How do I hide the left-most column in an SSRS 2008 matrix?

Question

I have a matrix in an SSRS 2008 report. The rows are grouped on the Time field, and the columns are grouped on the FieldName field. Pretty standard stuff, you can see the designer view of it below.

This works pretty well, except that in some instances I need to hide the "time" column (highlighted in the image).

I've tried setting the Hidden property, both on the column itself and the individual fields. This leaves a large empty area where the column would normally display. I've tried setting the hidden value for the time row group, but that hides the entire row of data.

Is there any way to hide this information with SSRS 2008?

Answer 1

I was able to find a work-around with a little experimentation. Here's what I did:

• Added an adjacent column group to the FieldName column. This column was grouped on Time (the same as the row group).

• Set the header of the new column group to always display the text "Time."

• Right-clicked on the selection button for this new column and selected "Column Visibility..." from the list. Entered the hidden expression I wanted.

• Deleted the original Time column, choosing to retain the associated group.