SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Custom Data Extension Setup

Owned by Vincent Josset
Feb 23, 2023
2 min read

Reporting Services (SSRS) - Custom Data Extension Setup

Softrip's custom SSRS data extension allows reports to pull date either from the database or the middle tier.

This article describes how to install and set up this data extension in your SSRS instance.

  1. Obtain the data extension DLL from Softrip

    1. This DLL will have the necessary code and credentials to connect reports to your Softrip instance

  2. Copy the data extension DLL "Softrip2012.ReportingServices.DataExtensions.dll" to your SSRS install directory

    1. Typically in
      C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\SSRS\ReportServer\bin\

  3. Copy any necessary support DLLs to the same directory (e.g. Newtonsoft.Json.dll, Microsoft.ReportingServices.Interfaces2012.dll)

  4. Update the SSRS config file to add support for the new data extension:

    1. C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\SSRS\ReportServer\RSReportServer.config

    2. In the <Data> section, add:
      <Extension Name="Softrip" Type="Softrip.ReportingServices.DataExtensions.ServerConnection,Softrip2012.ReportingServices.DataExtensions"/>

  5. Update the SSRS policy file to add support for the new data extension:

    1. C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\SSRS\ReportServer\RSSRVPolicy.config

    2. Add CodeGroups for the physical location of the DLLs:

      <CodeGroup class="UnionCodeGroup" version="1" PermissionSetName="FullTrust" Name="SoftripExtensionCodeGroup" Description="Code group for Softrip data processing extension"> <IMembershipCondition class="UrlMembershipCondition" version="1" Url="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\SSRS\ReportServer\bin\Softrip2012.ReportingServices.DataExtensions.dll" /> </CodeGroup>
      <CodeGroup class="UnionCodeGroup" version="1" PermissionSetName="FullTrust" Name="SoftripExtensionSupportCodeGroup" Description="Code group for Softrip data processing extension support DLLs"> <IMembershipCondition class="UrlMembershipCondition" version="1" Url="C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services\SSRS\ReportServer\bin\Newtonsoft.Json.dll" /> </CodeGroup>