Dependant Parameters

Dependant Parameters

SSRS allows you to have parameters that depend on other parameters (so that updating one changes the options in another). Unfortunately, SSRS tends to overestimate which parameter have dependencies, which leads to way-too-many page refreshes when using the default Report Manager (e.g. see here for details on the problem http://jetlounge.net/blogs/teched/archive/2007/12/13/strange-refresh-of-parameters-in-sql-reporting-services.aspx )

CrissCross supports dependant parameters, so that when you update the 'master' parameter, any dependant 'child' parameters will refresh. However because SSRS can't always reliably tell CrissCross which parameters are actually dependant, there is a way to specifically define the dependant parameters in the ExtraConfig file.

Terminology: In CrissCross, if changing Param A means that Param B needs to be refreshed, then Param B is a dependant of Param A. In the ExtraConfig file this would be set up as:

    <CrcParamConfig>
      <ParamName>Param A</ParamName>
      <DependantParams>
        <DependantParam>Param B</DependantParam>
      </DependantParams>
    </CrcParamConfig>

See the ExtraConfig page for more details.

Note that if you want CrissCross to just get the dependancy info from SSRS (even though it overestimates) you can do so by setting <IgnoreSsrsParameterDependencies> to false in ExtraConfig.