How to automate tests for reports in SSRS

Steve Wright picture Steve Wright · Apr 13, 2009 · Viewed 15.8k times · Source

My current project uses SSRS as the reporting engine. I have the report executing a text command with about 10 variables passed to it. I have been looking for a solution on how to unit test (acceptance or integration, whatever, just some automation) to an SSRS report project.

I thought about using this method:

  1. Move the SQL text command to a stored procedure
  2. Create a Reports.Tests project
  3. Create a project_tests database and point the connection string to this database
  4. Set up my unit test <Setup> with the data I would return in the test
  5. Create a test with the parameters passed and test the result set

I wanted to be sure that I wasn't missing something obvious.

How do other programmers test their reports automatically? Any suggestions on how to improve this method?

EDIT: I should clarify that I would like to only test the result set and not formatting of the report.

Answer

Stuart McLaughlin picture Stuart McLaughlin · Aug 12, 2011

I saw the Reporting Services Unit Testing Framwork on CodePlex which could be useful, though I haven't had a chance to evaluate it.