SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) has been a cornerstone of enterprise reporting for nearly two decades. It helped countless teams deliver paginated, SQL-powered reports in on-prem environments and for a long time, that was exactly what businesses needed.
Today, it’s a different story.
Microsoft hasn’t officially retired SSRS. It’s still supported in SQL Server 2022, and many organizations continue using it for critical reporting. But signs of stagnation are hard to ignore. Core features have been deprecated or quietly removed, and the product hasn’t evolved to meet modern expectations for interactivity, automation, or cloud readiness.
If you’re still relying on SSRS, the question isn’t if it’s time to modernize, it’s how soon you need to make a move before it becomes a liability.
What Microsoft Is Actually Saying About SSRS
Microsoft hasn’t declared an official end-of-life for SSRS. But it's clear the platform is no longer a focus for future development. Over the last few releases, several key features have been deprecated or removed entirely.
Some of the most notable changes include:
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Removal of Mobile Reports and the Mobile Report Publisher
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Removal of the “Pin to Power BI” option
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Removal of support for Atom feeds, XLS, and DOC formats
These aren’t small adjustments. They signal a broader shift in strategy. In Microsoft's own documentation, deprecated features are placed in "maintenance mode only," meaning they won’t receive updates and may be removed in future versions.
Users are also running into real-world issues. In SSRS 2019, Mobile Reports technically still exist, but the menu to create them is missing. Even when uploaded manually, these reports often don't show up properly in the web portal. The product is still available, but the experience is quietly breaking apart.
The Real Risk: You're Building on a Shrinking Platform
There’s also a deeper issue. Many SSRS setups still run on older SQL Server versions like 2014, 2016, or 2017. These versions are already out of support or approaching that point. Keeping your reporting stack tied to aging software increases risk and makes it harder to modernize.
SSRS still functions, but it's increasingly misaligned with what modern teams need. The interface is outdated, it lacks support for interactive dashboards, and mobile accessibility is almost nonexistent.
As more businesses transition away from SSRS, the number of professionals who know how to manage and troubleshoot it is decreasing. This makes support more expensive and harder to find. What was once standard reporting infrastructure is slowly becoming legacy tech.
Some teams are still using workarounds. Mobile reports can be forced into SSRS, and security updates can be extended through paid support. But these are signs of a tool that's losing relevance. They're temporary fixes, not long-term solutions.
What Microsoft Wants You to Do Instead
While SSRS is still available, Microsoft has made it clear where the future is headed. The focus is on cloud-first platforms like Power BI, Azure SQL Database, and Azure SQL Managed Instance. These tools offer automation, scalability, and real-time collaboration, which SSRS was never built to support.
Microsoft's lifecycle guidance encourages teams to modernize their infrastructure. That means moving away from on-premise reporting and toward solutions that are actively being developed and improved. With each new SQL Server release, more signs point to SSRS being a compatibility holdover, not a long-term option.
For businesses that aren't ready to migrate, Microsoft offers Extended Security Updates (ESUs) as a fallback. These updates only include critical security patches. There are no new features, no functional improvements, and no bug fixes. The cost is also significant, reaching up to 75 percent of the original license per year. ESUs are only available for three years, which makes them a short-term fix, not a real strategy.
Why CxReports Is a Smart Alternative
If you need reporting that works now and grows with your business, SSRS no longer fits the bill. That’s where CxReports comes in.
CxReports offers the same structured, paginated output that SSRS users rely on, but with modern advantages built in. You get a visual drag-and-drop editor, automated scheduling, and full control over branding and layout. No coding, no server maintenance, and no outdated tools standing in the way.
The platform supports a wide range of data sources, including SQL, APIs, and JSON. Reports can be generated on a schedule, triggered by workflows, or shared securely through custom delivery options. Whether you're deploying on-premise for compliance or in the cloud for convenience, CxReports adapts to your setup.
It’s built for the teams that still care about precision, but want to move on from tools that are no longer keeping up.
CxReports vs. SSRS: What You Actually Get
SSRS helped teams deliver structured reports when cloud adoption was low and SQL expertise was common. Today, reporting needs are different. Here's how CxReports compares to SSRS based on what matters most.
The gaps are hard to ignore. SSRS still works, but it's falling behind. CxReports gives teams the structure they’re used to, with the flexibility they actually need.
How to Transition from SSRS to CxReports
Moving away from SSRS doesn’t have to be disruptive. With the right approach, teams can modernize their reporting without breaking existing workflows.
Start by taking inventory. Map out your current SSRS reports, how often they’re used, and which teams rely on them. This helps you prioritize which reports should be rebuilt or replaced.
Next, identify the reports that matter most. These are usually customer-facing documents, financial summaries, or any output that drives decisions. Focus your first efforts on what actually gets used.
Once you have a shortlist, run a pilot. Choose a single department or reporting process and rebuild it using CxReports. This lets you test the output, refine the process, and get feedback before rolling it out further.
Finally, connect with the CxReports team. They’ll help you set up data connections, automate delivery, and recreate templates so your reporting runs without manual effort.
Final Thoughts
SSRS might still work, but it is no longer aligned with the future of reporting. It’s becoming increasingly outdated, with key features removed and others in a state of decline. Holding onto SSRS for too long will result in higher support costs, limited flexibility, and more manual processes.
By modernizing, you can enjoy:
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Lower support costs
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Better data access
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Less dependency on outdated infrastructure
CxReports offers a solution with the features SSRS can no longer provide. It streamlines reporting with cloud-readiness, a visual editor, automation, and mobile-friendly capabilities.
Want to see how it works in action? Check out our video walkthrough to see how CxReports could simplify your reporting.
Schedule a meeting with our team. We're here to help you plan the next step.