🛠️ Fixing “Member not found. (DISP_E_MEMBERNOTFOUND)” Error in SSRS (Visual Studio)

Some SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) developers using Visual Studio 2019 have reported a frustrating designer error when adding or editing report items. If you’re seeing it too, use the clean workaround below to get unstuck quickly.

❌ Error Message

Member not found. (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80020003 (DISP_E_MEMBERNOTFOUND))

This typically appears while modifying a report that was originally created using the Wizard, or when the report designer becomes out of sync with the underlying RDL structure.

✅ Quick Fix (Clean Rebuild Approach)

The simplest way to bypass the issue is to start from a clean, known-good RDL (one generated by the Wizard), then rebuild your layout and datasets.

Step #1: Duplicate a Working Wizard Report

• Right-click an existing, working .rdl file
• Copy > Paste (in the same project)
• Rename the new file to your target report name

Step #2: Clear the Report Body (Design Surface)

• Open the copied report
• Go to Design view
• Click in the report body
• Press Ctrl + A, then Delete to remove all items

Step #3: Remove Old Data Sources and Datasets

• Open the "Report Data" pane
• Under Data Sources: right-click each > Delete
• Under Datasets: right-click each > Delete

Step #4: Rebuild Fresh Connections, Queries, and Layout

Create fresh data connections and datasets, then add new tablix/matrix/chart items from the toolbox.

🔗 Example: Embedded Data Source (SQL Authentication)

Data Source: SQLServerLocal
Type: Microsoft SQL Server
Connection String: Data Source=YOUR_SERVER;Initial Catalog=YOUR_DATABASE;

🧪 Example: Dataset Query (T-SQL)

SELECT TOP (50)
       OrderID,
       CustomerName,
       OrderDate,
       TotalAmount
FROM dbo.SalesOrders
ORDER BY OrderDate DESC;

🧩 Example: Simple Tablix Expression

=Format(Fields!OrderDate.Value, "yyyy-MM-dd")

🧰 Advanced: RDL Cleanup (Optional)

If you prefer, you can inspect the RDL XML (right-click the .rdl > Open With… > XML Editor) and look for incomplete or mismatched elements. Common culprits include partially removed Tablix sections.

Example snippet to inspect:

<Tablix Name="Tablix1">
  <TablixBody>
    <TablixColumns>...</TablixColumns>
    <TablixRows>...</TablixRows>
  </TablixBody>
  <DataSetName>YourDataSet</DataSetName>
</Tablix>

⚠️ Be careful editing XML by hand—always keep a backup copy of your .rdl first.

🧾 Summary

💡 Tips

• Use Shared Data Sources where possible to reduce duplication.
• Keep small, test-friendly queries while rebuilding, then scale up.
• Commit working .rdl versions to source control to revert quickly.

Have you hit this error? This blog can help other SSRS developers!