Report Server Configuration Manager (Native Mode)

Applies to: ✅ SQL Server 2016 (13.x) Reporting Services and later ✅ Power BI Report Server

For content related to previous versions of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), see SQL Server 2014 Reporting Services.

Use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to configure a Reporting Services Native Mode installation. If you installed a report server by using the files-only installation option, you must use the Configuration Manager to configure the server before you can use it. If you installed a report server by using the default configuration installation option, you can use the Configuration Manager to verify or modify the settings that were specified during setup. Reporting Services Configuration Manager can be used to configure a local or remote report server instance.

Note

Reporting Services integration with SharePoint is no longer available after SQL Server 2016. Starting with the SQL Server 2012 (11.x) release, the Reporting Services Configuration Manager is not designed to manage SharePoint mode report servers. SharePoint mode is managed and configured by using SharePoint Central Administration and PowerShell scripts.

Scenarios to use Report Server Configuration Manager

You can use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to perform the following tasks:

  • Configure the Report Server service account. The account is initially configured during setup, but can be modified by using the Reporting Services Configuration Manager if you update the password or want to use a different account.

  • Create and configure URLs. The report server and the web portal are ASP.NET applications accessed through URLs. The report server URL provides access to the SOAP endpoints of the report server. The web portal URL is used to open the web portal You can configure a single URL or multiple URLs for each application.

  • Create and configure the report server database. The report server is a stateless server that requires a SQL Server database for internal storage. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to create and configure a connection to the report server database. You can also select an existing report server database that already contains the content you want to use.

  • Configure a Native mode scale-out deployment. Reporting Services supports a deployment topology that allows multiple report server instances use a single, shared report server database. To deploy a report server scale-out deployment, you use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to connect each report server to the shared report server database.

  • Backup, restore, or replace the symmetric key that is used to encrypt stored connection strings and credentials. You must have a backup of the symmetric key if you change the service account, or move a report server database to another computer.

  • Configure the unattended execution account. This account is used for remote connections during scheduled operations or when user credentials are not available.

  • Configure report server e-mail. Reporting Services includes a report server e-mail delivery extension that uses a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to deliver reports or report processing notification to an electronic mailbox. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration Manager to specify which SMTP server or gateway on your network to use for e-mail delivery.

The Reporting Services Configuration Manager does not help you manage report server content, enable additional features, or grant access to the server. Full deployment requires that you also use SQL Server Management Studio to enable additional features or modify default values, and the web portal to grant user access to the server.

Requirements

The Reporting Services Configuration Manager is version-specific. The Reporting Services Configuration Manager that installs with this version of SQL Server cannot be used to configure an earlier version of Reporting Services. If you are running older and newer versions of Reporting Services side-by-side on the same computer, you must use the Reporting Service Configuration manager that comes with each version to configure each instance.

To use the Reporting Services Configuration manager, you must have the following:

  • Local system administrator permissions on the computer that hosts the report server you want to configure. If you are configuring a remote computer, you must have local system administrator permissions on that computer as well.

  • You must have permission to create databases on the SQL Server Database Engine used to host the report server database.

  • Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service must be enabled and running on any report server you are configuring. The Reporting Services Configuration Manager uses the report server WMI provider to connect to local and remote report servers. If you are configuring a remote report server, the computer must allow remote WMI access. For more information, see Configure a Report Server for Remote Administration.

  • Before you can connect to and configure a remote report server instance, you must enable remote Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) calls to pass through Windows Firewall. For more information, see Configure a Report Server for Remote Administration.

The Report Server Configuration Manager is installed automatically when you install SQL Server Reporting Services.

To Start the Report Server Configuration Manager

  1. Use the following step that is appropriate for your version of Microsoft Windows:

    • From the Windows Start menu, type Reporting and select Report Server Configuration Manager from the search results.

    • Select Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server, and then point to Configuration Tools.

      If you want to configure a report server instance from a previous version of SQL Server, open the program folder for that version. For example, point to SQL Server 2014 (12.x) instead of Microsoft SQL Server to open the configuration tools for SQL Server 2014 (12.x) server components.

      Select Report Server Configuration Manager.

  2. The Reporting Services Configuration Connection dialog box appears so that you can select the report server instance you want to configure. Select Connect.

  3. In Server Name, specify the name of the computer on which the report server instance is installed. The name of the local computer appears by default, but you can type the name of a remote SQL Server instance if you want to connect to a report server that is installed on a remote computer.

  4. If you specify a remote computer, select Find to establish a connection.

  5. In Report Server Instance, select the SQL Server Reporting Services instance that you want to configure. Only report server instances for this version of SQL Server appear in the list. You cannot configure earlier versions of Reporting Services.

  6. Select Connect.

Next steps

Web portal
Reporting Services Tools
Configure a Report Server Database Connection
SQL Server Configuration Manager
Configure and Administer a Report Server

More questions? Try asking the Reporting Services forum