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Report writing environment using SQL Server Data Tools

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This article describes what’s needed to author Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps reports.

You must have the required development tools and appropriate privileges in Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps to write and publish a report. Also, you should be familiar with:

  • Visual Studio.

  • Creating SQL Server Reporting Services reports using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT).

  • To write Fetch-based reports, the Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps FetchXML language.

Required tools

The following are required to write a custom report for Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps:

  • Visual Studio. For specific versions, see Report Authoring Extension requirements.

  • SQL Server Data Tools. This is a report authoring environment that is available as a plug-in with Visual Studio.

  • Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension. This is required if you are writing custom Fetch-based reports. Notice that Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps, such as Dynamics 365 Sales and Dynamics 365 Customer Service, only support Fetch-based reports. Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension must be installed on the computer where Visual Studio and SQL Server Data Tools are installed. Download: Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension. For installation instructions, see Install Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension.

  • Microsoft Reporting Services Projects extension. Used to create report server projects. The extension is included with Visual Studio 2015. For later versions, see Report Services Projects extension.

Note

  • You can’t use SQL Server Reporting Services Report Builder to author FetchXML reports. The Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension for SQL Server Data Tools is used to author FetchXML reports.
  • Dynamics 365 Report Authoring Extension is available only in a 32-bit version.

Required privileges

To deploy custom reports to Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps, you must have a Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps account and a security role assigned to you that includes the PublishReport privilege. By default, the System Customizer and System Administrator security roles include these privileges.

Report development process

The following lists the steps for developing custom Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps reports. You may have to repeat some steps while you develop a report:

  1. Develop a report concept or specification based on what business information is to be displayed.

  2. Create a custom report or use an existing report to modify using SQL Server Data Tools in Visual Studio.

    • Create a new (custom) report. More information: Create custom reports using SQL Server Data Tools

    • Download an existing Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps report definition language (.rdl) file. To do this, open a customer engagement app, select the Reporting tab, select the report you want, and then select Edit on the command bar. On the report properties page, select Download Report from the Actions toolbar.

  3. Create basic report parameters. More information: Use Parameters in Reports

  4. Specify datasets and filtering criteria for retrieving data:

  5. Define the basic layout of the report, including headers and footers.

  6. Add report items as required based on the report specification. More information: Add Report Navigation

  7. Preview the report in Visual Studio, and resolve any errors. More information: Test and Troubleshoot Reports

  8. Deploy the report to the reporting server by using Dynamics 365 for Customer Engagement apps. More information: Publish Reports

  9. Run the deployed report to verify.

See also

Build queries with FetchXML
Create Custom Reports Using SQL Server Data Tools