Possible to send SQL Reporting Services report in email format with a duplicate pdf attachment?

Question

Our system sends a "Daily Update" email via Reporting Services to all users each morning. If people are on a computer there's no issue. But, for users on the go, some mobile device email clients can't render the email. However, they can all render pdf files.

So... the quick fix was to create two subscriptions for each user; one with the message in the body and one with the message in an attached pdf. This creates an annoying amount of friction. I'd love to send a single email with the message in the body a duplicate pdf version attached.

Is there a simple solution?

FYI, we're managing this through Reporting Services Subscriptions.

Answer 1

By default, no: you can't have both formats in one email

The report "render format" determines whether inline or attached if you check "Include Report". So setting to "PDF" will generate an attachment. However, if you check "Include Link" for PDF rendering then folk can click and go to the report served by the Web site.

Otherwise, you'd have to write some small app that calls the ReportServer service and gets both report formats and combine into one email. Or write your own custom delivery extension