how cache works on BigQuery and SSRS integration

[jbibi]

Hi Team,

If any one has used SSRS with integration with BigQuery. I want to understand how cache works when we query report in SSRS where we are fetching data from BigQuery datasets.

Thanks 🙂

[nizmar]

When integrating SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) with Google BigQuery, understanding how caching works can help optimize performance and manage costs. Here’s a detailed overview of how caching works in SSRS and how it applies when querying BigQuery datasets.

SSRS Caching Mechanisms

SSRS provides multiple caching options to improve the performance of report delivery. These include:

1. Report Caching:
- SSRS can cache the processed report to reduce the time it takes to retrieve and display a report.
- When a report is cached, SSRS stores the rendered report and the query results in the ReportServerTempDB database.
- Subsequent requests for the same report retrieve the cached version instead of querying the data source again.

2. Data Caching:
- Data caching involves storing the dataset results used in a report.
- This reduces the need to re-execute the query against the data source (BigQuery in this case) every time the report is run.

3. Snapshot Reports:
- Snapshots capture a report at a specific point in time.
- They store both the report layout and the data, providing a consistent view of the report over time.

How to Configure Caching for SSRS with BigQuery

1. Report Caching:
- In SSRS, navigate to the report properties.
- Enable caching by selecting “Cache a temporary copy of the report” and specify the expiration time.
- This setting ensures that SSRS stores the report in the cache for a specified duration, reducing the need to query BigQuery repeatedly.

2. Shared Datasets and Data Caching:
- Use shared datasets to centralize data queries.
- Configure shared datasets to use cache by setting the “Cache Shared Dataset” option.
- Specify the cache expiration policy to control how often SSRS refreshes the data from BigQuery.

3. Report Snapshots
- Create report snapshots by scheduling reports to run at specific intervals.
- Snapshots can be managed via the Report Manager or SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

By configuring caching appropriately in SSRS, you can optimize the performance of reports fetching data from BigQuery while controlling costs and ensuring data relevance.