xtrareports-405565-ai-powered-functionality-visual-studio-report-designer-preview-reports-with-ai-generated-test-data.md
With the DevExpress AI-powered Assistant , you can generate AI-powered test data to preview reports without connecting to a live data source directly within the Visual Studio Report Designer. This feature uses the report’s data source schema and expression bindings to create a JSON test data set.
The DevExpress Unified Component Installer installs the AI-powered Assistant for Visual Studio extension.
Go to Tools → Options → DevExpress → AI Assistant to open AI Assistant options.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Endpoint URL | The service endpoint used to connect to Azure OpenAI. For OpenAI connections, this option must be empty. |
API Key | A personal access key required to authenticate requests to the AI service. |
Model Name | The identifier of the AI model (for example, gpt-4o-mini). |
Enable Logging | If enabled, the extension records request and response details for diagnostic purposes. Logs are stored in the following folder: C:\Documents and Settings<UserName>\AppData\Local\DevExpress\AI_Assistant_VSIX |
Enable Prompt Caching | If enabled, previously used prompts and responses are cached to improve performance and reduce repeated requests. |
Warning
Some OpenAI models (for example, GPT-5, o1, and o3 series) do not support the Temperature parameter. To avoid runtime exceptions when targeting these models, set the Temperature to 1. The value is ignored by the service, but this setting prevents validation/compatibility errors.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
Row Count | Specifies the number of rows/records the AI service generates for the test data source. |
Temperature | Controls randomness in AI output and produces more deterministic results. Higher values increase variation. The default value is 0. |
Click the Test Data tab to preview the report with AI-generated test data. The Report Designer requests data from an LLM and populates the report with meaningful values for preview.
Possible CauseThe DevExpress AI-powered Assistant for Visual Studio extension is disabled.SolutionOpen the Extension Manager in Visual Studio ( Extensions → Manage Extensions… ). Switch to the Installed tab and enable the DevExpress AI-powered Assistant for Visual Studio extension. Restart Visual Studio.
Possible CauseSome OpenAI models (for example, GPT-5, o1, and o3 series) do not support the Temperature parameter.SolutionOpen AI Assistant Options and check Model Name and Temperature settings. If the selected model does not accept the Temperature, set the Temperature to 1 to avoid errors, or switch to a supported model (for example, gpt-4o-mini).
Possible CauseThe specified model deployment does not exist. This may happen if the deployment name is incorrect, if the deployment was recently created and is not yet active, or if it was deleted.SolutionOpen AI Assistant Options and check the Model Name setting.
See Also
Preview Reports with AI-generated Test Data (Web Report Designer)