Credentials and connections for report data sources
A report server uses credentials to connect to external data sources that provide content to reports or recipient information to a data-driven subscription. You can specify credentials that use Windows Authentication, database authentication, no authentication, or custom authentication. When the report server sends a connection request over the network, it either impersonates a user account or the unattended execution account. For more information about the security context under which a connection request is made, see Data source configuration and network connections in this article.
Note
Credentials are also used to authenticate users who access a report server. For more information about authenticating users to a report server, see Authentication in a report server.
The connection to an external data source is defined when you create the report. You can manage it separately after the report is published. You can specify a static connection string or an expression that allows users to select a data source from a dynamic list. For more information about how to specify a data source type and connection string, see Create data connection strings in Report Builder.
Credentials used in Report Builder
In Report Builder, credentials are often used when you connect to a report server. You also use them for data-related tasks, such as creating an embedded data source, running a dataset query, or previewing a report. Credentials aren't stored in the report. They get managed separately on the report server or on the local client. The following list describes the types of credentials that you might need to provide, where they get stored, and how they get used:
Report server credentials that you enter in the Reporting Services sign-in dialog box.
When you first save, publish, or browse to a report server or SharePoint site, you might need to enter your credentials. The credentials that you enter are used until the Report Builder session ends. If you choose to save the credentials, they get stored securely with your user settings on your computer. In subsequent Report Builder sessions, saved credentials are used to connect to the same report server or SharePoint site. The report server administrator or SharePoint administrator specifies which type of credentials to use.
Data source credentials that you enter in the Data Source Properties dialog box for an embedded data source.
These credentials are used by the report server to make a data connection to the external data source. For some types of data sources, credentials can be stored securely on the report server. These credentials enable other users to run the report without providing credentials for the underlying data connection.
Data source credentials that you enter in the Enter Data Source Credentials dialog box when you run a dataset query, refresh dataset fields, or preview the report.
These credentials are used to make a data connection from Report Builder to the external data source or to preview a report configured to prompt for credentials. Credentials that you enter in this dialog box aren't stored on the report server and aren't available for use by other users. Report Builder caches the credentials during the report editing session so that you don't need to enter them every time you run the query or preview the report.
For shared data sources, use the Save my password option to save the credentials locally with your user settings on your computer. Report Builder uses the saved credentials every time a connection is made to the corresponding external data source.
For more information, see Preview reports in Report Builder.
Remote data sources
If the report retrieves data from a remote database server, you must verify:
The credentials provided to the database server are valid. If you use Windows user credentials, make sure that the user has permission to the server and database.
Ports used by the database server are open. If you're accessing SQL Server relational databases on external computers, you must open port 1433 and 1434 on the external computer. You must also open these ports if the report server database is on an external SQL Server instance. Be sure to restart the server after you open ports. For more information, see Configure a Windows Firewall for Database Engine access.
Remote connections must be enabled. If you're accessing SQL Server relational databases on external computers, you can use SQL Server Configuration Manager tool to verify that remote connections over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) are enabled.
Specify credentials for connecting to remote data sources
The data sources that provide content to reports are hosted on remote servers. To retrieve data for a report, a report server must connect to the server with a set of credentials provided in advance or obtained at run time. When configuring a data source, you can specify credentials in the following ways:
- Prompt the user for credentials.
- Store credentials.
- Use Windows integrated security.
- Use no credentials.
The network environment determines the kinds of connections you can support. For example, if the Kerberos version 5 protocol is enabled, you might be able to use the delegation and impersonation features available in Windows Authentication to support connections across multiple servers. If your network doesn't support these security features, you need to work around connection constraints. If delegation and impersonation aren't enabled, Windows credentials can be passed across one computer connection before they expire. A user connection from a client computer to a report server computer counts as the first connection. If the user opens a report that retrieves data from a remote server, that sign-in counts as a second connection. The connection then fails if you specified it to use integrated security with disabled delegation.
If multiple connections are required to complete a round trip from the client computer to an external report data source, choose from the following strategies to make the connections succeed.
Enable impersonation and delegation features in your domain so that credentials can be delegated to other computers without limit.
Use stored credentials or prompted credentials to query external data sources for report data. The credentials can be either a Windows domain account or a database sign-in.
