I am using report services to publish my reports instead of using Crystal Reports for many Bentley AutoPLANT items. Here is my journey over the past couple of weeks:

Install the Tools

If you set up SQL Express with Advanced Services – this is 2008 (download link) – not 2008 R2 (download link). If you are going to back up a Bentley AutoPLANT database – you can NOT restore a 2008 R2 database to a 2008 server, you have to use another method.

• To make reports, you can use Business Intelligence which comes with SQL 2008 Express with Advanced Services (thanks Geordie Guenther!)
• A co-worker recommended a really easy tool to make reports that got me 90% of the way (but not advanced) called Microsoft Report Builder 2.0 (there is a 3.0 but we are still in a 2008 SQL Server world). I really like Bus. Intell because it is like Visual Studio and you can do much more.

Get Familiar with things:

• A good book that I bought on Kindle on report services is Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Reporting Services Step by Step (Step by Step (Microsoft))
• If you are feeling like you need to brush up on T-SQL (Microsoft’s SQL) then the book is Beginning T-SQL with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and 2008