It’s official: SQL Server 2022 was the last release for SSRS.
At SQLBits this week, Microsoft announced that SQL Server 2025 won’t include SSRS.
Instead, all SQL Server 2025 customers will get free licensing for the on-premises Power BI Report Server (PBIRS.) The same license key you use to install 2025 will also work to activate PBIRS.
Microsoft’s got links on how it’ll work:
Like any transition, there’s going to be manual work involved. Some data sources aren’t supported, and some SSRS features (like linked reports) aren’t supported. It reminds me of the DTS-package-to-SSIS conversion years ago, which even spawned small consulting companies that focused exclusively on that kind of work because there was so much of it. This transition will keep Microsoft partners busy for a few years.
I don’t do any reporting work, but I think the change makes complete sense for Microsoft and for folks who want better reporting. The change log for Power BI Desktop and for Power BI Report Server make it clear that Microsoft’s been investing way more in those products, whereas SSRS hasn’t gotten any love in years. I have fond memories of SSRS from 20 years ago, back when it came out and quickly decimated the market share of Crystal Reports. However, the writing’s been on the wall for quite a while. Power BI’s where the action is.
So, does this mean the gradual end of the free-in-the-box BI bundle that emerged in 2005: SQL Server Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Service? Those tools have all steadily declined in usage. Well, SSAS gets improvements in SQL Server 2025, but SSIS’s 2025 changes seem to be more about removing stuff than adding it. Might SSIS be next on the chopping block?
My guess is that SSRS’s ending was easier because Microsoft already had a fully on-premises solution in PBIRS. However, fully on-premises folks don’t have a Microsoft solution to replace SSIS yet. The closest thing they have is a self-hosted integration runtime, but the control is still dependent on the cloud. Announcing the ending of SSIS would be harder if Microsoft doesn’t have an alternative, so rather than ending it outright, they’re just stripping away stuff they don’t want to support (like Attunity and Hadoop.) Given that SSIS gets much less attention from end users (as opposed to reporting apps), Microsoft will probably let SSIS soldier on with zero development effort, like Service Broker. If it works for you, great – keep using it! But just know that the writing’s on the wall for this one, too.