Website Datasources Bug?

[cpnet]

I'm using VS2005, C#, ASP.NET 2.0. I'm trying to create a report using SQL
Reporting Services (to be used in local mode so I don't have to deal with
SQL Server). When I create a new report in my website, nothing shows up in
the Website Data Sources window. I added a few different strongly-typed
Datasets to my website, and they don't show up. The only way I could get
anything to show up was to create a new class that's derived from a
strongly-typed Dataset I created in a separate assembly. Once I did that,
this parent Dataset (from the external assembly) was listed as a Website
Data Source (but not the derived class?). And, all of the sudden all of the
strongly-typed Datasets I created in my website also showed up. The
DataTables from the Dataset defined in my external assembly do not seem to
import into the Website Data Sources properly either. All DataTables are
listed once, with the exception of the first DataTable, which is listed
again with the name of the DataSet prepended to the DataTable's name. If I
delete the class (in my website) that I derived from the Dataset (in the
external assembly), then all of the strongly-typed Datasets I defined in my
Website project disappear from the Website Data Sources, as does the dataset
defined in the external assembly. I must be missing something, or there's a
bug of some sort.

Here's what I want to be able to do: Build a report based on a Dataset that
I've defined in a separate assembly from my website (i.e. my business logic
layer). I will populate this Dataset manually without using any database.
I don't think I should have to derive a class in my website (which I'll
never actually use) from the dataset defined in my separate assembly, just
to be able to use the Dataset defined in that separate assembly as a report
data source for my website.

[user]

I sure feel your pain about Data Sources being extremely flakey. Im
using business objects, and maybe 20% of the time they show. Much more
often I have to close the solution, re-open it, bring up a report and
hope the objects are there. The one strongly typed dataset a test
report uses normally shows. The objects are exposed as a generic list,
which is what MS shows on the msdn site in their samples
Arrggghhhhh. Never had this nonsense with the crystal reportviewer.

cpnet wrote:

I'm using VS2005, C#, ASP.NET 2.0. I'm trying to create a report using SQL
Reporting Services (to be used in local mode so I don't have to deal with
SQL Server). When I create a new report in my website, nothing shows up in
the Website Data Sources window. I added a few different strongly-typed
Datasets to my website, and they don't show up. The only way I could get
anything to show up was to create a new class that's derived from a
strongly-typed Dataset I created in a separate assembly. Once I did that,
this parent Dataset (from the external assembly) was listed as a Website
Data Source (but not the derived class?). And, all of the sudden all of the
strongly-typed Datasets I created in my website also showed up. The
DataTables from the Dataset defined in my external assembly do not seem to
import into the Website Data Sources properly either. All DataTables are
listed once, with the exception of the first DataTable, which is listed
again with the name of the DataSet prepended to the DataTable's name. If I
delete the class (in my website) that I derived from the Dataset (in the
external assembly), then all of the strongly-typed Datasets I defined in my
Website project disappear from the Website Data Sources, as does the dataset
defined in the external assembly. I must be missing something, or there's a
bug of some sort.

Here's what I want to be able to do: Build a report based on a Dataset that
I've defined in a separate assembly from my website (i.e. my business logic
layer). I will populate this Dataset manually without using any database.
I don't think I should have to derive a class in my website (which I'll
never actually use) from the dataset defined in my separate assembly, just
to be able to use the Dataset defined in that separate assembly as a report
data source for my website.

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Hello cpnet,

As for the Datasource for local report(RDLC) of webform reportviewer
control, it will list those DataSet or custom business classes defined in
the web project itself or in any referenced assembly or projects. Is your
separate class library project referenced through project reference or
direct dll reference? You can try removing it and adding reference against
it again to see whether it works. Here is the MSDN walkthrough on
displaying local report with custom business class in webform reportviewer:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...92(VS.80).aspx

For your scenario, if you want to supply the datasource for
reportviewr(loc alreport) without querying database(or use DataSource
control), you can do it programmaticall y as below:

==========aspx template======= ===========
<div>
<rsweb:ReportVi ewer ID="ReportViewe r1" runat="server"
Font-Names="Verdana" Font-Size="8pt"
Height="400px" Width="400px">
<LocalReport
ReportPath="c:\ inetpub\wwwroot \ASPNET\V2\WebS ites\UrlCopySit e\reports\simpl e
report.rdlc">
<DataSources>

</DataSources>
</LocalReport>
</rsweb:ReportVie wer>

............... ...........

========code behind========= ==============
protected void Page_Load(objec t sender, EventArgs e)
{

UrlCopySiteLib. ProductDS.Produ ctsDataTable products = new
UrlCopySiteLib. ProductDS.Produ ctsDataTable();
products.AddPro ductsRow("produ ct1", 1, 1);
products.AddPro ductsRow("produ ct2", 2, 2);
products.AddPro ductsRow("produ ct3", 3, 3);
products.AddPro ductsRow("produ ct4", 4, 4);

ReportDataSourc e rds = new ReportDataSourc e("Products", products);

ReportViewer1.L ocalReport.Data Sources.Add(rds );

}

=============== =============== ====

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead

=============== =============== =============== =====

Get notification to my posts through email? Please refer to
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscripti...ult.aspx#notif
ications.

Note: The MSDN Managed Newsgroup support offering is for non-urgent issues
where an initial response from the community or a Microsoft Support
Engineer within 1 business day is acceptable. Please note that each follow
up response may take approximately 2 business days as the support
professional working with you may need further investigation to reach the
most efficient resolution. The offering is not appropriate for situations
that require urgent, real-time or phone-based interactions or complex
project analysis and dump analysis issues. Issues of this nature are best
handled working with a dedicated Microsoft Support Engineer by contacting
Microsoft Customer Support Services (CSS) at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscripti...t/default.aspx.

