Does Microsoft SQL Report Builder require Reporting Services running at all?

Question

I'm having trouble figuring this out.

I stopped ALL of local SQL Services, e.g. SQL Server, SQL Agent, Reporting Services. Then using Report Builder 2.0 to create a report connecting to a remote SQL Server (No SSRS running) out in the farm. When I click on "Run" button, for some odd reasons, it still render the report.

I thought you must have SSRS running in the first place. Is SQL Reporting Services even required for Report Builder?

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Answer 1

When Reporting Services runs a report, it creates a data file of the data used in the report and, if nothing changes, it uses that data the next time the report runs instead of hitting the server again. You could be seeing the cached data.

Look where the report is kept. There will be a report file, say MyReport.rdl and also the data, MyReport.rdl.data. You could delete that data file otherwise simply changing the report parameters (if you have some) will generally cause the report to disregard the cached data and make a trip to the server again.

Answer 2

I'm answering my own question. Here's my observation after some googling and experimenting.

Report Builder is using a stand alone report control to render report. Visual Studio.NET is probably using the same thing when preview a report. SSRS is required when developers need to incorporate web-based reporting solution, e.g. ASP.NET, as well as to manage reports.

What's really bothering me is that to author reports in VS.NET, I must be using Business Intelligence Projects. In order to do that, I must install SQL Server 2005/2008 with SSRS. Why is so when SSRS is not even required in a LOCAL environment?