A shared data source contains a set of data source connection properties that are referenced by multiple reports. In ActiveReports, a shared data source refers to a file in RDSX format that contains data connection information. RDSX (Report Data Source XML) is a proprietary file format that functions as a data source for a single report or multiple reports.

• Advantages of a Shared Data Source
• Accessing the Server Shared Data Sources dialog
• Elements of the Server Shared Data Sources dialog
• Elements of the Server Shared Data Source dialog
• Create a Shared Data Source
• Edit a Server Shared Data Source

Advantages of a Shared Data Source

• The data connection is reusable so you can use it in multiple reports.
• The information is saved in a separate file in RDSX format that you can access from any report, move to different folders, or rename.
• It provides one place to update the connection for all reports referencing it.
• It supports any data type connection.

There are two types of Shared Data Source in ActiveReports.

Local Shared Data Sources

The local shared data sources are embedded in the application resources or shared through a file system. Local shared data sources can be used in Page or RDL reports. See Create and Edit a Shared Data Source for information on how to create a shared data source or modify an existing one.

Server Shared Data Sources

Server shared data sources allow the administrator to create and control access to data sources that are hosted on an instance of ActiveReports Server. You can reference server shared data sources using the DataSourceReference element in Page or RDL reports that are stored and run in ActiveReports Server.

It is beneficial to use server shared data sources when working with multiple reports referencing the same data. For example, if there is a change in connection properties such as, server name, database name, etc., in case of local shared data sources, you need to open each report and update the connection properties individually. Whereas for reports using the server shared data source, the change is only required in one place.

Accessing the Server Shared Data Sources dialog

You can access the Shared Data Source option from the stand-alone designer or the Visual Studio designer. In order to access the server shared data sources, make sure you are connected to ActiveReports Server. See Connecting to ActiveReports Server for further information.

In the Stand-Alone Designer

Access the Server Shared Data Sources dialog from the Server menu of the stand-alone designer.

In the Visual Studio Designer

Access the Server Shared Data Sources dialog from the Report menu (Report > Server > Edit Shared Data Sources) of the Visual Studio designer.

Elements of the Server Shared Data Sources dialog

The dialog appears when you click the Shared Data Sources option from the Server menu of the stand-alone designer or Report menu of the Visual Studio designer. Using the options available in this dialog, you can add, edit or refresh a server shared data source.

The Server Shared Data Sources dialog consists of the following elements:

Elements	Description
Add	Opens the Server Shared Data Source dialog, where you can create a new data source using the specified properties for each data type.
Edit	Allows you to modify the data source properties of the selected data source.
Refresh	Allows you to refresh the list of data sources on ActiveReports Server.

Elements of the Server Shared Data Source dialog

This dialog appears when you click the Add button on the Server Shared Data Sources dialog. Using the options available in this dialog, you can modify connection properties for each data source type.

Following are the properties corresponding to each data type.

Data Source Type	Property Names	Property Description
Microsoft Sql Client Provider	Name	Enter a name for the data source. This name must be unique within the server.
	Description	Allows you to provide a description related to the data source connection.
	Server Name	Enter a SQL server name or URL.
	Database Name	Enter the name of the database you want to connect.
	Use Windows Authentication	Select this option when you know that any users with a valid Windows account are cleared for access to the data, and you do not want to prompt them for a user name and password.
	Use Server Authentication	Select this option to enter a user name and password for server authentication.
	User Name	Enter the username to access the database.
	Password	Enter the password to log in to the database.
	Connection String	In the Connection String tab, enter a connection string for the data source. The Connection String box displays the connection information based on your server and database connection. Sample Microsoft Sql Connection String data source=in-data-sql\sql_2012;initial catalog=ADventurewORKS2012;user id=user1;password=password@123
	Test connection	Click to verify that the data source connection works using the specified credentials. If the test fails, verify the credentials and server availability.
Oracle Client Provider	Name	Enter a name for the data source. This name must be unique within the server.
	Description	Allows you to provide a description related to the data source connection.
	Server Name	Specify the name of the Oracle server.
	User Name	Enter the username to access the database.
	Password	Enter the password to log in to the database.
	Connection String	In the Connection String tab, enter a connection string for the data source. The Connection String box displays the connection information based on your server and database connection. Sample Oracle Connection String provider=ORACLE;data source=in-data-sql/orcl.grapecity.net;user id=user1;password=password@123;
	Test connection	Click to verify that the data source connection works using the specified credentials. If the connection cannot be made, you need to verify your credentials and the server availability.
Microsoft OleDb Provider Microsoft Odbc Provider Xml Provider	Name	Enter a name for the data source. This name must be unique within the server.
	Description	Allows you to provide a description related to the data source connection.
	Connection String	Enter a connection string for the data source. The Connection String box displays the connection information based on your server and database connection. Following are the sample connection strings for the specified data source type. Sample OleDb Connection String provider=Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0;data source=c:\nwind.mdb; Sample Odbc Connection String Driver=Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb);Dbq=C:\nwind.mdb; Sample Xml Connection String XmlDoc: Refers to a specific XML file located on either the file system or at a web-accessible location. For example, XmlDoc=C:\MyXmlFile.xml; XmlData: Provides specific XML data in the Connection String itself. For example, XmlData=<people>   <person>     <name>       <given>John</given>       <family>Doe</family>     </name>   </person>   <person>     <name>       <given>Jane</given>       <family>Smith</family>     </name>   </person> </people>; TransformationDoc: Refers to a specific XSLT file to apply to the XML data.
	Test connection	Click to verify that the data source connection works using the specified credentials. If the connection cannot be made, you need to verify your credentials and the server availability.

ActiveReports allows ActiveReports Server administrator to work with server shared data sources that are hosted on an instance of ActiveReports Server. The following section explains how the administrator can add or edit server shared data sources using the Server Shared Data Source dialog.

Create a Shared Data Source

1. Access the Server Shared Data Sources dialog from the stand-alone designer or the Visual Studio designer. See Accessing Server Shared Data Source dialog for more details.
2. Connect to ActiveReports Server, if you are not already connected to the server. See Connecting to ActiveReports Server for further information.
3. In the Server Shared Data Sources dialog that appears, click Add to create a new data source connection.
4. In the Server Shared Data Source dialog that appears, select Data Source Type from the drop-down list. Once you select the Data Source Type, properties corresponding to that data type are listed below.
5. Set the properties or enter a connection string to create a data source connection. See Server Shared Data Source dialog for further details.
   
   
6. Click the Test Connection button to see if you have successfully connected to the database.
7. Click Save to save the data source connection properties and return to Server Shared Data Sources dialog.

Edit a Server Shared Data Source

1. Access the Server Shared Data Sources dialog from the stand-alone designer or the Visual Studio designer. See Accessing Server Shared Data Source dialog for details.
2. Connect to ActiveReports Server, if you are not already connected to the server. See Connecting to ActiveReports Server for further information.
3. In the Server Shared Data Sources dialog that appears, select the data source from the list of data sources, and then click Edit.
4. In the Server Shared Data Source dialog that appears, edit the data source connection properties.
5. Click Save to save the updated data source connection properties and return to Server Shared Data Sources dialog.