Report Server Folder Hierarchy

You can create folders to organize and manage the items you store on a report server. Conceptually, this folder hierarchy is similar to the folder hierarchy in the Windows file system or sub-sites that you create on a parent Web site. In Reporting Services, report server folders are virtual containers for published items that you access through Report Manager or a browser connection to the report server. Neither the folders nor their contents actually exist in a file system. Instead, they are stored in the report server database and accessed through the Report Server Web service endpoint.
The report server folder namespace is a hierarchy that includes a root node, predefined folders, and user-defined folders. The namespace uniquely identifies items that are stored on a report server. It provides an addressing scheme for specifying items in a URL. When you select or locate a report, the folder path becomes part of the URL for that report.

User-Defined Folders

To create and manage folders, you must use Report Manager for a native mode report server.

Report server folders can contain the following items:

• Reports
• Models
• Shared data sources
• Report Parts
• Shared datasets
• Resources (items that are stored on but not processed by a report server)
• Other folders

Report server folders are useful if you want to grant the same level of access to multiple items. Permissions that you set on the folder can be inherited by items in the folder.

Reserved Folders

Predefined folders are reserved by Reporting Services; they cannot be moved, renamed, or deleted. User-defined folders include any folders created by a user or report server administrator with permission to add items to a folder.

The following table describes predefined folders that anchor the folder hierarchy and provide a framework for several features.