Configuring an Account for Unattended Report Processing

SQL Server Setup

Updated: 12 December 2006

SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services provides a special account that is used for unattended report processing and for sending connection requests across the network. The account is used in the following ways:

  • Send connection requests over the network for reports that use database authentication. For more information, see Specifying Credential and Connection Information in SQL Server Books Online.
  • Retrieve external image files that are used in report. If you want to use an image file and the file cannot be accessed through Anonymous access, you can configure the unattended report processing account and grant the account permission to access the file. For more information about the unattended execution account is used for retrieving images, see Adding an Image to a Report in SQL Server Books Online.
  • Connect to external report data sources that do not require or use authentication. Reports that do not use credentials to access the external data source are those reports that specify the Credentials are not required option in the Data Source property page.

Unattended report processing refers to any report execution process that is triggered by an event (either a schedule-driven event or data refresh event) rather than a user request. The report server uses the unattended report processing account to log on to the computer that hosts the external data source. This account is necessary because the credentials of the Report Server Windows service account or Web service account are never used to connect to other computers.

Important:
Configuring the account is optional. However, if you do not configure it, you will limit your options for connecting to some data sources, and you might not be able to retrieve image files from remote computers. If you do configure the account, you must keep it up to date. Specifically, if you allow a password to expire or the account information is changed in Active Directory, you will encounter the following error the next time a report is processed: "Logon failed (rsLogonFailed) Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password." Proper maintenance of the unattended report processing account is essential, even if you never retrieve external images or send connection requests to external computers. If you configure the account but then find that you are not using it, you can delete it to avoid routine account maintenance tasks.

To configure the account or update account information, run the Reporting Services Configuration tool or rsconfig -e to set values for the following settings in the RSreportserver.config file on a local or remote report server instance:

Copy Code
<UnattendedExecutionAccount>
     <UserName></UserName>
     <Password></Password>
     <Domain></Domain>
</UnattendedExecutionAccount>

The values are encrypted. Once you set the values, you cannot decrypt them to view the values in plain text. If you mistype the values or forget the values you specified, you must use the Reporting Services Configuration tool or run rsconfig -e to start over.

How to Configure the Account

The account must be a domain user account. To server its intended purpose, this account should be different than the one used to run the Report Server Windows service or Web service. Be sure to use an account that has minimum permissions (read-only access is sufficient) and limited access to just those computers that provide data sources and resources to the report server.

To create the account, you can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool or the rsconfig utility. The easiest way to configure the unattended execution account is to run the Reporting Services Configuration tool and specify credentials in the Execution Account page. For more information, see How to: Start Reporting Services Configuration.

Configuring the Unattended Report Processing Account.

  1. Start the Reporting Services Configuration tool and connect to the report server instance you want to configure.
  2. On the Execution Account page, select Specify an execution account.
  3. Type the account and password, retype the password, and then click Apply.

Maintaining the Unattended Report Processing Account

Once you define the account, you must ensure that the account and password are kept up to date. You can use the Reporting Services Configuration tool to update the configuration settings that store information about this account.

  1. Start the Reporting Services Configuration tool and connect to the report server instance you want to configure.
  2. On the Execution Account page, verify that Specify an execution account is selected.
  3. Type the new account or password, retype the password, and then click Apply.

Deleting the Unattended Report Processing Account

If you are not using the account, you can delete it to avoid routine account maintenance tasks.

  1. Start the Reporting Services Configuration tool and connect to the report server instance you want to configure.
  2. On the Execution Account page, clear Specify an execution account.
  3. Click Apply.

The account information is removed from the RSReportServer.config file.

Using the RSConfig Utility to Configure and Maintain the Unattended Reporting Processing Account

You can also use the rsconfig utility. To specify the account, use the -e argument of rsconfig. Specifying the -e argument for rsconfig directs the utility to write the account information to the configuration file. You do not need to specify a path to RSreportserver.config. Follow these steps to configure the account.

  1. Create or select a domain account that has access to computers and servers that provide data or services to a report server. You should use an account that has reduced permissions (for example, read-only permissions).
  2. Open a command prompt: On the Start menu, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
  3. Type the following command to configure the account on a local report server instance:
    rsconfig -e -u< domain / username > -p< password >

rsconfig -e supports additional arguments. For more information about syntax and to view command examples, see rsconfig Utility in SQL Server Books Online.

Change History

Release History

12 December 2006

New content:
  • Important restrictions regarding the unattended account.
Changed content:
  • How to configure the account.

See Also

Other Resources

Accounts in a Reporting Services Deployment
Configuring Reporting Services Components
Data Sources Properties Page
RSReportServer Configuration File
rsconfig Utility
Specifying Credential and Connection Information