SSRS error on preview : "The size necessary to buffer the XML content exceeded the buffer quota" hides original error

Question

I understand that there is definitely something wrong with my report (e.g. columns missmatcch) and I need to correct it but what I see is the WCF error message that hides actual problem and exactly this hiding irritates me much more than original problem: columns missmatch.

I guess we need to adjust the WCF 'buffer size' and we will get original problem message. But where is the config file? Text search of "system.serviceModel" in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0 doesn't bring good idea...

P.S. Since this is just preview of report I do not think that it is SSRS configuration problem. Problem localised somewhere in DevStudio process or int the DevStudio's internal web server process ...

P.P.S Please help me too improve the question. I see that responders doesn't understand what kind of help I need.

Hardunn

I think there is a problem with your .rdl file. This issue is usually solved by debugging changes made to your report. Did you copy and paste a report created in an older version to a newer version of markup? – Loni

@lrb , there are two problems - one is error in my report, second is the problem with configuration of VS inernals (the internal wcf client can't get actual error message from internal web server because the message is too big). With the help of community I want to try to solve second one. – Hardunn

Hi, I think the error about buffer size is coming from ssrs and being properly returned via your wcf service. Your wcf service is returning the error properly from ssrs. You would get a Channel error or something if the buffer size was configured too small in your wcf service. – Loni

That makes sense... I should test is ssrs really used for preview... So, I have disabled ssrs service: the same message; all other reports preview works. I still think that VS launch internal web server. – Hardunn

By the way I have seen this error in visual studio once. I copied a report in a report solution from one folder to another. The source folder had reports created in ssrs 2008 and the destination reports in 2012. – Loni

I think Kim's answer below is the best. The VS ".rdl validation" logic is a smaller subset of what the server is using prior to upload. The server checks, being more robust, will give a more detailed error. I had a missing parentheses on line 39 and 50 of the custom code. – Loni

Kim's advice is the best, but it is not an answer. Answer would be an explanation how to change the internal wcf client (or server?) buffer size, or an explantion why it is impossible.... – Hardunn

Roman Pokrovskij - The "xml buffer size" is a red herring. The error returned via the WCF service was an error returned from its own call to SSRS. The WCF service conveyed the correct error back to the client, however, the "xml buffer size" is an SSRS error, not a WCF service binding error. What makes this even more confusing is that SSRS's "xml buffer size" error is in itself a red-heron and not the true cause of the error in the .rdl processing. – Loni

@lrb - Thank you for your thoughts. It explains a lot but two doubts left. First: as I remember I was able to see this error even using "VS for Reports" the preview function, and as I understand with "VS for reports preview" the SSRS is not used (but I can be confused there in every passage). And second: it is still WCF error , even if it is on SSRS side (and there is such service known - with which client can load rdl, and even more: I can emulate this error playing with client/server configuration!). All this means that somewhere should be the configuration that needs to be adjusted. – Hardunn

Answer 1

I have encountered multiple "flavors" of this bug in SSRS Preview. It seems the renderer for Preview mode is quite fragile.

There is a simple way to solve this. Ignore the error and attempt to upload the RDL file to your reporting server. The uploader will happily tell you exactly what is wrong with your file - it will tell you exactly what field has a problem and what that problem is. If there are multiple errors, you will get told each and every field and the error associated with each one.

I can create this bogus XML buffer error with any of the following:

• Add a new Tablix, start to connect it to a dataset, then cancel out.
• Copy/paste some text into a textbox from a MS Word document where one or more lines have a negative right indent (right column end is outside page margin).
• Connect a dataset with a varchar(8000) returned value.

Sicular

This answer is great. When uploading via the ssrs manager I got an rsxxx error with a little more detail..."There is an error on line 39 of custom code: [BC30198] ')' expected. (rsCompilerErrorInCode) Get Online Help" – Loni

Worked for me! Just a clarification - Deploying the report from SSRS VS did not work. I had to upload it using Report Manager web page. – Townsville

I tried to deploy but an error appeared in the Eror List screen in Visual Studio something about /ReportName .... so a totally bogus error description so had no idea at first, but I eventually figured out I had a coded expression for the visibility of a column that was referring to column that was removed. So was able to fix that up. – Sordino

Answer 2

Please Check if any of your report items are referencing fields that are not in existing dataset scope.

This indeed worked for me.

