How to Create and Customize Report Layouts in Dynamics 365 Business Central

Dynamics 365 Business Central provides robust tools for creating and customizing reports, allowing businesses to tailor financial statements, sales analyses, and operational documents to their specific needs. The most common and flexible method for customization involves working with existing report layouts, particularly using Word, RDLC, or Excel templates, or even developing new reports using AL language for more complex requirements.

Understanding Report Layouts in Business Central

Reports in Business Central are built on datasets (the information pulled from your system), but their visual presentation is controlled by report layouts. These layouts define how your data is structured, formatted, and presented to the user.

Types of Report Layouts

Business Central supports different layout types, each offering unique advantages:

Layout Type	Description	Best For
Word Layouts	Use Microsoft Word documents as templates. These are ideal for text-heavy reports like invoices, order confirmations, or statements, as they allow easy editing of text, fonts, tables, and images directly in Word.	Business users, simple visual changes, branding, professional document appearance.
RDLC Layouts	(Report Definition Language Client-side) These are XML-based definitions created with tools like SQL Server Report Builder. They offer the most advanced design capabilities for complex data grouping, charts, subreports, and pixel-perfect layouts.	Developers, complex data structures, advanced visualizations, highly specific formatting.
Excel Layouts	Utilize Excel spreadsheets as templates. This type is excellent for highly numerical reports, financial statements, and analytical reports where users might want to leverage Excel's formulas, pivot tables, and charting capabilities directly.	Financial analysts, data-intensive reports, flexible data manipulation, custom calculations.

Step-by-Step: Creating a New Report Layout (Excel Example)

One powerful way to customize or create new reporting views, especially for data-rich analysis, is by setting up an Excel-based report layout. This method leverages the familiar power of Excel for flexible data presentation and calculations.

Navigate to Report Layouts: In Dynamics 365 Business Central, use the search function (accessible via the magnifying glass icon or by pressing Alt+Q) to find and open the "Report Layouts" page.
Initiate New Layout Creation: On the "Report Layouts" page, click the "New Layout" action to begin the process of adding a new report design.
Define Layout Properties:
- Provide a descriptive Name for your new report layout (e.g., "Custom Sales Invoice - Excel").
- Crucially, select the "Excel spreadsheet" option from the Type dropdown menu.
- Enter the Report ID Number. You can easily find this by searching for the desired report's name within Business Central (e.g., "Sales Invoice" or "Customer List") and noting its corresponding ID.
Confirm Creation: Click "OK" to finalize and create the new Excel report layout.

After creation, you can export the Excel template, design your report within Excel using data fields from Business Central, and then import it back. This allows for rich formatting, custom formulas, pivot tables, and advanced charting directly within your report output.

Customizing Existing Report Layouts

For standard reports, you can modify their assigned layouts or create copies to customize without altering the original.

Locate the Report: Go to the "Report Layouts" page or navigate to the specific report from its related list (e.g., from the Sales Orders list, select "Report Layouts" from the Report menu).
Manage Layouts: You have several options:
- Edit: Modify an existing custom layout directly.
- Copy: Duplicate a standard layout to create a customizable version, leaving the original untouched.
- Import: Upload a pre-designed layout file (e.g., a .docx for Word, .xlsx for Excel).
Export and Edit: For Word and Excel layouts, export the layout file from Business Central. Open the exported file in Microsoft Word or Excel. Make your desired changes, such as adding logos, adjusting data fields, changing fonts, or applying Excel formulas. Save your changes.
Import Back: Once edited, import the modified file back into Business Central, replacing the older version of your custom layout.
Assign Layout: On the "Report Layouts" page, ensure your customized layout is set as the default for the report, or specify it when running the report.

Advanced Report Development (for Developers)

For entirely new reports or highly complex requirements that go beyond layout customization, developers use the AL (Application Language) programming language with Visual Studio Code. This involves defining both the data source and the layout.

Define Dataset: Developers write AL code to define the data items, tables, and columns that the report will use, ensuring the correct information is extracted from Business Central.
Design Layout: Once the dataset is defined, a layout file (RDLC, Word, or Excel) is created or mapped to this dataset.
Deploy Extension: The new report, along with its dataset and layout, is packaged as an extension and deployed to Business Central.

Leveraging Power BI for Business Intelligence

For powerful dashboards, interactive analytics, and combining data from multiple sources (including Business Central), Microsoft Power BI is an excellent companion tool.

Connect Data: Use the dedicated Business Central connector in Power BI Desktop to securely access your BC data.
Build Visuals: Create interactive reports and dashboards with various charts, graphs, and tables.
Publish & Share: Publish your Power BI reports to the Power BI service for secure sharing and collaboration across your organization.

Practical Considerations and Best Practices

Backup Standard Layouts: Always make a copy of standard layouts before modifying them, or work on copies to ensure you can revert if needed.
Test Thoroughly: Test all custom reports and layouts in a sandbox environment to ensure they function correctly and produce accurate results before deploying to production.
Version Control: For complex customizations, consider implementing version control for your layout files to track changes and facilitate collaboration.
Performance: Be mindful of report performance, especially with large datasets. Optimize data retrieval and layout design where possible.
User Training: Provide clear instructions and training to users on how to select and run custom reports, as well as any specific parameters or filters they might need to apply.