Chapter 10. Import and Export

You can export various objects of a ReportServer instance in order to save them or to import them to another instance. You will find the export options in the Administration section under the respective object (e. g. a report). You can not only export single objects but also entire sub-trees. With this you can move the complete report inventory of an installation to another one.

When exporting a ReportServer object, all reference objects required for using the object will be exported, too. So a report will, for example, be accompanied by the respective datasource.

To export an object or a sub-tree, open the respective section in the Administration module (e.g. Report management). Click on the object or the superordinate folder of the sub-tree to export. In the toolbar you will find the Quick export button. When exporting a report, you can decide whether or not to include variants in the export. As soon as the export has been finalized (consider that this may take some time for more comprehensive sub-trees) ReportServer will ask whether to immediately display, or to download the export. Direct download as a zipped archive is recommended for comprehensive exports.

ReportServer exports objects in an XML dialect. This allows to edit export files with common XML tools. In addition, it ensures to easily adapt export files to later versions of ReportServer.

To upload exported objects to ReportServer, in the Administration module go to the Import section, and then click on Start import in the toolbar. In the window that opens you can either upload an export file (as a .zip file) or directly enter an exported XML file.

After the upload of the exported data you will see the object types included in the export in the left part of the window. There are differing import options available depending on the section.

After having successfully completed the configuration, in the toolbar click on Finalize import to execute the import. By clicking on Cancel process you can interrupt the current import process. To reset the configuration, select Reset. Please bear in mind that the import configuration will not directly be discarded after a successful import. Therefore, you can comfortably import multiple objects from an export file.

Select the target folder for the import. From the Objects tab, select the reports to import. To avoid double key fields, remove the key field from all reports to import. To do this, tick the respective option. Additionally, you may add imported variants directly to a TeamSpace. From the tool bar select the Import options button and configure the respective TeamSpace.

Remember that reports include further objects such as datasources. They will only be im- ported if you set the relevant configuration options (refer to Importing of datasources). If you fail to set these options, the relevant fields will remain empty after the import.

Datasources are imported in the same way as reports. In the settings you define a target folder and from the Objects tab you select the objects to import. You have the option to specify a Default Datasource which will be entered at all locations where you want to avoid to import a datasource that was included in the export. For instance, if you run a test and a production system and you wish to move reports from the test system to the production system, the underlying datasource is usually the one of the production system. Select the production datasource via the option Default Datasource; it will then be entered in all relevant reports and parameters while importing.

Users or files are imported in the same way as reports. Here there are no further options available.

If the checkbox is checked, the merge routine is applied. This involves taking one object and transferring its values to another object in the system, with the exception of the key and ID. No entity is deleted after merging. In general, only entities of the same type can be merged.