Tips when installilng MSSQL Reporting Services

This guide uses the Express Tools, and assumes you have Visual Studio Community Edition already installed

1. First, you need to install MSSQL with Advanced Services, on the server
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/server-cloud/products/sql-server-editions/sql-server-express.aspx
• Install normally, but remember to use an sa password, it's much simpler to remote manage the test server that way
2. You will then need to install the Reporting Services Add-in for Visual Studio 
• You can do this by selecting "Tools" and then "How to get SQL Server Data Tools - BI"
• Alternatively, you could simply google "SQL Server Data Tools for Visual Studio 2013"



3. Another option is installing SQL Report Writer, a much simpler and stand alone report editor. 
• I found Report Builder version 3 by googling "Microsoft® SQL Server® 2014 Report Builder"
4. You then need to enable remote connections, check the following:
• Check that you can connect from the server itself using SQL Studio
• Make sure you're using the sa username
• There's no point in trying to connect from elsewhere if you cannot connect locally.
• Make sure you connect with the server name and instance name 
• Always try a few statements on the database you are interested in, just ensure you have the ends covered.
• SQL Browser - SQL Server Configuration Manager
• Make sure the SQL browser service is running, this is performed from the SQL Server Configuration Manager
• You might need to switch it from "Disabled" to "Automatic" before you can start it 
• Enable TCP/IP and Named Pipes - SQL Server Configuration Manager
• Make sure the SQL Server is listening on TCP/IP, this is performed from the SQL Server Configuration Manager for the desired instance.
• 
  
• Firewall
• You need to allow the SQL Browser and the SQL Server through the firewall
• When SQL server is using dynamic ports, it is easier to open the firewall using the SQL Server executable (ie: allow program). 
• The Server: Remember, that each SQL instance is running from a different executable, so ensure you have the right path, something like "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MYDEV\MSSQL\Binn" 
• The Browser: On SQL 2014, in a default install, it's at  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\sqlbrowser.exe"
• It's easy enough to check the executable path, just open task manager, right click the sql executable and select open path
• The SQL Server Config Manager will also tell you the exe location for both the server and browser, in addition to the port numbers 
• Allow Remote Connections
• Finally, within SQL Studio, check that the server allows remote connections. 
• You can do this by right clicking the service name, select properties, select connections and ensure that "Allow remote connections..." is ticked 
5. If you are doing a lot of building and testing work, you will want to rebuild tables.  This is off by default.
• Only impacts queries inside the current designer
• Open SQL Studio, select Tools, Options, Designers
• Take the tick out of "prevent saving changes that require table re-creation"