This is a quick start guide about how to use Barcode Professional for Reporting Services in most possible RDL (Report Definition Language) reporting scenarios.

Barcode Professional for Reporting Services was designed to be flexible and easy to use independently of the reporting scenarios you need to develop on. Barcode Professional for Reporting Services will be used in different ways depending on your needs and reporting scenario. In all cases, the first thing you must determine is which reporting scenario you will be targeting on is. The following is a list of possible reporting scenarios:

• Reporting Scenario #1: SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services
• Reporting Scenario #2: SQL Server 2005/2008 Reporting Services
• Reporting Scenario #3: Visual Studio 2005/2008 ReportViewer Controls (RDLC reports)

This reporting scenario is for developing Report Server Projects by using the following software:

• Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000
• Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

Given this scenario, then you will be using Barcode Professional by instantiating its classes inside VB.NET custom functions in the report's Code section.
Please take a look at the following Step-By-Step Guides which demonstrate how to generate barcode images in SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services:

• Access Card sample
• Product List sample

This reporting scenario is for developing Report Server Projects by using the following software:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/2008 or SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 Reporting Services

In this scenario, you are able to use Barcode Professional in two different ways:

1. By dragging and dropping the barcode control from Visual Studio 2005/2008 Toolbox
   
   IMPORTANT - READ CAREFULLY
   YOU WILL ABLE TO USE THIS DESIGN TIME FEATURE IF AND ONLY IF THE SQL SERVER 2005/2008 THAT WILL BE RUNNING THE REPORT SERVER IS STANDARD OR ENTERPRISE EDITION ONLY! OTHER SQL SERVER 2005/2008 EDITIONS SUCH AS EXPRESS AND WORKGROUP LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THIS FEATURE (FOR THOSE EDITIONS PLEASE REFER TO SECOND APPROACH BELOW).
   Barcode Professional provides full design time support for Visual Studio 2005/2008 and SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio allowing you to easily add barcoding features to your reports by simply dragging and dropping the Barcode Professional control from Visual Studio 2005/2008 Toolbox on to the report design surface.
   
   Please take a look at the following Step-By-Step Guide which demonstrates how to generate barcode images in SQL Server 2005/2008 Reporting Services with Design-Time features:
   
   
   • Product List sample
2. Instantiating the Barcode Professional classes in the reports' Code section
   You can use Barcode Professional classes by instantiating them inside VB.NET custom functions in the report's Code section. This approach is useful when working with some SQL Server 2005/2008 Editions such as "Express" or "Workgroup" which lack of the aforementioned design-time features.
   
   Please take a look at the following Step-By-Step Guide which demonstrates how to generate barcode images coding the report's Code section of SQL Server 2005/2008 Reporting Services reports:
   
   
   • Product List sample

This reporting scenario is for developing Local Reports (RDLC) by using the following software:

• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/2008
• Microsoft Visual Studio 2005/2008 Express Editions with ReportViewer add-in installed

Given this particular scenario, you are able to use Barcode Professional classes in two different ways:

1. By generating the barcode images in code before report rendering stage takes place
   If you opt for this approach, then you will be using Barcode Professional by instantiating its classes with your preferred .NET language such as VB.NET or C#, generating and storing the barcode images inside the data source of the report just before the report rendering stage takes place. Please take a look at the following Step-By-Step Guides which demonstrate how to generate barcode images in Visual Studio 2005/2008 Local Reports RDLC by using this approach:
   
   
   • ASP.NET Product List sample (DataTable & Custom Objects Data Sources supported)
   • Windows Forms Product List sample (DataTable & Custom Objects Data Sources supported)
2. By generating the barcode images during report rendering stage
   If you opt for this approach, then you will be using Barcode Professional by instantiating its classes inside VB.NET custom functions in the report's Code section. Please take a look at the following Step-By-Step Guides which demonstrate how to generate barcode images in Visual Studio 2005/2008 Local Reports RDLC by using this approach:
   
   
   • ASP.NET Product List sample
   • Windows Forms Product List sample
   • Windows Forms Invoice sample