Sample report models are included in Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager, but you can also define report models to meet your own business requirements, and then deploy the report model to Configuration Manager to use when you create new model-based reports. The following table provides the steps to create and deploy a basic report model.

Note
For the steps to create a more advanced report model, see the Steps for Creating an Advanced Report Model in SQL Server Reporting Services section in this topic.

Step Description More information

Verify that SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio is installed

Report models are designed and built by using SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio. Verify that SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio is installed on the computer on which you are creating the custom report model.

For more information about SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio, see the SQL Server 2008 documentation.

Create a report model project

A report model project contains the definition of the data source (a .ds file), the definition of a data source view (a .dsv file), and the report model (an .smdl file).

For more information, see the To create the report model project section in this topic.

Define a data source for a report model

After creating a report model project, you have to define one data source from which you extract business data. Typically, this is the Configuration Manager site database.

For more information, see the To define the data source for the report model section in this topic.

Define a data source view for a report model

After defining the data sources that you use in your report model project, the next step is to define a data source view for the project. A data source view is a logical data model based on one or more data sources. Data source views encapsulate access to the physical objects, such as tables and views, contained in underlying data sources. SQL Server Reporting Services generates the report model from the data source view.

Data source views facilitate the model design process by providing you with a useful representation of the data that you specified. Without changing the underlying data source, you can rename tables and fields, and add aggregate fields and derived tables in a data source view. For an efficient model, add only those tables to the data source view that you intend to use.

For more information, see the To define the data source view for the report model section in this topic.

Create a report model

A report model is a layer on top of a database that identifies business entities, fields, and roles. When published, by using these models, Report Builder users can develop reports without having to be familiar with database structures or understand and write queries. Models are composed of sets of related report items that are grouped together under a friendly name, with predefined relationships between these business items and with predefined calculations. Models are defined by using an XML language called Semantic Model Definition Language (SMDL). The file name extension for report model files is .smdl.

For more information, see the To create the report model section in this topic.

Publish a report model

To build a report by using the model that you just created, you must publish it to a report server. The data source and data source view are included in the model when it is published.

For more information, see the To publish the report model for use in SQL Server Reporting Services section in this topic.

Deploy the report model to Configuration Manager

Before you can use a custom report model in the Create Report Wizard to create a model-based report, you must deploy the report model to Configuration Manager.

For more information, see the To deploy the custom report model to Configuration Manager section in this topic.

Steps for Creating a Basic Report Model in SQL Server Reporting Services

You can use the following procedures to create a basic report model that users in your site can use to build particular model-based reports based on data in a single view of the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager database. You create a report model that presents information about the client computers in your site to the report author. This information is taken from the v_R_System view in the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager database.

On the computer where you perform these procedures, ensure that you have installed SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio and that the computer has network connectivity to the reporting services point server. For detailed information about SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio, see the SQL Server 2008 documentation.

To create the report model project

To define the data source for the report model

To define the data source view for the report model

To create the report model

To publish the report model for use in SQL Server Reporting Services

To deploy the custom report model to Configuration Manager

Steps for Creating an Advanced Report Model in SQL Server Reporting Services

You can use the following procedures to create an advanced report model that users in your site can use to build particular model-based reports based on data in multiple views of the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager database. You create a report model that presents information about the client computers and the operating system installed on these computers to the report author. This information is taken from the following views in the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager database:

  • V_R_System: Contains information about discovered computers and the System Center 2012 Configuration Manager client.

  • V_GS_OPERATING_SYSTEM: Contains information about the operating system installed on the client computer.

Selected items from the preceding views are consolidated into one list, given friendly names, and then presented to the report author in Report Builder for inclusion in particular reports.

On the computer where you perform these procedures, ensure that you have installed SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio and that the computer has network connectivity to the reporting services point server. For detailed information about SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio, see the SQL Server documentation.

To create the report model project

To define the data source for the report model

To define the data source view for the report model

To define relationships in the data source view

To create the report model

To modify object names in the report model

To publish the report model for use in SQL Server Reporting Services

To deploy the custom report model to Configuration Manager

See Also