SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Feature Matrix

Published: June 6, 2005

On February 24, 2005, Microsoft announced pricing and licensing information for SQL Server 2005. In that announcement, only the Standard and Enterprise editions of SQL Server 2005 encompassed any reporting features provided by SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services. Furthermore, only the Enterprise version of SQL Server 2005 had Report Builder (ad hoc, self-service reporting). Since that time, SQL Server product management has sought and received significant feedback from both partners and customers on this decision. Because of these conversations, Microsoft is making the following modifications to its SQL Server product lineup relative to reporting.

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New for SQL Server 2005 will be the inclusion of Reporting Services into editions beyond Standard and Enterprise editions. The following is a new feature comparison for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services:

Report Server

Feature

Express

Workgroup

Standard

Enterprise

Comments

Data Source(s)

Express  1, 2

Workgroup  1, 2

SE and EE support all data sources (OLAP and Relational)

Rendering

Excel, PDF, Image (RGDI, Print), DHTML

Excel, PDF, Image (RGDI, Print), DHTML

Standard and Enterprise editions support all output formats

Management

Report Manager

Workgroup, Standard, and Enterprise editions support SQL Server Management Studio and Report Manager

Caching

History

Delivery

Scheduling

Extensibility

Can add/remove renderers, data sources, and delivery

Custom Authentication

SharePoint Integration

Scale-out Report Servers

Subscription

Data Driven Subscription

Role Based Security

Fixed Roles

Fixed Roles

Standard and Enterprise editions can add roles

Report Builder

Report Builder Data Sources

Workgroup 1, 2

Model Level Security

Infinite Clickthrough

Reporting Services features are not yet available in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.

Notes: 1 = Local Server Only; 2 = Relational Only

Benefits to Customers in Recent Changes

Basic reporting in Express and Workgroup editions of SQL Server 2005

Flexibility in rendering formats in Express and Workgroup editions

Reporting management capabilities in all editions

Ad hoc, self-service reporting in Workgroup, Standard, and Enterprise editions

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Benefits to Independent Software Vendors in Recent Changes

The ability to add value-add managed reporting to applications built on SQL Server 2005

Custom authentication in Reporting Services for lower SKUs

The ability to easily add ad hoc, self-service reporting capabilities to applications built on SQL Server 2005

Upgrade paths for reporting in applications built on SQL Server 2005