Here is a general FAQ about reporting services. http://www.microsoft.com/sql/reporting/howtobuy/faq.asp To get an idea of different configurations. Use the below link: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/reporting/howtobuy/howtolicensers.asp

To handle this, there is a utility called rs.exe. This utility allows the a developer to create a script utilizing Visual Basic.NET. A sample script will follow soon.

Question: What about authentication issues. When the user jumps from our application to the reporting server application does he have to be re-authenticated or is there a way out where the credentials can be picked up form the environment. We are using Windows NT based security where the user is verified...

When you create your reports in Visual Studio, you have multiple solution configurations available. -- Debug Local -- Allows for debugging against your local machine -- Debug -- Allows for debugging and deploying into a test environment. -- Production -- Allows for deploying to a production environment...

Yes, in reporting services, “HTML with Office Web Components” on of the options for exporting reports will utilize and create pivot tables automatically. To find more information: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/RSCREATE/htm/rcr_creating_dc_v1_43vn.asp?frame=true