Features of Microsoft’s SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) vs. Power BI

Microsoft's SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and Power BI are both tools for creating and sharing reports and visualizations, but they have some important differences in their features and capabilities.

Why Migrate?

Several existing users of Microsoft’s SSRS Business Intelligence (BI) tools have asked about why they should use Power BI for visualization and reporting. A simple answer is that Power BI has several features that are not available in SSRS.

Here is a summarized comparison of the two tools:

Data sources:

SSRS can connect to a wide range of data sources, including SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, and OLE DB. 

Power BI can connect to even more data sources, including SharePoint lists, and cloud-based services like Salesforce and Google Analytics.

Visualization capabilities:

SSRS offers basic charting and table-based visualizations.

Power BI offers more advanced data visualization options such as interactive charts, maps, and other data-driven visuals.

Data modeling and transformation:

SSRS does not include any data modeling or transformation features.

Power BI has a built-in data modeling and transformation engine that can perform data cleansing, merging, and reshaping.

Integration with Other Products and Services:

SSRS integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft products such as SharePoint and Visual Studio.

Power BI is designed to integrate with other Microsoft products as well as other cloud-based services like Azure and Dynamics 365.

Collaboration and Sharing:

SSRS allows users to publish reports to a web portal where they can be accessed by authorized users.

Power BI includes more advanced sharing features, such as the ability to collaborate on reports in real-time, publish reports to a wider audience, and embed reports in other applications.

Overall, Power BI is a more modern and feature-rich tool that offers greater flexibility and more advanced data visualization capabilities. However, SSRS is still a popular choice for organizations that need basic reporting capabilities and a simpler, more streamlined solution.

What are the Data Sources of SSRS

SSRS offers a wide range of options for accessing and reporting on data from different sources.

Power BI supports a wide range of data sources that are not natively supported by Microsoft's SQL

Microsoft's SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can connect to a variety of data sources, including:

            SQL Server databases

            Oracle databases

            ODBC-compliant databases (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and IBM DB2)

            OLE DB-compliant data sources (such as Excel, Access, and Oracle)

            Microsoft SharePoint lists and libraries

            Microsoft Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse

            XML data sources

            Custom .NET data providers

            Analysis Services cubes

            SSRS also supports data retrieval through web services and custom data extensions. Overall,

Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Some examples of data sources that are supported in Power BI but not in SSRS include:

            Cloud-based services: Power BI can connect to a variety of cloud-based services such as Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, which are not supported by SSRS.

            Web-based data sources: Power BI can connect to web-based data sources using web connectors, including Facebook, GitHub, and JSON feeds.

            Hadoop-based data sources: Power BI supports Hadoop-based data sources such as HDInsight, Hortonworks, and Cloudera, which are not natively supported by SSRS.

            NoSQL databases: Power BI can connect to NoSQL databases such as MongoDB, Cassandra, and Apache Spark, which are not supported by SSRS.

            Other data sources: Power BI can also connect to other data sources such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Project Online, and Microsoft Planner, which are not supported by SSRS.

Overall, Power BI offers a broader range of data sources than SSRS, making it a more versatile tool for working with diverse data sets.

What are the visuals and reports in Power BI that are not supported in Microsoft’s SSRS?

Power BI offers a range of advanced data visualization options and report features that are not available in Microsoft's SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS).

Here are some examples:

            Custom visuals: Power BI includes a marketplace where users can download and use custom visuals created by third-party developers. This feature is not available in SSRS.

            Interactive visuals: Power BI allows users to create interactive visuals that respond to user input, such as drill-down and drill-through options, cross-filtering, and slicers. SSRS does not offer the same level of interactivity.

            AI-powered visuals: Power BI includes a range of AI-powered visuals such as the Key Influencers visual, which uses machine learning to identify the factors that influence a given outcome. These types of visuals are not available in SSRS.

            Mobile-optimized visuals: Power BI includes a mobile-optimized interface and a range of mobile-specific visuals, such as the KPI visual and the Card visual. These features are not available in SSRS.

