You better watch out…SP2 is coming to town
While we still have to wait for a couple of more months to get the official release, Santa is giving us a Beta preview of the forthcoming RS 2000 SP2.
Key new features include:
- Reporting Services SharePoint Web Parts enable you to explore and view reports located on a report server by using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services or SharePoint Portal Server. A set of Reporting Services SharePoint Web Parts are installed with SP2. These Web Parts are called Report Explorer and Report Viewer. Using Report Explorer, you can browse available reports on a report server. Using Report Viewer, you view reports hosted on a report server. Included with Report Explorer is a subscription function that allows you to receive reports by e-mail. Both Web Parts are optimized to run within the SharePoint environment; however, they can be run as standalone components also.
- Yes, the wait is over! SP2 comes with a brand new Microsoft ActiveX control to support a rich client-side printing experience and allow users can print reports directly from Internet Explorer. To support this functionality, a downloadable ActiveX control is used. The control’s .cab file is hosted on the report server and is downloaded by the client on request. When you request a report, the HTML viewer returns the report along with a toolbar for navigation. The toolbar contains a print button that displays a print dialog box when clicked. Using the dialog box, you can make standard Windows printing selections including orientation, page size and page range. When the printer settings are selected, you can select Print to print the entire report or a range of pages within the report, or Preview to preview the report in a separate preview pane.
In addition, SP2 will include numerous bug fixes as outlined in Microsoft Knowledge Base article 889640 (http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=889640).
For instructions how to subscribe to and get SP2 Beta, please read http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889641.
Merry Christmas!
