SQL Server Reporting Beta

A beta version of SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services is available. This add-on to SQL Server supports managed reporting—the process of designing and generating human-readable reports from databases and data warehouses and distributing those reports to large numbers of users who need them on a recurring basis, such as business and technical decision-makers. The beta will be of interest to software vendors and corporate developers who want to add these capabilities to SQL Server or applications that use it.

The availability of Reporting Services will affect Microsoft partners providing managed reporting solutions on SQL Server, particularly those offering relatively simple reporting engines or horizontal reporting offerings with little application- or industry-specific logic. However, because Reporting Services purports to offer a platform for developing custom reporting solutions, it could help software vendors and solution providers focused on specific application or industry needs.

Microsoft expects to ship Reporting Services by the end of 2003. Customers will be able to run the component on any machine licensed to run SQL Server 2000.