SQL Server 2025 consolidates reporting under Power BI Report Server

An SSRS alternative that does not lock you into Microsoft

Starting with SQL Server 2025, Microsoft is consolidating on-premises reporting under Power BI Report Server and no new SSRS releases are planned. If you would rather leave the Microsoft reporting stack altogether, Golden Reports is a developer-first alternative built on HTML, CSS, and GraphQL instead of RDL and the Report Designer.

Competitor
SSRS
Est.
2004
Status
No new releases after SSRS 2022
Template
RDL (XML)
Join the waitlistSee how we differ

What happened to SSRS?

Microsoft is consolidating on-premises reporting under Power BI Report Server, ending more than twenty years of SSRS shipping inside SQL Server.

A different approach to reporting

SSRS was designed in an era of server-rendered, designer-first tooling tightly coupled to SQL Server. Golden Reports is built for teams who want to write reports the same way they write the rest of their product: in plain text, version controlled, with a typed data layer.

  1. HTML, CSS, and Liquid templates

    No RDL, no XML, no Report Designer. If you know web development, you already know how to build reports. Templates diff cleanly in pull requests and version with the rest of your codebase.

  2. GraphQL data layer

    Define a typed schema between your data sources and your reports. Reports query a stable, version-controlled interface instead of stored procedures wired into a desktop designer.

  3. Built to embed

    Drop a report into your Angular, React, .NET, or plain HTML app with one component. No iframe pointing at a Report Server. Reports render natively inside your product.

  4. No Microsoft stack dependency

    No SQL Server requirement, no Fabric capacity, no Power BI Pro per author. Predictable per-seat pricing with embedding included on every tier.

SSRS vs Golden Reports

Different tools built on different assumptions. Here is a side-by-side comparison.
  • Template format
    SSRS
    RDL (XML, designer-first)
    Golden Reports
    HTML, CSS, Liquid (plain text)
  • Authoring tool
    SSRS
    Report Builder / SSDT (Windows)
    Golden Reports
    Browser-based editor
  • Runtime
    SSRS
    SSRS service on Windows plus SQL Server
    Golden Reports
    Web-native, single Helm chart
  • Data layer
    SSRS
    Datasets and stored procs wired in the designer
    Golden Reports
    GraphQL schema, typed and reusable
  • Embedding
    SSRS
    iframe or ReportViewer (Framework-only)
    Golden Reports
    Native web component, no iframe
  • Version control
    SSRS
    Manual source control of RDL files
    Golden Reports
    Built-in version history with diff and restore
  • Data source options
    SSRS
    SQL Server first-class, others via providers
    Golden Reports
    Works with any data source via GraphQL
  • License model
    SSRS
    Bundled with SQL Server (SSRS 2022 is final)
    Golden Reports
    Per-seat subscription, free Community tier
  • Future support
    SSRS
    No new releases after SSRS 2022
    Golden Reports
    Actively developed
  • Pixel-perfect PDF and Excel
    SSRS
    Yes
    Golden Reports
    Yes

Both platforms produce paginated reports and export to PDF and Excel. The differences are in how you author them and what you operate to run them.

Migrating from SSRS

There is no automated RDL converter. Migration is a rebuild, though most SSRS concepts have a direct equivalent in Golden Reports.
  • SSRS
    RDL file
    HTML, CSS, and Liquid template

    Plain text. Author in any IDE or in the browser editor. Diffs cleanly in PRs.

  • SSRS
    Datasets
    GraphQL queries in a data context

    Datasets become typed GraphQL queries. One report can compose multiple data contexts.

  • SSRS
    Tablix (table, matrix, list)
    HTML tables plus Liquid iteration

    No special tablix object. Standard HTML table semantics, with Liquid for-loops for rows.

  • SSRS
    Parameters
    Report parameters (typed)

    First-class, validated, and bindable to GraphQL variables or Liquid expressions.

  • SSRS
    Expressions (=Fields!Foo.Value)
    Liquid expressions ({{ foo }})

    Conditional formatting, string manipulation, and date math all use standard Liquid filters.

  • SSRS
    Subreports
    Liquid includes and partials

    Reusable template fragments. Include anywhere, pass parameters explicitly.

  • SSRS
    Page header and footer
    CSS @page rules

    Standard print CSS: running headers, page numbers, margins, page breaks.

  • SSRS
    Drillthrough actions
    Anchor links plus report parameters

    Use ordinary HTML links pointing at other reports with parameters in the URL.

  • SSRS
    Stored procedures as data sources
    GraphQL resolvers

    Resolvers can call your existing stored procedures, or query directly. Logic moves out of the report.

