Quick ASP/C# question

[wcdturbo]

I have been tasked to create a sort of custom/hybrid report generation tool. I ran into a snag that I could use some advice with. Fairly new to programming so excuse my lack of knowledge.

We are talking about 300 or so reports with various parameters. I was thinking of creating a panel on my asp master page and then somehow dynamically adding control objects to the panel based on the selected report from a drop down.

I thought possibly I could create a class to keep all of the creation objects in one location but I seem to run into issues accessing a panel from the class or vice versa.

So, my question is this, I am open to ideas and opinions. Needs to be ASP/C#.

What would be the easiest/ most simple way of going about this? Any recommendations? Scrap the class/panel idea? Use an spx page for each report and call that in the master? I just am not sure what would be the best way to go about this.

 

[Crax]

Have you considered a reporting solution? If you're going to create 300 reports, I wouldn't want to do something like that all from scratch. You could leverage something like Sql Server Reporting services(which is free) through visual studio which will end up as an aspx page.

There's other 3rd party reporting suites out there as well. I've been involved in a quite a few different reporting scenarios. No matter what you do for reporting, someone is always going to want it in another format like excel or csv. It's nice to have that stuff already done for you. Plus many of the reporting tools make it so the end users can create their own custom reports.

 

[wcdturbo]

Thanks for the info.

We cannot use a third party tool. This is mainly because it needs to fit under DoD STIG/ATO type operating guidelines and security procedures. But, this idea points me towards the VS solution of embedded crystal reports. Let me check that out.

Again, appreciate the feedback.

 

[Crax]

I currently work in a division of the DoD and we use Sql Server 08, I don't see any reason you couldn't use ssrs and still meet the operating guidelines. Not sure what database you are pulling this data from but SSRS doesn't only have to use sql server, you can still connect to other databases and you can use the report viewer tool built in to Visual Studio to put the reports onto your aspx pages.

 

[wcdturbo]

Is the SSRS a standalone product? We are an Oracle shop and I doubt our CCB will let me throw on SQL Server just for reporting purposes.

 

[Crax]

Ah, I figured with wanting everything in asp.net/c#, you may be using mssql somewhere already. You do have to be running an installed instance of mssql to use reporting services I believe.

You DON'T have to use SSRS to use the report viewer tool in Visual Studio though. It has the option to work with SSRS, but can work standalone and without a report server. The reports are still designed using RDL, but there is no SSRS dependency.

http://www.gotreportviewer.com/

 

[eon]

SSRS comes with SQL server
from my experience SSRS works with Oracle databases seamlessly

Once you get the hang of it, creating reports in BIDS are super easy.

 

[PTNL]

Another vote for using a reporting mechanism.

If you already have a SQL Server (2005 or newer) that can connect to Oracle, then SSRS is an option. Otherwise, you can use the existing ReportViewer control within ASP.Net to present some RDLC files that would exist within the ASP.Net website. I've done this exact approach a few times in the past with an Oracle back-end, and it's worked out great.

 

[Whatsisname]

If you are new to programming hire a subcontractor to do it instead of wasting taxpayer money.

 

[Crax]

If you are new to programming hire a subcontractor to do it instead of wasting taxpayer money.

You know how much contractors cost the government? It would be better for him to learn it and support it later on then paying a contractor to do it. I'm a contractor right now working for the DoD and I know I'm getting ripped off based on the loads of money the government is paying my contracting company for programming work.

 

[PTNL]

I'm a contractor right now working for the DoD and I know I'm getting ripped off based on the loads of money the government is paying my contracting company for programming work.

This is how any successful contracting company operates, and regardless of the work sector (ie; gov't, private, etc.).

Given that we're only talking about reporting on existing data, I don't see why the OP couldn't take a stab at the opportunity. A contracting firm could always be selected later on. It all depends on calendar time constraints and some cost-to-delivery-time comparisons evaluations. Though I suspect the OP could figure out within a week or two on his/her anticipated turnaround time per report (or all reports), and that would be used in the previously mentioned evaluation by his/her managers.

 

[AlienKing]

I use Telerik's reporting tools at work. Has a descent WYSIWYG editor for visual studio and can use the same reports for both winforms and aspx. Not the cheapest, but it does a good job pretty quickly.

Parameters are just standard asp control values passed into the database call. Load your data (we use parameterized sql/oracle commands w/entlib daab) into a DataSet, bind the dataset to the report, and bind the report to the report viewer.

I've also done some small reports with a StringBuilder; create html tables and display them on a Literal.

If all the reports are simple views of data without any summary fields, you could bind them to a gridview.