Prompted credentials
When you configure a report data source connection to use prompted credentials, each user who accesses the report must enter a user name and password to retrieve the data. This approach is recommended for reports that contain confidential data. Prompted credentials can be used only on reports that run on demand. Prompted credentials can be a Windows account or a database sign-in. To use Windows Authentication, you must select Use as Windows credentials. Otherwise, the report server passes credentials to the database server for user authentication. If the database server can't authenticate the credentials that you provide, the connection fails.
Windows Integrated Security
When you use the Windows Integrated Security option, the report server passes the security token of the user accessing the report to the server hosting the external data source. In this case, the user isn't prompted to enter a user name or password. This approach is recommended if impersonation and delegation features are enabled. If these features aren't enabled, you should only use this approach if all the servers that you want to access are located on the same computer.
Stored credentials
You can store the credentials used to access an external data source. Credentials are stored in reversible encryption in the report server database. You can specify one set of stored credentials for each data source used in a report. The credentials you provide retrieve the same data for every user who runs the report.
Stored credentials are recommended as part of a strategy for accessing remote database servers. Stored credentials are required if you want to support subscriptions, or schedule report history generation or report snapshot refreshes. When a report runs as a background process, the report server is the agent that executes the report. Because there's no user context in place, the report server must get credential information from the report server database to connect to a data source.
The user name and password that you specify can be Windows credentials or a database sign-in. If you specify Windows credentials, the report server passes the credentials to Windows for subsequent authentication. Otherwise, the credentials are passed to the database server for authentication.
Grant "Allow sign in locally" permissions to domain user accounts
If you use stored credentials to connect to an external data source, the Windows domain user account must have permission to sign in locally. This permission allows the report server to impersonate the user on the report server and send the request to the external data source as that impersonated user.
To grant this permission on your report server, go to Administrative Tools and add the Windows account you want for interactive sign in Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. Make sure that the account you selected doesn't have deny permissions.
For more information, see Configure security policy settings and Allow log on locally - security policy setting.
Impersonation with stored credentials
You can also use credentials to impersonate the identity of another user. For SQL Server databases, impersonation options set the SETUSER function.
Important
Don't use impersonation for reports that support subscriptions or that use schedules to generate report history or refresh a report execution snapshot.
No credentials
You can configure a data source connection to use no credentials. You should always use credentials to access a data source. However, you can choose to run a report with no credentials in the following cases:
- The remote data source doesn't require credentials.
- The credentials are passed in the connection string (recommended only for secure connections).
- The report is a subreport that uses the credentials of the parent report.
Under these conditions, the report server connects to a remote data source by using the unattended execution account that you must define in advance. Because the report server doesn't connect to a remote server by using its service credentials, you must specify an account that the report server can use to make the connection. For more information about creating this account, see Configure the unattended execution account (Report Server Configuration Manager).
User name and password sign-in
When you select Use this user name and password, a user name and password must be supplied to access the data source. For a SQL Server database, the credentials might be for a database sign-in. The credentials are passed to the data source for authentication.
Data source configuration and network connections
The following table shows how connections are made for specific combinations of credential types and data processing extensions. If you use a custom data processing extension, see Specify connections for custom data processing extensions.
| Type | Context for network connection | Data Source Types (SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, OLE DB, Analysis Services, XML, SAP NetWeaver BI, Hyperion Essbase) |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated security | Impersonate the current user. | For all data source types, connect by using the current user account. |
| Windows credentials | Impersonate the specified user. | For SQL Server, Oracle, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), and Object Linking and Embedding, Database (OLE DB): connect by using the impersonated user account. |
| Database credentials | Impersonate the unattended execution account or the service account. (Reporting Services removes administrator permissions when sending the connection request by using the service identity). |
For SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, and OLE DB: Append the user name and password on the connection string. For Analysis Services: The connection succeeds if you use the TCP/IP protocol, otherwise it fails. For XML: Fail the connection on the report server if database credentials are used. |
| None | Impersonate the unattended execution account. | For SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC, and OLE DB: Use the credentials defined in the connection string. The connection fails on the report server if the unattended execution account is undefined. For Analysis Services: Always fail the connection if no credentials are specified, even if the unattended execution account is defined. For XML: Connect as Anonymous User if the unattended execution account is defined; otherwise, fail the connection. |
Set credentials programmatically
You can set credentials in your code to control access to reports and to the report server. For more information, see Data sources and connection methods.