Tidal® Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft® SQL Server® Reporting Services

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Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is a powerful, server-based solution that allows users to create, manage, and deliver hard copy and interactive, web-based reports. As part of the Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) framework, Reporting Services combines SQL Server and Microsoft Windows Server data management capabilities with Microsoft Office System applications to deliver real-time information that drives business decision making and supports daily operations.

Without effective process automation, data does not arrive at the right place at the right time. Without effective integration, data pathways can break. Poor visibility can make it difficult to see bottlenecks. In addition, when process integration between ETL and reporting functionality not optimized, business operations can be negatively impacted. The ability to successfully automate scheduling is critical, given that 70 percent of data and application integration occurs during batch jobs.

Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is a comprehensive interface between Tidal Enterprise Scheduler and Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services. It extends the reach of the Tidal Enterprise Scheduler with the following critical capabilities designed to simplify scheduling for SOA environments:

• Allows jobs that invoke web service operations to be defined
• Supports SOAP/HTTP web services defined by Web Service Description Language (WSDL)
• Parses WSDL to discover all the defined operations and arguments
• Uses Tidal Enterprise Scheduler variables as input arguments to web service calls

The Adapter also offers users a unified view of their entire schedule, regardless of the other applications, processes, and systems in place.

Simplify SQL Server Reporting Services Management

With the Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, organizations can add complex scheduling functions to their business intelligence operations and consolidate multiple application-based schedulers into a single, central console. The Adapter offers complete scheduler functionality, including GUI job definition, the ability to set complex dependencies, and custom calendar creation. Enterprises can also integrate SQL Server Reporting Services jobs into the data flow produced by applications from Source Systems, Informatica, and DataStage, among others. Additionally, any other functions available through web services are made available for scheduling.

How the Web Services Adapter Works

The Tidal Enterprise Adapter for SQL Server Reporting Services is an API-level integration solution, which packages implementation details in screens that connect to and define SQL Server Reporting Services instances. It can reside on any Windows machine and accesses the SQL Server data warehouse via an environment file. The SQL Server Reporting Services server and repository can run on any Microsoft-supported hardware in the data center.

The Tidal Enterprise Adapter for SQL Server Reporting Services enforces user names and passwords that are associated with Tidal Enterprise Scheduler runtime users. Creating a SQL Server Reporting Services job from within Tidal Enterprise Scheduler is highly secure but as simple as creating any other job.

A Tidal job definition uses internal request set information from within SQL Server Reporting Services, and the Tidal Enterprise Adapter launches a request. Once a request has been made, the Adapter monitors the process until it is completed. The Adapter also captures SQL Server Reporting Services process exit code, returns it to Tidal Enterprise Scheduler and provides additional log information about the request. In addition, the Adapter enables users to effectively manage each request. A request can be canceled, aborted, or rerun from Tidal Enterprise Scheduler, a feature that provides significantly more control over the environment than afforded by scripting.

The Adapter is event-based. It launches processes based on defined calendars and schedules and uses asynchronous callbacks for monitoring—enabling users to see status changes in real time and to control those processes as they execute. This capability reduces production processing time windows, because the Adapter does not need to wait for a polling interval to pass before reacting to the completion of a session or workflow.

The Adapter and Tidal Enterprise Scheduler

The Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is designed to bring the benefits of Tidal Enterprise Scheduler’s leading-edge job scheduling technology into a sophisticated Microsoft BI environment.

The Adapter and Tidal Enterprise Scheduler

• Leverages the SQL Server Reporting Services web services API for a tighter integration between Tidal Enterprise Scheduler and Microsoft report and query execution than possible through scripting alone
• Packages all implementation details in the interface that connects Tidal Enterprise Scheduler to SQL Server Reporting Services and defining SQL Server Reporting Services instances
• Enables any report or query parameter to be set dynamically using Tidal variables, including calculated dates
• Controls formats such as HTML/PDF as well as disposition and destination through extensive output options
• Enforces SQL Server Reporting Services user and role security associated with Tidal Scheduler runtime users
• Informs users of log and status changes in real-time via built-in functionality—helping to reduce production processing time windows
• Offers a single point of control for all application process scheduling via the Tidal Enterprise Adapter console

By leveraging the Tidal Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services, organizations can create job definitions that manage the simplest or most complex request sets. Tidal Enterprise Scheduler enables users to develop process streams and manage the information flow from a central console, providing them with a single view of the data and giving them greater control over all aspects of a job stream.

Tidal Enterprise Scheduler provides virtually unlimited flexibility in developing job streams. Users can leverage the Adapter to merge system and ERP application processes into a cohesive, centrally-managed job stream—providing error detection, correction, and management across the enterprise. Because the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services request set is defined like any other Tidal Enterprise Scheduler job, users can take full advantage of job dependencies, file dependencies, variable dependencies, calendars, events, and email notifications.

Call Tidal Software for more information, to see a demo or to receive a free evaluation of Tidal® Enterprise Adapter for Microsoft® SQL Server® Reporting Services

1-877-55-Tidal
sales@tidalsoftware.com