Renaming the Data Sets in SSRS

Question

What is the easier way to rename the Data Sets in completed SSRS report? I have created a report in BIDS 2008 and now for some reasons I have to rename the Data Set names, but it seems that renaming the Data Sets in the Report Data pane, does not update the references wherever the old DataSet name has been used.

For example I have DataSet1 and want rename it to Abc. Do I have to go through all text boxes and expressions that have used the old name and rename them to the new Data set name manually? Or there is a short cut to keep them in sync.

Any idea?

Thanks.

Answer 1

The correct answer would be to say yes - however, a quick win is to close your solution, then open the .rdl file up with notepad and do a find-and-replace. Then save your .rdl file and re-open your solution - you should find all of your references within the report have been updated. Remember that the .rdl file is essentially an xml file, open it up and have a look around - it will help you understand the inner workings better. You will of course need to update the data source yourself though.

I hope this helps you.