In Business Central, every printed or emailed document is produced by a report that has two separate parts: the logic that collects data, and the report layout that controls how it looks. Understanding this structure is the starting point for managing and customising any document your business sends.
The Two Parts of Every Report in Business Central
When you print or preview a document in Business Central – a sales quote, an invoice, a purchase order – the system runs a report. However, that report is not a single file. It has two distinct layers working together.
The first layer is the report object. This is the code that runs when you trigger a report. It decides which data to pull, how to filter it, and which fields to include. Specifically, this layer handles the logic. It has no knowledge of fonts, column widths, or page margins.
The second layer is the report layout. This is the format file that takes the data from the report logic and presents it as a document. The layout controls the position of your company logo, the structure of the line item table, the header and footer text, and the overall visual design. Furthermore, one report object can have multiple layouts attached to it. Consequently, you can switch the look of a document without changing the underlying logic at all.
Types of Report Layout in Business Central
Business Central supports three main layout types. Each one suits a different use case, and knowing which type you are working with helps you choose the right tool to edit it.
The first type is RDLC, which stands for Report Definition Language Client-side. Business Central uses this type for complex, precise layouts where exact positioning matters. You edit it in tools like Visual Studio Report Designer. Indeed, RDLC gives you fine control over every element on the page. However, it requires more technical skill and is not something most end users would change directly.
The second type is Word. A Word report layout is a .docx file that uses Word content controls to map data fields into the document. This is much easier for most users to work with. You open it in Microsoft Word and adjust fonts, spacing, logos, and structure without any coding. Notably, this makes Word layouts the most common choice when a business wants to add its own branding to standard documents.
The third type is Excel. An Excel report layout is suited to data-heavy outputs where the goal is analysis rather than a formatted print document. For example, a report that lists all open invoices with amounts and due dates works well as an Excel layout. Overall, each type serves a different purpose, and most businesses use a combination depending on the document.
The Sales Quote Example
The sales quote is a clear example of how this works in practice. Open a sales quote in Business Central and click Print/Send. The system runs two steps at once. First, it calls the report logic to collect the quote data – the customer name, the line items, the prices, and the totals. Then, it applies the report layout to that data and renders the final document.
The preview you see is the output of both layers combined. All the data comes from the report logic. The format – the columns, the spacing, the logo placement – comes from the layout. Therefore, if you want to change how the sales quote looks, you only need to work on the layout file. Moreover, you do not need to touch the report logic at all. This separation makes customisation far simpler.
Built-in Layouts and Custom Layouts
Business Central ships with built-in layouts for all its standard reports. These work out of the box and cover the most common document formats. Additionally, you can create or upload custom layouts to replace or supplement the built-in ones. For instance, you might upload a Word layout for the sales invoice that uses your company letterhead and matches your brand colours. The report logic stays the same. Only the format changes.
How to Manage Report Layout Files in Business Central
It is also worth knowing that each report can have a different default layout per company. So if you run multiple companies inside the same Business Central environment, each one can have its own version of a document. Notably, this is useful for businesses that trade under more than one brand or that serve different markets with different document styles.
You can view and manage all your layouts by searching for Report Layouts in Business Central. This page lists every layout registered in the system, along with the report it is assigned to and the layout type. From here, you can set a layout as the default for a report, upload a new custom layout, or switch between available layouts.
Additionally, some reports let you select a layout at the time of printing. For example, when you click Print/Send on a sales quote, the system may prompt you to choose which layout to use if more than one is available. Similarly, you can assign a specific layout to a specific customer or document type in some configurations. Therefore, different customers can receive the same document formatted in different ways.
Furthermore, layout changes take effect straight away. There is no technical deployment or code change needed. You upload the layout file, set it as the default, and the next report run uses it. In practice, this means a user with the right permissions can update a document format without waiting for a developer.
Wrapping Up: Why the Report Layout Structure Matters
The separation between report logic and report layout is one of the most practical design decisions in Business Central. It means you can update how a document looks without any risk to the data logic behind it. The format and the content are independent, and that independence gives your team real flexibility.
Moreover, once you understand the three layout types – RDLC, Word, and Excel – you know which tool to reach for when a document needs to change. Consequently, customising your sales quotes, invoices, and other documents becomes a much more manageable task. Next, try searching for Report Layouts in your Business Central environment to see what layouts are currently assigned to your most-used reports.
Watch the full walkthrough in the video above to see the sales quote report and its layout in action inside Business Central. It is a short demo that shows exactly how the two parts connect.
For more Business Central guides and tutorials, visit NAV SEAL Blog and watch more videos on our YouTube Channel.
