Using a .NET Data Provider extension for Paginated Reports and Report Builder

[brandonmcg]

I have added a data provider extension to a Power BI Report Server to support PostgreSQL data sources for Paginated reports. I verified that creating a PostgreSQL data source on the server tests successfully. However, I now need to add the extension to Report Builder so that I can build reports that use this data source. I cannot find any information on how to add an extension to the Report Builder. Only thing I found was about editing RSReportDesigner.config that is part of the SSDT. I have VS 2022 installed with SSDT enabled, but I do not have RSReportDesigner.config in the location that is specified in this document: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/report-server/rsreportdesigner-configuratio... C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\RSReportDesigner.config

Any ideas how to add data provider extensions to the Report Builder? Thanks
PS: The PostgreSQL data provider works fine for Power BI report data sources on the server. I would like to be able to use it for both Power BI and Paginated Reports.

[brandonmcg]

I have explored the Visual Studio extension a bit more and figured out how to connect to the report server and add objects from the Toolbox. Since VS supports the .NET data provider, I will probably just use this instead of the Report Builder.

[v-rongtiep-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @brandonmcg ,

If you want to connect to other data source like PostgreSQL Server then below are the 2 ways that we can follow.

Article link:  Publish Power BI Paginated Reports with Azure PostgreSQL | WinWire

If it does not help, please provide more details.

Best Regards
Community Support Team _ Rongtie

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

[brandonmcg]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it out. It is not ideal because I am going to use a PostgreSQL .NET Data Provider on the Report Server as I need to create data sources for multiple databases. 

• First, I do not have access to the OS of the Report Server to configure an ODBC In addition, I cannot have a single ODBC data source configured as I plan to use multiple database connections. This is why I am using the .NET provider data source, which allows me to create and configure the connection string within the Report Server data sources as I please. The PostgreSQL .NET prodiver works fine on the server.
• I can configure an ODBC on my workstation just to get by for building reports. However, this method "sort of works" and requires flip-flopping to be able to develop and test the report. For example, I configure a report with an embedded PostgreSQL ODBC data source, allowing me to query the data base and populate fields for report objects. This works from my workstation. However, in order to test run the report, I have to switch it back to the shared data source on the server since that is the only way for the server to connect to the database.

If this is the only way to connect to PostgreSQL from Microsoft Report Builder, then it is what it is. If there is a way I can add an extension for a .NET data provider to Report Builder, that would solve all my troubles :).

I did look more into Visual Studio. So I realized that I needed to install the "Microsoft Reporting Services Project" VS Extension to get the RSReportDesigner.config file (SSDT alone was not enough). I added an extension to that for the PostgreSQL .NET Data Provider and it works within Visual Studio (does nothing for Report Builder). Was able to connect to PostgreSQL and populate fields. However, VS does not seem so great for building reports in comparison to Report Builder, but maybe I am just not finding my way around the extension. For one, I don't see any way to connect to a report server and can only develop reports locally. That is sort of ok as I can always upload the file. Second, I am not finding all the same tools as Report Builder. For example, how do I had a graph object? If I can work in VS exactly the same way as Report Builder (connect to Report Server and access all report objects), then I will be fine with using that as it works with the .NET data provider.