See Below link for more information: http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/742913/ssdt-reporting-services-designer-error

Frogmouth

What I want is to configure the underling WCF service to show the original error message. – Hardunn

I had the same problem as Prashant, and it was coming from an expression controlling row visibility that was referencing a field that was no longer present in the query results. – Crosscrosslet

Answer 3

I have seen this error when adding a new field to an existing dataset by clicking "Refresh Fields". The dataset source was a stored procedure. The result was only a few of original fields showed up in the dataset field list and not the new field. If I tried to preview the report I get XML buffer error.

Workaround was to not refresh fields but hit add new field and type the new field name into the dataset properties field last.

Worked fine after that.

Joellyn

Thank you, but question is how to get original error message, not the WCF error message that hides initial problem. – Hardunn

Thanks jjm! You described the exact problem I was having and a workaround that works! Much appreciated! – Splenectomy

Answer 4

I got this error again today.

I had created a table to hold data to replace two slow queries. I changed some names to clean up the process.

I think the error actually means that there are so many problems with my report that the buffer holding the various error messages isn't large enough which leads to the error message.

The size necessary to buffer the XML content exceeded the buffer quota

Of course this should be an easy fix but Microsoft has said that they will not fix it.

https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/742913/ssdt-reporting-services-designer-error

Ptolemaic

Answer 5

EDIT: I've updated my answer based on having fixed the issue.

I'm currently experiencing this problem after having changed multiple stored procedures and updating the dataset names in the SSRS report.

And when I try to run the preview I get the exact same error.

As it turns out, after investigating the issue, the problem was that I had changed the name property of my datasets.

There several places in my report where formulas or expressions use the old name properties of the datasets I renamed. After reverting the dataset names back, I managed to get the real errors like missing fields etc. atcual errors came back after I set my dataset name properties back to what they were.

I only changed the name property back to what it was, the stored procedure names were correctly referring to my renamed stored procedures.

Libyan

Answer 6

If any of you are here in 2024, for me the solution was a DLL reference (that report uses) that were not present in the next paths, you should copy and paste them here:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\SSRS

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies

Wishful

Answer 7

I had this problem when after copying and pasting a tablix, it changed CDbl in a formula to Microsoft.ReportingServices.RdlObjectModel.ExpressionParser.VBFunctions.CDbl. I opened up the XML and removed all instances of "Microsoft.ReportingServices.RdlObjectModel.ExpressionParser.VBFunctions." and the report then worked.

Immix

Answer 8

For a working report, when I tried to add a column it gave me this error. I edited the .rdl file using notepad++. After SSRS prompt to reload the change from disk, it worked without issues.

Ottavia

Answer 9

I got this error after copying my Custom Code to Visual Studio for hightlighting the code for better readability. Well, Visual Studio added class definitions to the beginning and end of the file. After editing code, I pasted it back to report Custom Code, then got this error. Fix was just to remove class definitions (Public Class Class1 and End Class) from Custom Code. So, check your Custom Code also (if any).

Hacking

Answer 10

I got this error after adding some new parameters to an existing report.

For some reason when I created the parameters first then modified the Dataset to use the new parameters I got the error, but when I modified the Dataset first then added the parameters second and I did not get the error.

---

This seemed like very strange behavior to me so I tested it by restoring the report from repository and repeating the process three times with each method, and had identical behavior every time.

Siskind

Answer 11

Possible root causes

1. Parameter name is incorrect(case/order)
   
2. Accessing non-existing property.
   and many more...

Solution: To get the exact error message are

1. Deploy SSRS report and find the error : Suggested by "Kim Crosser" already
2. Remove the section(SSRS/Report content) temporarily you feel is error free to free space in buffer so that you can get actual error message. Later add sections back to the page(removed earlier).

Schrimsher

Answer 12

I am also facing this problem. I solve this Find and replace

1. Microsoft.VisualBasic.Interaction.iif ==> iif
2. Microsoft.ReportingServices.RdlObjectModel.ExpressionParser.VBFunctions.cdbl ==> cdbl

I hope this may helps someone. Thanks

Custumal

Answer 13

I had the same error message and it was totally caused by my doing. It's a bit embarrassing, but if it helps someone out then great! I had accidentally copied my dataset query that included a small sub select statement within it, which I was using to check parameter/variable values.

Trituration

Answer 14

Another solution is to open the .rdl file in Report Builder 3.0 (as opposed to Visual Studio) and try to preview it. I found this gave me the details of the error, although if more than one error is present it only shows the first.

Mitsue

Answer 15

I previously binded a TextBox to

Fields!FieldName

and fixed it with

Fields!FieldName.Value

With that said, and with the other answers posted as well, this error happens in different flavors. My issue was fixed after I had the field property "Value" included.

Memento