How to back up the reporting services encryption key to a text file

Reporting Services uses encryption keys to secure credentials, connection information, and accounts that are used in server operations. Encryption keys are created during setup. If you ever need to repair a Reporting Services installation due to changes in computer name, instance name, or user account values, you can apply the key to make the report server database operational.

Reporting Services provides the rskeymgmt utility that you can use to extract a copy of the encryption key from the report server database. The utility writes the key to a file that you specify, and then scrambles the key using a password that you provide. For lated use you should not forget the password and keep the destination file where the key is exported in a safe place.

To extract the encryption key from reporting services database to a text file, follow the below steps:

Log on to the server locally where the Reporting Services is installed.

Open the command prompt and navigate the current directory to the folder where the RSKeyMgmt.exe file exists. With default installation RSKeyMgmt.exe is placed in the "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn" folder.

Syntax :

Path of executable : C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn

<pwd> : MyPassword

<file> : c:\ReportingServicesDBKey.txt

Sample command line prompt for rskeymgmt.exe to extract reporting services database key.

For more information on report server encryption keys check the following link Managing Encryption Keys MSDN article