OAuth 2.0 in REST Data Sources
Integration with Microsoft, Google, and other APIs increasingly requires OAuth 2.0 authentication to access REST API endpoints. With version 29, any API endpoint that supports OAuth 2.0 can now be easily integrated with the Report Server.
The New Web Designer
Like the Ad-hoc Designer, the new Web Designer is completely browser-based, but has a significantly expanded feature set. This means that it’s no longer necessary to resort to the Report Server Designer, which must be installed locally on the client, for complex reports. Compared to the simple Ad-hoc Designer, the new Web Designer shows off with the following features:
- A selection of different chart types
- Additional visualization options, such as data graphics and gauges
- A set of designer objects such as text, image, PDF, barcodes and checkboxes
- Sum variables
- User variables
- Object properties
- Layer definitions and much more
The Web Designer is activated under “Management” → “Advanced Settings”.
OAuth 2.0 Support for Emails
The Report Server supports SASL XOAUTH2 (OAuth 2.0 for SMTP) for sending emails with scheduled reports, for example. Whether Outlook.com, Office 365, Gmail or any other provider that supports XOAUTH2, the Report Server handles this task effortlessly. Configuration requires an appropriate OAuth 2.0 application with the correct redirect URI and scope value, according to the SMTP provider documentation.
WebDAV as an Action for Planned Reports
Integrating WebDAV as an action allows finished reports to be uploaded to a WebDAV-enabled server. This opens up the possibility of uploading reports, for example, to self-hosted instances of Nextcloud, or to public clouds that support WebDAV as a transfer protocol.
In-Memory Option for JSON and XML Data Sources
The in-memory option, which was previously available for CSV data sources, has now been extended to the popular JSON and XML data sources. This allows full reading of data sources and supports interactive sorting functions.
Further enhancements:
- Improved license entry to make it easier to overwrite the serial number
- Direct jump to the data source, when configuring the underlying data sources of a report
- Schema prefix for table names for MySQL and MariaDB data sources
- Filter option by type when creating new data sources
- Release for PostgreSQL 16
- Significantly improved performance for Excel and CSV exports
All those new features and enhancements in Report Server 29 provide both, a considerably improved user experience and expanded capabilities for creating and managing reports.
For over 20 years Alexander Horak is engaged in software development and has already worked at combit during his computer science studies. Nowadays, he is Head of Development of the combit Report Server, an ASP.NET MVC based Enterprise Reporting solution. In his spare time he loves soccer and is an active supporter of FC Bayern Munich.
