SQL SSRS 2012 preview, design and PDF all different.
I am new to SSRS and I have found (like it seems MANY others) that the design, preview and actual output can be alarmingly different from each other. How on earth am I supposed to work like this?
In my design I have a bunch of gray squares with text in them nestled right next to each other forming a header for a tablix below. The tablx looks correct, its everything else that gets moved around.
In my preview there is a space between some squares and yet not others. In the printed output it produces 3 pages like excel will when you pring a wide spreadsheet without condensing it to one page. Its a mess.
I can't find any position or size reason for this behavior. All the blocks measure the same and have the same axis position. the only difference is the text they contain. I tried turning off the "make larger" checkbox and it has no effect.
The final output was to be PDF with an Excel option but I will take anything at this point. I se that many other have had this issue on several versions so I will obviously be fighting this forever, I would love some clues on how to battle this most effectively.
In my design I have a bunch of gray squares with text in them nestled right next to each other forming a header for a tablix below. The tablx looks correct, its everything else that gets moved around.
In my preview there is a space between some squares and yet not others. In the printed output it produces 3 pages like excel will when you pring a wide spreadsheet without condensing it to one page. Its a mess.
I can't find any position or size reason for this behavior. All the blocks measure the same and have the same axis position. the only difference is the text they contain. I tried turning off the "make larger" checkbox and it has no effect.
The final output was to be PDF with an Excel option but I will take anything at this point. I se that many other have had this issue on several versions so I will obviously be fighting this forever, I would love some clues on how to battle this most effectively.
ASKER
I am going through the docs you cite. Thanks for the pointer. I was hoping for a simple explaination of what I was doing wrong but it appears there isnt one. WYSIWYG just does not apply to SSRS.
Nope, with SSRS its WYSDOR (What You See Depends On Renderer). Each destination format has got its own implementation, fairly logical if you think about it :)
But consistency is sometimes a bit of an issue, as you've noticed...
The best way to "cope" with this is to experiment. Try different methods to get to the same result, and try the renderers which you require and see what method renders the most consistent result. Once you know that, you know how to best implement your reports.
But consistency is sometimes a bit of an issue, as you've noticed...
The best way to "cope" with this is to experiment. Try different methods to get to the same result, and try the renderers which you require and see what method renders the most consistent result. Once you know that, you know how to best implement your reports.
ASKER
Now that I have it deployed to the webserver I get yet another variation. I'm new to SSRS but I'm surprised that seasoned developers have tolerated this behavior. I mean I have seen this kind of behavior in HTML on different browsers and the like but from PDF output? thats new.
The upside with the webserver deployed version is that when in HTML I can see flaws (artifacts?) that would create the conditions that are present in the PDF causing a single page to span 3 pages (2 of which are empty), yet these flaws are not visable in either preview design or PDF view.
I should then assume that my design view may look horrible yet render properly? Yikes?
The upside with the webserver deployed version is that when in HTML I can see flaws (artifacts?) that would create the conditions that are present in the PDF causing a single page to span 3 pages (2 of which are empty), yet these flaws are not visable in either preview design or PDF view.
I should then assume that my design view may look horrible yet render properly? Yikes?
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
Thanks ValentinoV
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee210530.aspx
Also you might want to check if the final version of 2012 behaves differently. You can use the free SQL Server 2012 Express for this.
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/editions/2012-editions/express.aspx
Make sure to download the 'SQL Server Express with Advanced Services' to get the reporting services.