SSRS and Power BI Integration0%

SSRS and Power BI Integration

Beginner12 min read•Updated: Jul 11, 2026
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SSRS Migration & Power BI Report Builder Integration

For over 20 years, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) served as the global backbone for enterprise operational reporting. Today, Fortune 500 enterprises are consolidating their on-premises SSRS infrastructure into the cloud via Power BI Paginated Reports.


1. The Migration Pathway: On-Premises SSRS to Power BI Cloud

Migrating from legacy SSRS to Power BI Service provides immense cost and operational benefits:

  • Eliminates expensive on-premises SQL Server licensing and dedicated server hardware.
  • Unifies interactive dashboards (.pbix) and operational reports (.rdl) inside a single cloud portal (app.powerbi.com).
  • Enables modern cloud delivery: automated email subscriptions, SharePoint embeds, and Power Automate PDF generation.
Output
SSRS Modernization Architecture
|
[Legacy On-Premises SSRS (.rdl)] =====> [Power BI Report Builder]
|
v (Cloud Migration)
[Power BI Service Workspace]
|
+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| |
[Web Portal Viewing] [Automated Power Automate]
Export to PDF, Excel, Word Burst invoices to 1,000 clients

2. Authoring in Power BI Report Builder

  1. 1
    Download and launch Power BI Report Builder.
  2. 2
    Data Source: Connect to an on-premises SQL Server (via Gateway), an Azure SQL Database, or an existing Power BI Semantic Model.
  3. 3
    Dataset: Author a query using native SQL, MDX, or DAX.
  4. 4
    Insert Tablix: Add a Table, Matrix, or List.
  5. 5
    Expressions: Use Visual Basic (VB.NET) expressions for dynamic logic:
VB
=IIF(Fields!Sales.Value > 100000, "Green", "Red")
  1. 1
    Save and publish directly to the Power BI Service workspace!

Interactive Quiz

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1
What legacy on-premises Microsoft reporting technology is directly modernized by Power BI Paginated Reports?
Question 2
Can existing on-premises SSRS .rdl files be uploaded directly to the Power BI Service?
Question 3
What programming expression language is used inside Power BI Report Builder for calculated fields and formatting?
Question 4
What is a "Tablix" in Power BI Report Builder?
Question 5
What automation tool can be paired with Power BI Paginated Reports to automatically burst thousands of personalized PDF invoices to customer emails every month?

Next Lesson

Creating Pixel-Perfect Reports

Continue learning with hands-on practice, examples, and exercises in the upcoming topic.

Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of this lesson with 5 questions. Each question has one correct answer.

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