Build Once Deploy Everywhere with Telerik Reporting

Reporting solutions can supply powerful functionality for your reports. Here's a tip on how to use one to create a report once and present it anywhere.

In this blog post, I'd like to talk about one of the key benefits of using a reporting solution for reports. This is the flexibility of authoring reports just once, and then presenting them in a variety of application frameworks and document formats.

In the core of our report engine is the declarative definition paradigm. Most programming languages define what something is and how to do something. The report definition describes what the output will look like and where the source data is coming from. This leaves the application free to decide how to generate the defined look and feel, regardless of the programming language or underlying architecture. The benefit is easy coding free option to create impressive reports with a data-driven report layout.

In order for the declarative model to work, a mature designer is needed. We do have not one, but two options:

• Standalone Report Designer for a code free report authoring experience, so even professionals with basic data operations knowledge can design reports.
• Visual Studio integrated Report Designer for all .NET ninjas.

Once the report definitions are ready, the reporting engine combines it with the provided data and cuts the generated items into pages, which then outputs it in the target document format. This can be any of the popular document formats: PDF, HTML, Excel, Word, RTF, XPS, PowerPoint, TTF, CSV, EMF and various image formats.

The rendered document is presented in a document viewer or in one of the available dedicated report viewer widgets. Telerik Reporting provides a variety of report viewers for popular application frameworks like HTML5, Angular, MVC, WPF, WinForms, Web Forms and even for good old Silverlight. The benefit of using a native report viewer is to embed reports in the application and take advantage of awesome interactivity features like filtering with parameters, data drill-down, sorting, navigation within the report or to other reports or external URLs. All of this awesomeness comes out of the box and only needs a simple setup while authoring the report definition.

Based on the application technology used, we have different options for hosting the reporting engine. The engine is built with the .NET framework, so in case of the web technologies and non-.NET application frameworks, it's hosted on a service or directly used through the Telerik Report Server. The following options are available:

• WCF Service for the Silverlight Report Viewer;
• REST Service for all web and desktop viewers;
• Telerik Report Server for all web and desktop viewers;
• The embedded reporting engine in the .NET desktop viewers.

This concludes our short journey into the wonders of reporting solutions. Reporting solutions provide quick ways to make data visualizations from various data sources for previewing, printing, sharing and archiving. They can be a powerful ally when reports are needed.

Telerik Reporting

Telerik Reporting is an embedded reporting solution that can be easily embedded in your application. For more information see http://www.telerik.com/reporting.

Telerik Report Server

Managing a vast collection of reports may be challenging and therefore we have introduced the Telerik Report Server solution to efficiently store, create and analyse reports in a single server-side repository. Telerik Report Server leverages the feature-rich Telerik Reporting engine and supports all must-have report server features like scheduling, data alerts, versioning, report caching, authentication with AD FS support, ready to use report server web portal with enabled white labeling and complete REST API for integration with your desktop and web applications. For more information on the report server solution see: http://www.telerik.com/report-server

Get Reporting in our Bundles

You can get Telerik Reporting as an individual product or as a part of our bundles. We bring the best of Telerik and Kendo UI together in convenient bundles, including a wide-range of UI, reporting and productivity tools for both .NET and JavaScript technologies and support that’s got your back in every step of your project. Thanks to our intuitive APIs, alongside thousands of demos with source code availability, comprehensive documentation and a full assortment of VS templates you will get up and running with our tools in no time and fully embrace your inner warrior (Kendoka/Ninja).

By leveraging the broad array of themes, skins, styling and customization options, your application will awe even the best front end designers. Check it out!

Get Started Today

Are you ready to dive deep into the world of reporting? Start a free trial of Reporting and Report Server today and don’t forget that the free trial comes with free support.