Using DLL Only

Using Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services – DLL‑Only Installation

This guide explains how to install Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services when you want to work only with the DLL files (no MSI/Setup packages).

📦 1. Download the Component

  1. Open the Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services download page.
  2. Download the Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services (zip) archive – it contains the latest DLLs and documentation.

Supported DLL packages

Folder (inside the ZIP) SSRS version supported
SSRS2005 SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services
SSRS2008 SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services
SSRS2008R2 SQL Server 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2014 Reporting Services
SSRS2016 SQL Server 2016 / 2017 / 2019 Reporting Services
PBIRS Power BI Report Server

Tip: Choose the folder that matches the SSRS version you are using. The DLL inside each folder is named Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.dll.

📁 2. Extract the Archive

Extract the ZIP to a folder of your choice, e.g.:

C:\Aspose\CellsReportingServices\

🛠️ 3. Install the Report Designer Add‑in (Excel)

The Designer add‑in lets you design reports directly from Excel.

  1. Open a Developer Command Prompt (run as Administrator).
  2. Register the client assembly with RegAsm.exe:
"%WINDIR%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v4.0.30319\RegAsm.exe" ^
    "C:\Aspose\CellsReportingServices\Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.Client.dll" /codebase

Note: Use the 64‑bit RegAsm.exe (Framework64) if your Office installation is 64‑bit.

  1. Open Excel → File → Options → Add‑Ins → COM Add‑ins → Go…
  2. Check Aspose.Cells Reporting Services Designer and click OK.

📂 4. Deploy the Rendering Extension to SSRS

4.1 Copy the renderer DLL

Copy the version‑specific Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.dll to the SSRS bin folder:

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS13.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\ReportServer\bin

(Path varies with SSRS version – replace MSRS13.MSSQLSERVER with your instance name.)

4.2 Register the renderer in rsreportserver.config

Edit the file:

%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\MSRS13.MSSQLSERVER\Reporting Services\ReportServer\rsreportserver.config

Locate the <Render> element and insert the following entries inside it (keep existing extensions intact):

<!-- Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services renderers -->
<Extension Name="ACXLS"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.XlsRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXLSX"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.Excel2007XlsxRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXLSX(Data Only)" Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.Excel2007SimpleXlsxRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXLSB"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.XlsbRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXLSM"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.Excel2007XlsmRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXML"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.SpreadsheetMLRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACHTML"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.HtmlRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACCSV"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.CSVRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACODS"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.ODSRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACTXT"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.TabDelimitedRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACXPS"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.XpsRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACMD"        Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.MarkdownRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACTIFF"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.TIFFRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACPDF"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.PDFRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACPNG"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.PNGRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACJPG"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.JPGRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACEMF"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.EMFRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACDIF"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.DifRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACSVG"       Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.SvgRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />
<Extension Name="ACJSON"      Type="Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.JsonRenderer, Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices" />

Tip: Preserve the original indentation and line‑break style to keep the file readable.

4.3 Grant Full‑Trust to the assembly

Edit rssrvpolicy.config (same folder as rsreportserver.config) and add a new CodeGroup that grants FullTrust to the Aspose.Cells assembly.

Locate the outer <CodeGroup> with PermissionSetName="Execution" and insert the following as the last child:

<!-- Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services – Full Trust -->
<CodeGroup class="UnionCodeGroup" version="1"
           PermissionSetName="FullTrust"
           Name="Aspose.Cells_for_Reporting_Services"
           Description="Grants full trust to Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services assemblies">
  <IMembershipCondition class="StrongNameMembershipCondition" version="1"
    PublicKeyBlob="00240000048000009400000006020000002400005253413100040000010001002780c08eaa89aedfb00b1b96137cca3e15f32826e0e4fd1da3c98d1e3968a03a019aa7b7228b151f6e5dae4dcb00f98479770f507626b04e786e5e93ec3757c1cc4ed1ac4b72c7649c4438e9d3a5f44d8b7522043686a2e8c2a495e04b917e0505d3201015c828e3c15afc8a46ab78293574b9e0475df68627bbabc5b564addd" />
</CodeGroup>

Why? The renderer runs inside the SSRS sandbox; FullTrust is required for file‑system and native‑code access.

✅ 5. Verify the Installation

  1. Open Report Manager (default URL: http://<ServerName>/Reports).
  2. Navigate to any report and click Export → Select Format.
  3. You should see a list of new formats prefixed with “AC” (e.g., ACXLS – Excel Workbook via Aspose.Cells).
  4. Choose a format (e.g., ACXLSX) and click Export.
  5. The report is generated and downloaded. Open it in Microsoft Excel to confirm the output.

If the new formats are missing, double‑check:

  • The DLL is in the correct ReportServer\bin folder.
  • The <Extension> entries are inside the <Render> element (no stray tags).
  • The CodeGroup was added correctly and the XML is well‑formed.
  • IIS/SSRS service was restarted (or simply run net stop ReportServer && net start ReportServer).

Verify that Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services is installed successfully

  1. Open the Report Manager and check the list of available export types for a report. Launch Report Manager by opening a browser and type the Report Manager URL into the address bar. (By default, the URL is http:///Reports).
  2. Select one of the reports on the server and open the Select Format list. You should see the list of export formats provided by Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services.
  3. Select XLS – Excel Workbook via Aspose.Cells.
  4. Click Export. The report is generated in the selected format.
  5. Send it to the client and open it in an appropriate application. In this case, the report opens in Microsoft Excel.

Congratulations, you’ve successfully installed Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services and generated a report as a Microsoft Excel file!

There are 7 kinds of versions Aspose.Cells.ReprotingSerivces.dll in Aspose.Cells.ReportingServices.DLLs_xx.xx.zip. They support different Microsoft report server products.

Using MSI Installer Uninstalling Aspose.Cells for Reporting Services