SSRS - How to build a simple multi-column report?

Question

I am using SQL Server 2008 and I want to show 1 single field from a table in multiple columns in the report. Just like if I were to print labels. How can I achieve this?

Answer 1

The method I use is a bit similar as what Vern suggested but differs enough to make it worth mentioning here.

You can combine the ROW_NUMBER with the modulo (%) operator directly in the query to fabricate the column number in which the record should get displayed. Here's an example that generates one while taking a group into account:

declare @numberOfColumns int = 4;

select dpc.EnglishProductCategoryName, dp.ProductAlternateKey
    , (ROW_NUMBER() OVER (
        PARTITION BY dpc.EnglishProductCategoryName
        ORDER BY dp.ProductAlternateKey) + @numberOfColumns - 1) % @numberOfColumns + 1
    as DisplayColumn
from dbo.DimProduct dp
inner join dbo.DimProductSubcategory dps on dps.ProductSubcategoryKey = dp.ProductSubcategoryKey
inner join dbo.DimProductCategory dpc on dpc.ProductCategoryKey = dps.ProductCategoryKey;

To get this displayed I'm using nested tables which are then filtered on DisplayColumn.

Have a read through following article for all the details: Creating Multiple-Column Reports