            Real-time streaming data: Power BI allows users to connect to and visualize real-time streaming data sources such as Azure Stream Analytics and Apache Kafka. SSRS does not support real-time data visualization.

Overall, Power BI offers more advanced and interactive visualizations and reports than SSRS, making it a more powerful tool for data analysis and business intelligence.

Can I import SSRS Reports in Power BI?

It is not possible to directly import SSRS reports into Power BI. SSRS reports are designed for paginated reporting, which means they are optimized for printing or generating fixed-format documents. In contrast, Power BI reports are designed for interactive data visualization and exploration.

However, you can recreate the content of your SSRS reports in Power BI by manually creating new visuals and layouts based on your SSRS report's data source. You can connect to the same data sources in Power BI that you used in your SSRS reports, and use Power BI's drag-and-drop interface to create new visuals and dashboards. Depending on the complexity of your SSRS reports, recreating them in Power BI may require some additional work, but it can provide a more flexible and interactive reporting experience.

Alternatively, you can also use SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) as an intermediary step to move your SSRS reports to Power BI. You can import your SSRS report data into SSAS, and then connect to SSAS as a data source in Power BI. This can help preserve some of the structure and formatting of your SSRS reports, while still allowing you to take advantage of Power BI's interactive features.

What is the easiest method to convert SSRS reports to Power BI

Converting SSRS reports to Power BI involves recreating the report in Power BI, which can be a time-consuming process. However, here are some steps that can make the process easier:

            Identify the data source: The first step in converting an SSRS report to Power BI is to identify the data source. Power BI supports a wide range of data sources, so you may be able to connect to the same data source used in your SSRS report.

            Export the SSRS report data: Depending on the SSRS report, you may be able to export the report data to a format that can be imported into Power BI, such as a CSV file. You can then use this file as a data source in Power BI.

            Recreate the report visuals: Once you have identified the data source, you can use Power BI's drag-and-drop interface to recreate the visuals in the report. Start by creating a blank report page, and then add visuals such as tables, charts, and maps.

            Apply formatting and styles: Once you have recreated the report visuals, you can apply formatting and styles to make the report look similar to the original SSRS report. You can also add filters, slicers, and other interactive features to make the report more dynamic.

            Publish the report: Once you have recreated the report, you can publish it to the Power BI service so that others can view and interact with it.

It is important to note that depending on the complexity of the SSRS report, recreating it in Power BI may require significant effort. However, taking the time to carefully plan and recreate the report can help ensure that it provides a more flexible and interactive reporting experience.

Pricing:

SSRS and Power BI have different pricing models, as they are separate products from Microsoft.

SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) is typically included with the licensing of SQL Server, which is available in several editions with different pricing tiers. The exact pricing for SQL Server will depend on the specific edition and licensing model you choose. For example, SQL Server Standard Edition is licensed per core, while SQL Server Enterprise Edition is licensed per core or per server, depending on the deployment scenario.

Power BI, on the other hand, has several pricing tiers depending on the needs of the organization. The three main pricing plans for Power BI are:

            Power BI Desktop - This is a free version of Power BI that offers basic functionality and limited data storage. This plan is suitable for individuals and small organizations that want to experiment with the tool.

            Power BI Pro - This plan offers additional features, such as collaboration and sharing, and provides more storage capacity. Power BI Pro is licensed per user, per month.

            Power BI Premium - This plan offers additional features and higher performance capabilities and is designed for larger organizations with more complex data requirements. Power BI Premium is licensed per capacity, and the pricing depends on the number of users and the amount of data processed.

To summarize Power BI is preferred BI tool in the industry. It supports several data sources including cloud and web sources, that are not supported in SSRS. Power Bis Data Modeling feature makes joining tables very simple and easy. The interactive, AI driven, mobile optimized and ability for real-time analytics makes it a very powerful BI tool. Gartner has placed Power BI on top of Leaders quadrant in their magic quadrant for Business Intelligence tools. 

Disclaimer: The information shared in this blog may or may not be accurate and current. Please refer to Microsoft documentation and Support team before taking any business decision about migrating from SSRS to Power BI.