotic partner and the pursuit of material wealth, on the other hand, are key ingredients for unhappiness.

A 25-year psychological study has contradicted previous theories that long-term adult happiness mainly depends on genetic factors and personality traits formed in childhood.

The new evidence suggests a healthy lifestyle, long-term goals, faith, working hours, social participation and your partner’s personality are the principal factors for happiness, The Australian reports.

The findings, published today in the US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are drawn from yearly interviews with Germans from 1984 to 2008. More than 60,000 people were surveyed.

Co-author Bruce Headey, associate professor at the University of Melbourne’s Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, said Australian research showed similar results.

”It appears that prioritising success and material goals is actually harmful to life satisfaction,” he was quoted as writing in the journal by The Age today.

The newspaper said partner choice played a big role in happiness.

"Women were less happy if their partner did not prioritise family goals than if they had no partner, and people with a neurotic partner were far less happy over time," it reported.

Gert Wagner, of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany, also analysed results from the German study.

He told LiveScience: "People with a lot of money are more satisfied with their lives… but mainly due to the more interesting and challenging jobs they have.

"Money is simply a by-product of good and satisfying jobs. If you want to be satisfied with your life, you must spend time with your friends and your family."

WordPress – Simple Press VS BB Press

Michael — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:26:22 +0000

I have just started to evaluate two Forum add-ons for WordPress. My 15 minute look at either product left me undecided as to which software I should implement for a community website that I am currently working on.

Simple Press looks to be designed and developed from the ground up for integration into WordPress. It looks to have a comprehensive administrative interface and bells and whistles normally associated with dedicated forum software. My first impressions were that it would require significant styling effort to match the site I am working on.

BB Press on the other hand is an independent install which can leverage of a WordPress Installation and can share WP membership accounts and cookie authentication. It has actually been written by the authors of WP and is what they are using for their official Forums. Theming looked straight forward, however the administrative interface is not integrated into WordPress, either are the themes, which would require re-creating so as to match your site. Features are lightweight compared to Simple Press but that is not of a great concern to me.

I was just wondering if anyone out there has implemented either one of these products and what your impressions of them are?

00904. 00000 – invalid identifier

Michael — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:29:52 +0000

I have been writing some scripts in oracle and have just encountered and solved a niggly little problem. Syntax difference between SQL Server and Oracle threw me.

On performing this query, was receiving this error: 00904. 00000 - “%s: invalid identifier”.

WITH tempTab AS
(
SELECT a,b,c,d,e, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (partition by a ORDER BY e) AS “RowNums”
FROM tableName
ORDER BY aASC
)
SELECT * From tempTab WHERE RowNums = 1

Because the RowNums is a created column name, the referred RowNums outside of the WITH clause must also be referenced in the same manner i,e “RowNums”

Logical right? ;P

Flock Web-browser

Michael — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:33:54 +0000

I have just downloaded and configured a new web browser called Flock. (http://www.flock.com/) It is actually pretty neat. Based on the mozilla engine, it aims to bring in all of your social networking sites into the one area.

You can access your email accounts like Gmail and Yahoo, access and post to Twitter and Facebook, post to your blog via a built in blog client (pretty basic) view rss feeds etc. I have been a default Internet Explorer user for many years, however the features in this browser and such that I think this will become my default web browser. I’m loving it!

I would love to know what you think.

Hello World! The search for a Word Press editor.

Michael — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:17:04 +0000

The time has come to revive my blog, and what better way to do this than start from scratch. I have told myself that it is time to start taking internet marketing seriously and as such, I am looking at getting up to speed with all of the new social networking technologies and what impact they can have on ecommerce businesses.

So before I get too serious, I need to find a decent editor for word press, and what I mean by that is a word press editor that can be run from windows, is easy to use and has some administrative features so I do not have to log into word press.

Now I am not going to write a complete review of every blogging client that is out there. As a matter of fact, I cam across a pretty good list of about 20 of them here: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/desktop-blogging-clients-the-ultimate-list/

I have used windows live writer in the past, and that was pretty good, and it is totally free. The most popular client tool is called BlogJet (which I am downloading a demo version now). The full version is only $39.95 for a single user with unlimited blog. Could be worth it. I will let you know. 11:15pm, bed-time! Over and out.