SQL Server 2025 Reporting Services: SSRS Replaced by Power BI Report Server

With the release of Microsoft SQL Server 2025, one of the most important, and most missed changes, isn’t about performance, security, or AI features. It’s about reporting. And SQL Server Reporting Services in particular.For years, organisations have relied on SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) for on-premises operational reporting, invoices, statements, regulatory extracts, and those “must-print” pixel-perfect outputs.In SQL Server 2025, released at the end of last year, Microsoft has drawn a clear line in the sand: SSRS is no longer moving forward as a standalone product, and on-premises reporting is now consolidated under Power BI Report Server.This post explains what’s changed, what’s bundled (and what isn’t), and how to think about your next steps.

A quick recap: what SSRS used to be

SSRS has long been the default Microsoft option for on-premises, server-hosted reporting. It’s best known for paginated reports (RDL): highly formatted, page-based reports designed for printing, exporting to PDF, or distributing by email.

It has been the workhorse for operational reporting in countless SQL Server estates, and for good reason: it’s reliable, mature, and fits well into traditional IT governance.

However, Microsoft has confirmed that SSRS 2022 is the final release of SSRS, and that there is no SSRS “version” shipping with SQL Server 2025.

Reference:

Reporting Services consolidation FAQ (Microsoft Learn)

So what replaces SSRS in SQL Server 2025?

The consolidated on-premises reporting platform is now Power BI Report Server (often referred to informally as “Power BI Reporting Services”).

Power BI Report Server is an on-premises server product that supports:

• Paginated reports (RDL) — the same report type SSRS was built for
• Interactive Power BI reports (PBIX) hosted on-premises
• A modern web portal experience, security integration, and standard report management capabilities

In other words: rather than shipping and maintaining two separate on-premises products (SSRS for RDL and Power BI for interactive reporting), Microsoft has aligned the on-premises story around a single report server.

Reference:

SQL Server 2025 announcement (Microsoft Tech Community)

Is SSRS and Power BI Report Server “bundled into the same product”?

Not as two separate installs. The practical change is this:

• SSRS is not included with SQL Server 2025 as a new, updated SSRS release.
• Power BI Report Server is the consolidated on-premises reporting product going forward.
• Power BI Report Server supports both RDL (paginated) and PBIX (interactive) reports on-premises.

So if your question is: “Do I now have one on-premises reporting platform that covers both SSRS-style paginated reporting and Power BI-style interactive reporting?”  the answer is effectively yes, via Power BI Report Server.

If your question is: “Is SSRS still bundled as its own separate reporting feature in SQL Server 2025?” — the answer is no.

Why this matters for organisations running SSRS today

If you’re currently using SSRS heavily, you do not need to panic, but you do need a plan.

SSRS 2022 remains supported under its lifecycle, but Microsoft’s direction is clear: future on-premises reporting investment is centred on Power BI Report Server.

This matters because many estates still treat SSRS as a default dependency, embedded in operational workflows, tightly coupled with SQL Agent jobs, triggered exports, scheduled subscriptions, and business-critical PDF pipelines.

The good news is that RDL and paginated reports remains a first-class citizen in the on-premises world via Power BI Report Server,  you’re not being forced to redesign everything as dashboards overnight.

What should you do next?

Here’s a sensible, low-risk approach:

1. Catalogue your SSRS reports and classify them (operational/regulatory / management / ad-hoc).
2. Identify the “hard” ones: complex subscriptions, custom extensions, unusual authentication, or legacy dependencies.
3. Stand up Power BI Report Server in a test environment and validate a representative set of RDL reports.
4. Decide your target model: on-premises PBIRS, cloud Power BI, or a hybrid approach.

Reference:

Power BI Report Server overview (Power BI)

Conclusion

SQL Server 2025 marks a clear change in Microsoft’s reporting roadmap. SSRS as a standalone product isn’t moving forward in new SQL Server releases, and Power BI Report Server is now the consolidated on-premises reporting platform that supports both paginated (RDL) and interactive Power BI reporting.

If you’re responsible for an on-premises SQL Server estate, now is the time to understand the shift, assess your SSRS footprint, and plan your reporting future in a controlled way, before the change becomes urgent in a few years time.

Need help migrating from SSRS?

If you’re running SQL Server and relying on SSRS for operational reporting, now is the time to plan your next move.

We help organisations:

• Audit and rationalise SSRS estates
• Design and deploy Power BI Report Server environments
• Migrate reports safely with minimal disruption
• Modernise reporting architecture (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid)
• Improve performance, security, and governance

Whether you need a structured migration plan, hands-on technical support, or strategic guidance on your reporting roadmap,
we can help you move forward with confidence.

Book a Reporting Strategy Call

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