CRM 2011 Reporting Extension Installation with pre-created AD groups

Microsoft CRM 2011 Reporting Extensions Installation with pre-created AD Groups

Software components required:

Microsoft CRM Server installation: CRM2011-Server-ENU-amd64.exe

As seen in the last post, we have successfully installed Microsoft Dynamics CRM2011. Then you have browsed to the Dynamics CRM URL and everything seems to work just fine – until you click on Reports in the My Workplace area. There are no reports! No out of box reports! If you try, you may be able to use the report wizard to create new report or even import a few in, but you will be unable to execute them. To get around the issue of complex SPN setups to work around Kerberos and double hops for making SSRS work, Microsoft has simplified (in a way) by requiring to install the CRM2011 Reporting Extensions on the Reporting Server. This post deals with the installation of the Reporting Extensions for CRM2011.

Continuing with the theme of our last post, we will install Reporting Extensions for CRM2011 in a corporate environment with pre-created active directory groups. To start the installation, extract the installation files from the Microsoft Server Installation package (CRM2011-Server-ENU-amd64.exe). Locate the folder where the files are extracted and look for the folder “SrsDataConnector”. Open this folder and locate the file “SetupSrsDataConnector.exe”. But we need to execute this file from the command prompt and give the Reporting Extension XML file as an input.

The XML file:

<crmsetup>

<srsdataconnector>

<configdbserver />

<autogroupmanagementoff>true</autogroupmanagementoff>

</srsdataconnector>

</crmsetup>

The key word here is autogroupmanagementoff set to true. Without this, Reporting Extension installation will give an error regarding active directory permissions.

Before we begin with the actual installation, keep the following points in mind:

• The Reporting Extensions for CRM2011 must be installed on the SSRS server
• The Reporting Server must be added to the PrivReportingGroup Active Directory
• The installing user must be a local Admin on the Reporting Server

 

Enter the following command in the command prompt:

D:\install\CRM2011Setup\ SrsDataConnector >SetupSrsDataConnector.exe /config d:\install\ssrsinstall.xml

This assumes that I have extracted my files in the ‘CRM2011Setup’ folder under the ‘install’ folder on the ‘D:’ drive of my App server – replace as appropriate. The setup file for Reporitng extension will be in the folder “SrsDataConnector ” in the extracted folder. This also assumes that I am passing a config.xml file stored in the ‘install’ folder on the ‘D:’ drive of the app server. The contents of the xml file is already mentioned above.

SSRS Data Connector Installation step by step:

Check for updates and click Next:

Accept the License Agreement and click “I Accept”:

Enter the SQL server for the Microsoft CRM 2011 Database and click Next:

Enter the SSRS instance name and click Next. Important: You cannot type in the SSRS instance name. This is fetched automatically and hence has to be installed on the SSRS server.

Click Next:

Choose an installation location and click Next:

The system checks all need to be green. Warning are OK, but red errors must be fixed before proceesing. Click Next:

Click Next:

Click Next:

Reporting Extensions getting installed.

Congratulations, Reporting Extensions for CRM2011 installed.

Browse to the Reports section in the My Workplace and all the out of box reports will be there and now you should also be able to execute them.

There is however one shortcoming of the Reporting Extension. Only one copy of the Reporting Extension can be installed on the Reporting server, which limits the Reporting Server to serve only one Microsoft CRM instance. You can however have as many organizations as you want in that instance and reports will work in all of them.

AniMandal

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