I have been studying SSRS 2005 / 2008 in the past weeks and have created some server side reports. For some application, a colleague suggested that I look into RDLC for that particular situation. I am now trying to get my head around the main difference between RDL and RDLC.

Searching for this information yields fragmented information at best. I have learned that:

• RDLC reports do not store information about how to get data.
• RDLC reports can be executed directly by the ReportViewer control.

But I still don't fully understand the relation between the RDLC file and the other related systems (the Reporting Server, the source database, the client).

In order to get a good grasp on RDLC files, I would like to know how their use differs from RDL files and in what situation one would choose RDLC over RDL. Links to resources are also welcome.

Update:

A thread on the ASP.NET forums discusses this same issue. From it, I have gained some better understanding on the issue.

A feature of RDLC is that it can be run completely client-side in the ReportViewer control.

• This removes the need for a Reporting Services instance, and even removes the need for any database connection whatsoever, but:
• It adds the requirement that the data that is needed in the report has to be provided manually.

Whether this is an advantage or a disadvantage depends on the particular application.

In my application, an instance of Reporting Services is available anyway and the required data for the reports can easily be pulled from a database. Is there any reason left for me to consider RDLC, or should I simply stick with RDL?