Microsoft released the Reporting Services Migration tool. A tool that migrates reports and other artifacts from one report server to another report server. It can also be used as a backup and restore tool for Reporting Services. The tool is available both as a command line tool, a GUI and a powershell script.
Current features and limitations
- You can use RSMigrationTool or RSMigrationUI to backup your native report server.
- To restore or migrate the native server, run the Migration.ps1 from a PowerShell console.
- Source and target server must be SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 R2 or later.
- Source server
- Source server must be native mode using Windows authentication. (MS is working on support for SharePoint integrated mode and other authentication schemes.)
- Permissions and roles from source server are not backed up o Configuration in source server is not backed up.
- Reports and other artifacts in deeply nested subfolders may not be backed up. This is due to Windows OS restriction on the maximum length for the full path of the backup files and folders. (MS is working towards a solution.)
- Linked reports are not support in SharePoint mode, hence not backed up.
- Database connection to source server catalog is made using Windows Integrated credentials of the user running the tool.
- Target server
- Target server must be SharePoint integrated mode. (MS is working on support for native mode.)
- The web application must be using Windows classic authentication mode. (MS is working on support for other authentication schemes.)
- Target server must be correctly configured. Target document library and folder must be created. For SSRS 2012, service application must be created and configured.
- The owner of Reporting artifacts after migration is set to the user who performed migration. (MS is working towards a solution.)
- Subscription owners are set after they are migrated. If the owner does not have CreateAlerts/ManagedAlerts permission, the operation will fail.
- Report parts are not linked correctly to the Report. (MS is working towards a solution.) o Database connection to target server catalog is made using Windows Integrated credentials of the user running the tool.
Although the tool lacks some important features, I’m happy to see there finally is a tool that simplifies this process.