  • SSRS
    Report Server and ReportViewer
    Golden Reports workspace plus embed SDK

    Hosting and permissions are part of the platform. Embed natively via React, Angular, or HTML SDK.

The concrete migration pattern most teams follow: take inventory of SSRS reports, prioritize by usage, rebuild the top reports first, run side by side until output matches, then iterate. Lower-priority reports often turn out to be unused, so migration tends to double as a natural opportunity to cull.

Is Golden Reports right for you?

Golden Reports is a good fit if you:
  • Need to migrate off SSRS and would rather leave the Microsoft reporting stack than move onto Power BI Report Server
  • Are building or maintaining a SaaS product (.NET or otherwise) that needs embedded reporting
  • Prefer web technologies (HTML, CSS, GraphQL) over RDL and the Report Designer
  • Want reports under version control with the same review workflow as the rest of your codebase
  • Need reports that feel native inside your app instead of a redirect to a Report Server

If your team is already deep in the Microsoft stack and Power BI Report Server is the path of least resistance, that may make more sense for your migration. Golden Reports is the right call when you want to take the SSRS retirement as an opportunity to rethink how reports fit into your product rather than simply swapping one Microsoft-hosted reporting tool for another.

Frequently asked questions

Common questions from teams evaluating Golden Reports as an SSRS alternative.
Is SSRS being deprecated?
On June 19, 2025 Microsoft announced that no new version of SSRS will be released and that on-premises reporting is being consolidated under Power BI Report Server starting with SQL Server 2025. SSRS 2022 remains the final release and will continue to receive security updates through January 11, 2033. Existing SSRS deployments keep working; there is simply no further roadmap for the product itself.
What is the official replacement for SSRS in SQL Server 2025?
Microsoft points on-premises customers at Power BI Report Server and cloud customers at the Power BI service. PBIRS is now included with any paid SQL Server 2025 license (previously it was limited to Enterprise editions with Software Assurance, or to Power BI Premium capacity). The licensing picture improves, but the authoring experience shifts noticeably toward Power BI reports rather than the RDL paginated model SSRS users know. Golden Reports is a third option for teams who would rather leave the Microsoft reporting stack altogether.
Can I import existing RDL files into Golden Reports?
No. Golden Reports does not parse RDL. Templates are HTML, CSS, and Liquid, which is a fundamentally different shape than RDL. Migration means rebuilding each report. The trade is that templates become plain text, version cleanly in Git, and can be edited in any IDE or web-based editor.
Does Golden Reports require SQL Server?
No. Golden Reports is data-source agnostic via its GraphQL data layer. Postgres is supported at launch via the connector plugin system; SQL Server, REST, GraphQL, and gRPC connectors are on the roadmap. You connect once at the data context layer; reports query the GraphQL schema, not the underlying database directly.
What replaces RDL expressions in Golden Reports?
Two things, depending on where the logic belongs. Presentation logic (formatting, conditionals, iteration) uses Liquid expressions in templates. Data logic (joins, aggregations, computed fields) lives in GraphQL queries and resolvers. The split is cleaner than RDL expressions being scattered across textboxes, datasets, and parameters.
Can I embed Golden Reports in a .NET application like I did with ReportViewer?
Yes, though the model is different. Instead of a ReportViewer control bound to a Report Server URL, Golden Reports ships a web component (plus React, Angular, and plain-HTML SDKs) that renders reports natively inside your front-end. For .NET back-ends, you call the Golden Reports API like any other HTTPS service. Note that the Microsoft ReportViewer control itself only supports .NET Framework 4.6+ with WinForms or WebForms, which already excludes .NET Core, .NET 5+, Blazor, WPF, and MAUI apps.
Does Golden Reports support pixel-perfect paginated reports?
Yes. Reports export to PDF and Excel with precise page layout control via standard CSS @page rules: margins, running headers and footers, page breaks, and page numbering. This is the same category SSRS calls "paginated reports," authored in HTML and CSS rather than RDL.
How do I migrate from SSRS to Golden Reports?
There is no automated RDL converter. In practice, teams take inventory of their SSRS reports, prioritize by usage, and rebuild one report at a time using the migration concept map on this page. Run the SSRS and Golden Reports versions side by side until output matches, then cut over. The free Community tier is intended for exactly this kind of evaluation before commitment.

Compare to other reporting tools

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Start your evaluation

Build your first report in an afternoon, not a quarter.

The free Community tier is designed for exactly the kind of evaluation a SSRS migration deserves. No credit card, no commitment, no migration plan required up front.

Join the waitlistSee pricing
Free tier
3 builders · 1 workspace
Queries / month
1,500