Keep report header visible while scrolling

Question

I often check the following option in the hope that it will be implemented when the report is rendered on the RS web portal - but it never works...

The reports usually have some Row Groups - does this have an impact on whether this option will work?

Or is this a bug in Reporting Services?

Alongshore

This option does work, I have used it frequently. Can you expand on "it doesn't work"? What actually happens when you use this option? – Nepean

@Nathan nothing happens - that's the problem ....in the reporting services web-site when I open the report the column headers do not remain visible (similar to Freeze pain in Excel). It just scrolls up and the headers are gone. – Alongshore

Answer 1

I find it usually doesnt work as advertised and you have to find the "Advanced mode" button (a strong candidate for the worst piece of UI ever) and then fiddle with several properties.

Here's probably the best reference:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/robertbruckner/archive/2008/10/13/repeat-header-and-visible-fixed-header-table.aspx

Vange

+1, plus and extra +1 in spirit for "a strong candidate for worst piece of UI ever" - couldn't agree more. I guess this leads on from stackoverflow.com/questions/15065843 ? In that example I got my test going at the row level through Advanced mode, not at the Tablix level. Just to add confirmation that it does work, if every single aspect is correct. Best advice is to start with the most simple report possible, get the fixed header going, then keep adding functionality, testing at each step that the fixed header hasn't magically stopped working. – Handel

Also remember to set your background color property on the header cells - they are transparent by default. – Nepean

+1 thanks for this Mike - not had time to implement yet but will mark this as correct if this makes the difference – Alongshore

Tomorrow I will try implementing the steps specified in Buckner's blog...looks very promising – Alongshore

couldn't resist - followed the steps and applied them all to each of the "static" fields in the row groups. In the Preview pane it works - but once deployed it does not reflect in the report; the report opens ok but the headers to not stay visible when I scroll down a long way – Alongshore

I keep coming back to this recommendation and it keeps working. Key for me is to remember "keep header visibile while scrolling" == "fixed data" for small values of equality. Why hasn't this been refactored long since? – Preadamite

Answer 2

Step 1) In the Tablix properties check the boxes for:

• Repeat header rows on each page.
• Keep header visible while scrolling.

Make sure that the Column Headers check boxes are NOT checked.

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Step 2) In the Group pane on the left (Row Groups) the first line is Static (in Advanced mode).

• Set its: "RepeatOnNewPage" property to TRUE
• Set its: "FixedData" property to TRUE
• Set its: "KeepWithGroup" property to AFTER

Illegality

thanks for info - this should be easier to find hey? not the most intuitive set up by MS – Alongshore

This worked perfectly for me. Hopefully the new reporting tool in 2017 upgrade is better than this. – Perspicacity

Answer 3

I think what confuses people about these settings is that the "Row Headers" and "Column Headers" that the settings refer to are not visible if you have used a "table"-style tablix. These are only visible when using a "matrix"-style tablix.

Therefore I often see people trying to set this for tables and wondering why it does not work. As per the MSDN blog post referred to in Mike Honey's answer, if you have used a table then you have to fiddle about with the Advanced settings to get this to work.

My tip is to start with a matrix and make sure the row or column headers you want to remain visible are in the matrix row/column group areas (above and to the left of the double-dash lines). You can remove any row or column groups that you are not going to use. When you set the "remain visible" settings they should then just work as expected.

Nepean

+1 thanks for this Nathan - not had time to implement yet but will mark this as correct if this makes the difference – Alongshore

+1, some interesting information here. Still seems like a rather non-intuitive way of doing things! – Handel

You're right Ian, it's pretty unintuitive, I have learned how this works the hard way! – Nepean

Does anyone know of any way to set or find out what "style" of tablix you have? – Vange

The style of tablix you start out with depends on whether you select the "Table" or "Matrix" data region when adding it to the report. The reason there are two different options is partly a hangover from earlier versions of SSRS when these were actually two different objects, but they are now both Tablix under the hood. You can convert one into the other by adding and removing row and column groups with group headers. – Nepean

Answer 4

Here in 2023 and this still is an issue. The accepted answer's link is broken now. Below is how you get this to work.

1. Click on the small down arrow to the right of the Column Groups and check Advanced Mode
2. Click on the (Static) row under the Row Group
3. On the properties area to the far right, Set the following:
4. FixedData = True, KeepWithGroup = After, RepeatOnNewPage = True
5. On the tablix header go into the properties and make sure the Keep header visible while scrolling is UNCHECKED for both the row header and column header sections.
6. Finally set the tablix header row BackgroudColor to white or something else, it is transparent by default. Without the background change the header text will float on of the data.

Performative

A+ answer. All the others are not complete. The top/accepted response is a dead link. This should be at the top. – Defendant

If you cannot see the properties that are listed here on the right side of the screenshot, then, in the properties window, at the top there is a dropdown. Select the Tablix there. Or even try Body. That should do it. – Eyed

If you want a longer scrolling page, you can set the InteractiveSize of the page up to 455 inches long in the Report properties. Which is separate from the "print" PageSize when saved to a pdf, etc. – Behoove

Answer 5

I couldn't find this property in Visual Studio, so I checked XML source.

1. In solution explorer right click on your report and View Code.
2. In xml code find:

    <TablixRowHierarchy>
        <TablixMembers>
            <TablixMember>
                <TablixHeader>

3. Under <TablixMember> put this code:

<FixedData>true</FixedData>

Now save the code and you will see that header row is freezed.

Bagwell

Answer 6

Kindly note: We can keep the headers of a Tablix Freezed.

Work around:

1. We need to change the fixed data property to true of a header cell(static)
2. Remove the selection of check box for "keep the row or column header visible while scrolling"

Debauchery