I have a dataset in ssrs 2008 report that gets its fields from a SQL stored procedure. This stored procedure retrieves data from a relational database. I removed one field named 'Roster Shift' from the stored procedure output query as this field get dropped from the database table itself. This field was never used in the report but was a part of the dataset fields there. To my surprise, the report still runs fine although I have not refreshed the dataset fields after this change and 'Roster Shift' is still showing under the dataset. To my understanding, it is sort of a ghost field under the dataset as the stored procedure dose not pass it to the report.
Can anybody please explain this behaviour of SSRS as such fields can cause confusion during maintenance of such reports at a later stage. Is it fine to leave the ghost fields if the report seems to run fine?