SSRS AlphaNumeric Parameter Validation

: Category: SQL Server Reporting Services; 07 November 2011; Hits: 24458

Intro
If you ever want to check the parameters submitted with a report for alpha numeric characters (so it doesn't contain symbols, punctuations, etc) then you should do this at the database level, and then get the report to complete the check:

The Plan

User enters value in parameters and clicks on "View Report"
Report passes parameter to dataset which gets formatted by the database
Report retrieves (select) formatted parameter as a field value to use
Report loads with changes based on returned value.

The Gist

Add database level parameter check
Add IIF in SSRS to confirm

Database Level AlphaNumeric Check
You may have better ways to do this but here are my database level checks for alphanumeric values:

copy raw

-- ORACLE
-- 0 if is alphanumeric, 1 or more if not alpha numeric.
SELECT 
(LENGTH(TRIM(TRANSLATE(:ParameterToCheck, 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789', ' ')))) AS NotAlphaNumeric  
FROM
...


-- Transact-SQL
-- 0 if is alphanumeric, 1 or more if not alpha numeric.
SELECT 
PATINDEX('%[^a-zA-Z0-9]%' , @ParameterToCheck) AS NotAlphaNumeric
FROM
...


-- MySQL
-- 1 if is alphanumeric, 0 if not alpha numeric.
SELECT
@ParameterToCheck REGEXP '^[A-Za-z0-9]+$' AS AlphaNumeric
FROM
...

-- ORACLE
-- 0 if is alphanumeric, 1 or more if not alpha numeric.
SELECT
(LENGTH(TRIM(TRANSLATE(:ParameterToCheck, 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789', ' ')))) AS NotAlphaNumeric
FROM
...
-- Transact-SQL
-- 0 if is alphanumeric, 1 or more if not alpha numeric.
SELECT
PATINDEX('%[^a-zA-Z0-9]%' , @ParameterToCheck) AS NotAlphaNumeric
FROM
...
-- MySQL
-- 1 if is alphanumeric, 0 if not alpha numeric.
SELECT
@ParameterToCheck REGEXP '^[A-Za-z0-9]+$' AS AlphaNumeric
FROM
...

Usage

copy raw

-- Using the ORACLE example
SELECT
	Column1,
	Column2,
	(LENGTH(
		TRIM(
			TRANSLATE(
				:ParameterToCheck, 
				'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789', 
				' '
			)
		)
	)) AS NotAlphaNumeric  
FROM 
	YourDataSetTable
WHERE
	ThisRecord = :UserSpecifiedID

-- where :UserSpecifiedID is one of the report parameters (Oracle local variable)
-- where :ParameterToCheck is another of the report parameters (Oracle local variable)

-- Using the ORACLE example
SELECT
Column1,
Column2,
(LENGTH(
TRIM(
TRANSLATE(
:ParameterToCheck,
'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789',
' '
)
)
)) AS NotAlphaNumeric
FROM
YourDataSetTable
WHERE
ThisRecord = :UserSpecifiedID
-- where :UserSpecifiedID is one of the report parameters (Oracle local variable)
-- where :ParameterToCheck is another of the report parameters (Oracle local variable)

MDX Check

copy raw

/*  
	For Expression Value.  
	Remember to apply to both ACTION and if you use color change FONT. 
	Note for MySQL solution change 0 to 1.
*/
=IIF(
	Parameters!ParameterToCheck.Value"" AND Fields!NOTALPHANUMERIC.Value=0,
	"Valid",
	"Not Valid"
)

/*
For Expression Value.
Remember to apply to both ACTION and if you use color change FONT.
Note for MySQL solution change 0 to 1.
*/
=IIF(
Parameters!ParameterToCheck.Value"" AND Fields!NOTALPHANUMERIC.Value=0,
"Valid",
"Not Valid"
)

Additional
If like us, you've made a report containing a link dependent on parameters submitted, we had to apply a similar IIF statement block to the Font color and the Action target as well within SSRS.

Category: SQL Server Reporting Services :: Article: 399

SSRS AlphaNumeric Parameter Validation

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