=============== =============== =============== =====

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[cpnet]

As for the Datasource for local report(RDLC) of webform reportviewer

control, it will list those DataSet or custom business classes defined in
the web project itself or in any referenced assembly or projects. Is your
separate class library project referenced through project reference or
direct dll reference? You can try removing it and adding reference against
it again to see whether it works. Here is the MSDN walkthrough on
displaying local report with custom business class in webform
reportviewer:

Unfortunately VS doesn't seem to behave like you're describing below.
Here's my situation:

- I have defined 3 DataSets in my web project (dsTest1, dsTest2, dsTest2)
- I have defined a 4th DataSet (dsTest4) in OtherAssembly.d ll. Some classes
in my web project use this dsTest4 DataSet
- I have added a reference to OtherAssembly.d ll in my web project
(right-clicked on my web project, and selected "Add Reference...", then
selected the assembly from the "Projects" tab of the Add Reference dialog)

When I do all of the above, NOTHING shows up in the Website Datasources
window. I have tried adding and removing the reference to OtherAssembly.d ll
a couple of times, and this has not helped. OtherAssembly.d ll is part of
the same solution as my web project.

Next, what I tried is:
- create a new class (dsTest4Descend ent) in my web project that is derived
from dsTest4 (from OtherAssembly.d ll)

When I do this, I see the following available as datasources:
- dsTest1
- dsTest2
- dsTest3
- dsTest4
- I do NOT see dsTest4Descende nt listed.

As soon as I remove the dsTest4Descende nt class from my web project, ALL of
the available Website Datasources disappear.

My web project also has a few helper classes that return strongly-typed
DataSets/DataTables as either public properties or methods, and none of
these show up as Website Datasources ever.

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Thanks for your reply cpnet,

It seems the problem you met is specific to some particular things, and so
far my local tests behaves a bit different from you. I've performed some
research over the net and did found some other members suffer the similar
issue. Is this the only project you've suffered on the problem?

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[alexander.santos]

I am suffering from the same problem. It started happening when I added
a new column on a datatable on my dataset and build the dll with the
dataset.
When I opened the rdlc to refresh the website datasource it just
vanished.
I created a new web site (jst for test), added a reference to my dll
(with the dataset), added a new report. The website datasources where
there (with my dataset), when I changed the datatable including a new
column, the problem happened the same way.

If you wanna see it happening, just create a simple class project with
a typed dataset and then a website project with a rdlc and then see the
website datasources, then you change your dataset, build and try to
refresh the website datasources. I will reinstall my vs2005 and the
vs2005 sp1 (which I installed yesterday) while I wait for your answer
Mr. Cheng.

Thanks in advance and sorry about my english (I'm Brazilian)

Alexander M. Santos (MCAD)

[cpnet]

I was not able to get the issue using the same process as Alexander, but I
am able to replicate this by doing the following:

- Create an assembly "DataSetAssembl y.dll" which contains only a
strongly-typed DataSet, "MyDS". (No TableAdapters needed, I just have 3
DataTables and 1 Relation).
- Create a web project that references "DataSetAssembl y.dll"
- Add a SQL Server Reporting Services report to the web project. You will
see the DataSet/DataTables defined in "DataSetAssembl y.dll" listed as
Website Datasources, however, the first table is always imported twice. I
have 3 DataTables in my DataSet: Test1, Test2, and Test3. These are listed
as "MyNamespace.Te st1", "Test1", "Test2", "Test3". So, there is a bug in
how VS is importing the DataTables since the first table (Test1) is listed
twice.
- Add a class to the webproject.
- Add a public method to the class that returns a new instance of the
"MyDS" DataSet, defined in "DataSetAssembl y.dll". Despite the fact that
this method returns the whole DataSet "MyDS", this is listed in the Website
Datasources window as, "MyDS.Test1 " (as if the method only returns the first
DataTable from the DataSet).
- Add a public method or property to the class that returns one of the
DataTables from the MyDS DataSet. The Website Datasources window will now
be empty.
- Create a new class in the web project that derives from MyDS. In this
test, doing this achieved nothing - my Website Datasources list is still
empty. In my original project/solution when I first noticed the problem,
doing this would cause the Website Datasources list to be populated.

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Hi cpnet,

Regarding on the behavior you mentioned in the last reply.

I think the first one:

=============== =====
You will see the DataSet/DataTables defined in "DataSetAssembl y.dll" listed
as Website Datasources, however, the first table is always imported twice.
===============

it is expected. Because this means that you can use a certain
DataTable(typed ) as data source through two means.

1) directly reference to a DataTable's instance as datasource

2) reference to a typeDataSet which contains the DataTable. The reason why
the first item only contains DataSetName.Fir stTable is because, the first
datatable is always the default member use to databind when you perform
databinding against DataSet(this is true for not only SSRS report, but also
normal ASP.NET databound control).

For the second issue, I have tested in my local environment and did
reproduce it.
=============== =
Add a public method or property to the class that returns one of the
DataTables from the MyDS DataSet. The Website Datasources window will now
be empty.
=============== ===

I'll perform some further research to see whether there is existing issue
on this and will update you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[Steven Cheng[MSFT]]

Hello Cpnet,

After some initial discussion with some other engineers, there seems hasn't
an existing documented issue on this. Since this is an obvious problem
behavior which impact the design-time user experience, I have helped you
submited a bug request on this internally. I'll wait for the product team
engineer's feedback on this. I'll closely monitor it and keep informing you
the latest information.

Thanks for your understanding.

Sincerely,

Steven Cheng

Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

[cpnet]

Sounds good... thanks.