BI & Analytics connector

The SSRS data catalog your whole team can trust.

The Dawiso SSRS connector turns your ReportServer database into a searchable data catalog: every paginated report, dataset and subscription, linked to the data sources they use.

Read the docs

Live connector Stable connector

SSRS

Dawiso

Metadata-only · your data never leaves the source

Type: On-prem reporting platform
Auth: SQL Server login (db_datareader)
Sync: Scheduled, incremental
Direction: Read-only · metadata

First things first

What is a data connector?

Metadata-only Read-only access Incremental sync Cross-system lineage

A data connector is the bridge between a tool in your stack and the catalog that gives you a unified view of it. Once a connector is configured, it reaches into the source system on a schedule, reads out the metadata - schemas, tables, dashboards, jobs, ownership, lineage - and represents it inside the catalog. Your actual rows and values stay where they are.

Connectors are the reason a data catalog can answer questions like "which Power BI dashboard depends on this Snowflake table?" or "who owns the orders topic in Kafka?" - automatically, without anyone keeping a spreadsheet up to date.

Three properties separate a good connector from a brittle one: it should be read-only and safe, it should be incremental so a full re-scan isn't required for every refresh, and it should resolve lineage across system boundaries, not just inside one tool.

About the platform

What is SQL Server Reporting Services?

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) is Microsoft's on-prem reporting platform, first released in 2004 with SQL Server 2000 and shipped with every Developer, Standard and Enterprise edition since. Finance teams, regulators and operations still rely on paginated SSRS reports for invoices, statements and statutory output that Power BI cannot easily replace.

The ReportServer database knows what reports exist. What it doesn't tell anyone is which Power BI dashboard duplicates them, who owns them, or which paginated reports nobody has opened in two years. That's where the Dawiso SSRS data catalog joins the picture: read-only, metadata-only, and cross-platform.

Architecture

How Dawiso connects to SSRS

A small read-only role on the SSRS side. The Dawiso scanner pulls metadata on a schedule. Everything ends up in your catalog, business-readable.

Source

SQL Server Reporting Services

ReportServer database
Folders & catalog items
Paginated reports & datasets
Subscriptions & schedules

REST · JDBC

Dawiso scanner

Read-only metadata

Schema & object discovery
Dependency resolution
SQL flow parsing (optional)
Sampling on opt-in

Internal

Catalog

Dawiso platform

Searchable metadata
Lineage & ownership
Business glossary
Policy & classifications

Connection details

Protocol: ReportServer database (db_datareader access)
Authentication: SQL login + database user · read-only role
Lineage: Report to dataset to data source links resolved from the ReportServer catalog, so each report is connected to the shared datasets and data sources it uses

Setup

Connect SSRS in 4 steps

01

Create a SQL login

Run CREATE LOGIN [DawisoIntegration] WITH PASSWORD = '...' on the SQL Server instance hosting the ReportServer database. Use a strong password.
02

Create the database user

Switch to the ReportServer database and run CREATE USER [DawisoIntegrationUser] FROM LOGIN [DawisoIntegration]. The user maps the server login into the report-catalog database.
03

Grant db_datareader

Run ALTER ROLE [db_datareader] ADD MEMBER [DawisoIntegrationUser] in the ReportServer database. Read-only access is enough; Dawiso never writes to ReportServer.
04

Connect in Dawiso

Add the server name (DNS, IP or Azure SQL host with optional port), the login and password. Optionally enable Encrypt or Trust Server Certificate for SSL.

Capabilities

What you get with the SSRS connector

Paginated report catalog

Every folder, paginated report and subscription in ReportServer is searchable, with owners, schedule and the data source each report points to.
Report-to-source links

Trace any SSRS report through its dataset to the data source it points at, so the connection between reports and their backing systems is documented.
Dataset & data source library

Shared datasets and shared data sources are catalogued once and linked to every report that consumes them, so a definition lives in one place.
Report retirement insight

Twenty years of SSRS leaves dead reports. Surface which reports have not run, which have no subscribers, and which still matter to the business.
Ownership & certification

Mark reports as certified, deprecated or under review. The owner is visible directly in the catalog alongside SSRS role membership.
Power BI migration map

Plan SSRS-to-Power BI paginated migrations with evidence: which reports are critical, which duplicate Power BI, and which can be retired safely.

Business value

Why teams turn on the SSRS connector

−65%
Fewer 'is this still used?' tickets

Stop asking the business which SSRS report is critical. Dawiso shows last-run dates, subscribers and the data behind every report in one view.
10×
Faster impact analysis

Before altering a stored procedure, see exactly which SSRS reports, datasets and subscriptions depend on it. Seconds, not days.
Audit
Legacy made auditable

Twenty years of reports become a searchable, owned, classified inventory, linked to the data sources they use and with a clear retirement candidate list.

Ready to catalog your SSRS?

Set up the connector in an afternoon. See your first lineage graph the same day.

Read the docs

Frequently asked questions

Still curious? Talk to our team ->

What is an SSRS database?

SSRS uses a ReportServer catalog database to store report definitions, data sources and schedules. Dawiso reads it read-only and catalogs every report and links it to the shared datasets and data sources it uses.

Does SSRS have a data catalog?

SSRS keeps a report catalog database but no business catalog. Dawiso turns SSRS reports, datasets and data sources into searchable, governed assets, each linked to the data sources it uses.

What permissions does Dawiso need in SSRS?

A SQL Server login mapped to a user in the ReportServer database, with membership in the db_datareader role. That is enough to read the catalog; Dawiso never writes to ReportServer or modifies reports.

Does Dawiso copy report data or run reports?

No. Dawiso queries the ReportServer database catalog tables for metadata only. Reports stay where they are; nothing is rendered, exported or sampled by default.

Can we use Windows or Active Directory authentication?

Out of the box the connector uses a SQL Server login (CREATE LOGIN + db_datareader user). For Windows-authentication-only environments, deploy via Dawiso Integration Runtime on a domain-joined host.

Does SSRS need to be on-prem?

ReportServer can be reached over the network (DNS or IP, with optional port) or on Azure SQL. On-prem ReportServer typically runs behind a corporate firewall and is best reached via Dawiso Integration Runtime.