Is it possible, using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) 2008 R2, to somehow use the dataset that is used for the actual list of data for the report for a report parameter dropdown?
Explanation: Let’s say I have a dataset with products and their respective prices. Now I’d like to be able to filter the dataset on the different kinds of product contained in that very dataset. I can of course set up another dataset containing just the products, but this approach has the problem that
– I have two different datasets
– I have dependencies between them, e.g. if I decide to change the WHERE condition in the datasource providing my products and prices I also have to change the same things for my second dataset that I use for the parameter dropdown
– I have performance drawbacks
I know that one could also argue that indeed there are good reasons to have two datasets for my problem described above, however, unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a definitive answer to it, so I am still looking for some help regarding this issue.
I’ve been searching for a solution to the same problem. It would be great if you could create a DataSet based on a query/filter on an existing DataSet. Unfortunately this isn’t possible in the lastest edition of SSRS (2008RC2).
For now you have to rely on SSRS’s ability to cache your reports/DataSets and the caching in SQL Server Database Engine to keep your performance within your requirements. You can setup caching for your report in your administration environment: http://[reportserver]/Reports
Regards
Alex