Reporting with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

table (left) versus a matrix (right)

list of the report items available

Textbox: This is a basic freeform text object that can be placed anywhere on the report body as well as the header and footer areas. The text value displayed can be static or the result of an expression.
Line: This is just a graphic for aesthetic purposes.
Table: This is one of the primary report items most commonly used to display data from a dataset in the standard two-dimensional table format. Cells of the table typically contain text but can also contain a variety of other report items, such as data bars, sparklines, charts, and many others.
Matrix: This report item is based on the same underlying structure as a table except that it comes with a row group and column group already defined. Use this component when you want to display data pivoted on columns as with crosstab reports.

Just as with the data source component, a dataset component can be shared or embedded. A shared dataset exists as a standalone object and can be referenced by multiple reports, while an embedded dataset is specific to a single report. A shared dataset cannot be based on an embedded data source; it must be based on a shared data source.

SSRS well suited for the development and delivery of complex dashboards and scorecards

One of the great capabilities of SSRS is the fine-grained control it allows users over visualizations, layout, parameterization, and extensibility

these types of reports typically contain a well-defined output that is known and developed by a member of the IT department ahead of time and delivered on a recurring basis to facilitate the regular daily, weekly, and even monthly decision-making needs of the business.

if the data source is an Analysis Services database, the query could be an MDX query (for a multidimensional cube), a DMX query (for a data mining model), or even a DAX query (for a tabular model that is new to SQL Server 2012).

which can then be consumed by the various report items.

While creating a dataset, the developer first chooses the data source, which can be a shared data source referenced by the report or an embedded data source created and contained within the report. Once the data source has been selected, a query is created—the results of which will be made available as a two-dimensional structure