How to Select a Report Layout in Business Central
If you have ever printed a sales invoice and wondered why it looks different from what your colleague prints, or why a report is coming out in the wrong format, the answer is almost always the same: report layouts.
Business Central gives you full control over which layout is used for any given report — and switching between them is simpler than most people realise. This post explains what report layouts are, where to find them, and how to select the right one.
What Is a Report Layout?
A report layout is the template that controls how a report looks when it is printed or exported. It defines the visual design — logo placement, fonts, column widths, headers, footers — separately from the data the report contains.
The same report can have multiple layouts available. For example, your Sales Invoice report might have:
- A default Microsoft layout
- A custom branded layout with your company logo and colours
- A simplified layout for internal use
- Different layouts for different customers or document types
Selecting a layout tells Business Central which template to use when that report runs. The underlying data is identical — only the presentation changes.
Types of Report Layouts in Business Central
Before selecting a layout, it helps to understand the three layout types available in BC:
RDLC Layouts RDLC (Report Definition Language Client-side) layouts are the traditional BC layout format. They are created in Visual Studio or a similar tool and offer precise control over design. Most standard BC reports ship with an RDLC layout by default.
Word Layouts Word layouts use a Microsoft Word document as the template. They are easier to edit than RDLC — a business user with Word skills can adjust fonts, add a logo, or reformat a table without developer involvement. Word layouts are the recommended format for customer-facing documents like invoices, quotes, and statements.
Excel Layouts Excel layouts, introduced in more recent BC versions, use an Excel workbook as the template. They are particularly well suited to data-heavy reports where the output is intended for further analysis rather than printing.
How to Select a Report Layout
There are two ways to select a report layout in Business Central: through the Report Layout Selection page, or directly from the Report Layout page. Both achieve the same result — the approach depends on whether you are managing layouts for one report or across multiple.
Method 1 — Report Layout Selection Page
This is the central place to manage layout assignments across all reports.
- Use the Tell Me function (Ctrl+F3) and search for Report Layout Selection
- The page lists all reports that have layouts available, along with the currently selected layout for each
- Find the report you want to change — you can use the search or filter by Report ID or Report Name
- In the Selected Layout column, click to open the dropdown and choose from the available layouts
- Your selection is saved immediately — no need to post or confirm
The Selected Layout column shows the currently active layout. The dropdown will show all layouts available for that report, including any custom layouts that have been uploaded or created.
Method 2 — Directly from the Report Request Page
When you run a report, the request page that appears before it prints also gives you access to layout selection.
- Run the report as normal — for example, open a Posted Sales Invoice and click Print
- On the report request page, look for the Report Layout field or a Layout button in the action bar
- Click to select a different layout from those available
- Run the report — it will use the layout you selected for this run
Note that selecting a layout this way may only apply to the current run, depending on your BC version and configuration. For a permanent change, use the Report Layout Selection page.
Managing Custom Layouts
If you have custom layouts available — uploaded by a developer or partner — they will appear in the layout selection dropdown alongside the standard layouts. Custom layouts are managed through the Custom Report Layouts page.
To access it:
- Search for Custom Report Layouts using Tell Me
- The page lists all custom layouts that have been added to your BC environment
- From here you can view, edit, copy, export, or delete custom layouts
- You can also import a new layout file (Word or RDLC) directly from this page
If you need a new custom layout created — for example, a branded invoice template — this is where your developer or partner will upload it, after which it becomes available for selection on the Report Layout Selection page.
Setting a Default Layout Per Company
In a multi-company BC environment, report layout selections are made per company. This means you can have different layouts selected for the same report in different companies — useful if you run multiple legal entities or brands from a single BC instance, each with their own document design.
Simply switch to the relevant company and make your layout selection there. The selection is stored independently per company.
Layouts and Email / Document Sending
Report layout selection also affects how documents look when they are sent by email directly from BC — for example, posting a sales invoice and emailing it to the customer in one step. The layout used for the email attachment is the same one selected on the Report Layout Selection page.
If customers are receiving documents that look different from what you expect, the layout selection is always the first place to check.
A Note on Report Layout Updates After Upgrades
After a Business Central upgrade — particularly after a major release wave — Microsoft occasionally updates the built-in layouts for standard reports. In most cases this does not affect custom layouts, but it is worth checking key customer-facing documents after a wave upgrade to confirm they still look as expected.
If a standard layout has been updated by Microsoft and you were using it as your selected layout, the updated version applies automatically. If you were using a custom layout, it is unaffected unless a developer has specifically updated it.
Tips for Managing Report Layouts
1. Always test after selecting a new layout Before making a layout change permanent, run the report and review the output — ideally with real data. Check page breaks, totals, and any conditional formatting that may behave differently with actual document values.
2. Use Word layouts for customer-facing documents For invoices, quotes, reminders, and statements, Word layouts are the easiest to maintain. A business user can update the logo, adjust fonts, or reformat a section without needing developer involvement.
3. Keep a copy of custom layouts externally Export custom layouts from the Custom Report Layouts page and store them somewhere safe — a shared drive or document management system. This protects you against accidental deletion and makes it easier to restore layouts after a system issue.
4. Document which layout is selected for each key report In larger implementations with multiple custom layouts, it is easy to lose track of which layout is active for which report. A simple internal document listing report ID, layout name, and last updated date saves significant troubleshooting time.
5. Use layout copying to create variations If you need a variation of an existing layout — for example, a version without pricing for internal picking documents — use the copy function on the Custom Report Layouts page to duplicate the existing layout, then modify the copy. This preserves the original and gives you a clean starting point.
Summary
Report layout selection in Business Central is straightforward once you know where to look. The Report Layout Selection page is your central control point — from there you can see what is currently selected for every report and switch to any available layout in a few clicks.
For customer-facing documents especially, getting the layout right matters. A well-designed invoice or statement reflects your brand and builds confidence with customers. The good news is that BC gives you the tools to control this precisely — no developer required for most day-to-day layout management.
If you need custom layouts designed, built, or updated, that is a conversation worth having with your BC partner.
Written for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central consultants and end users. Need help with report layouts or document design in Business Central? Get in touch with Navseal.
