create a report in Visual Studio that can be used in SSRS 2008?

Can someone please guide me to examples or information that would show me how to create a report in Visual Studio that can be used in SSRS 2008? I see that there are local reports (.rdlc) and server reports (.rdl) and I'm confused. How can I create a server report on my local dev machine that I can upload and have it work. I saw somewhere about how to convert from local to server, but I'm so confused about this reporting.

On my local dev machine, I have VS 2008 (and VS2010 Beta 2) and I have SQL Server Express. I can create a local report already, but I don't know what to do or expect next.

 

Hi,
You just sent me an Email about this, right?
I'll try to answer here.

First of all...This is the one-stop-shop for some examples: http://www.gotreportviewer.com/

The RDL and RDLC thing confuses a lot of developers.
The C stands for Client-side. It's the version you create in VS for deploy.
DiscountASP.NET is providing the SQL Server 2008 RS now.
You can signup for that and/or use other data sources on a DASP site.
There are code examples on that site I linked to above.

I hope to be doing a series of Webcasts on this very soon.
All the best,
Mark

 

Yes, I did contact you by e-mail about this.

Anyway, now I have learned that you don't *have* to use a "Report Server" to show a report unless you need some of the enhanced features that the "Report Server" brings in. In other words, you can indeed just create a local .rdlc report and use the Asp.Net Report Viewer control on a .aspx web page, and it can display a .rdlc report that resides in your app folder that you've deployed to the DASP hosting site. Am I correct about this?

That sure sounds simpler to me since I only have about 4 reports, and I will control access to each of them by the user validation scheme and all that jazz that I will build into my app.

That whole "Report Server" terminology is scary, and, if I'm correct, it's not the only way to make reporting work in an Asp.Net app.

Can you please cover this point in your video?

 

...Yes DASP gave me the OK flag to mention alternative data sources in the Webcasts.
As for other reports, indeed there are a few, not sure which will run from the /bin/ but...
Search here: http://www.codeplex.com/
All the best,
Mark