Custom Report Layouts

After adding fields to report datasets with SOD, you need to update the report layout to display them. This page explains how to work with custom report layouts.

Understanding Report Layouts

Business Central supports three standard layout types:

Type	Editor	Best For
Word	Microsoft Word	Simple reports, mail merge style
RDLC	Report Builder/Visual Studio	Complex reports, pixel-perfect
Excel	Microsoft Excel	Data analysis, pivot tables

In addition, Simple Object Designer includes its own Report Layout Designer — a visual, AI-assisted editor that produces PDF layouts entirely inside Business Central, without Word, RDLC, or any external tools. If you are building a new document layout, consider starting there instead: see Report Layout Designer Overview. This page covers the traditional Word and RDLC approach.

Accessing Report Layouts

In Business Central:

Search for "Report Layouts"
Or navigate via: Report > Report Layouts

The Report Layouts page shows all custom layouts.

Word Layouts

Exporting a Word Layout

Go to Report Layouts
Find your report
Select the Word layout (or create new)
Click Export Layout
Save the .docx file

Adding Fields to Word Layouts

Open the exported .docx in Microsoft Word
Enable the Developer tab (if not visible)
Insert fields using mail merge field syntax

Field Syntax

Word layouts use XML-based field references:

<<[FieldName]>>

Where FieldName matches the dataset column name.

Finding Field Names

After publishing your SOD extension:

Export the layout
In Word, view the field names
Your custom fields appear with their assigned names
SOD fields include your prefix and suffix

Formatting in Word

Standard Word formatting applies:

Font styles
Tables
Headers and footers
Images

Importing the Updated Layout

Go to Report Layouts
Select the layout
Click Import Layout
Select your modified .docx file
Test the report

RDLC Layouts

Exporting an RDLC Layout

Go to Report Layouts
Find your report
Select the RDLC layout
Click Export Layout
Save the .rdlc file

Editing RDLC Layouts

Use one of these tools:

Microsoft Report Builder (free)
Visual Studio with RDLC extension
SQL Server Data Tools

Opening in Report Builder

Open Report Builder
File > Open
Select the .rdlc file
The report design opens

Adding Fields to RDLC

In Report Builder, view the Report Data pane
Your custom fields appear in the dataset
Drag fields onto the report design surface
Or insert into existing tables/text boxes

RDLC Expressions

RDLC supports expressions:

=Fields!FieldName.Value

For SOD fields:

=Fields!YourPrefix_FieldName_Hgd.Value

Formatting in RDLC

RDLC provides extensive formatting:

Precise positioning
Conditional formatting
Groups and totals
Charts and images
Multiple report sections

Importing RDLC Layout

Save changes in Report Builder
Go to Report Layouts in BC
Import the updated .rdlc file
Test the report

Excel Layouts

When to Use Excel

Excel layouts are best for:

Data exports
Pivot table analysis
User-customizable output
Financial analysis

Working with Excel Layouts

Export the Excel layout
Modify in Excel
Reference fields by their dataset names
Import the updated layout

Creating New Layouts

From Existing Layout

Go to Report Layouts
Select an existing layout
Click Copy
Modify the copy

From Scratch (Word)

Create a new Word document
Add the required field references
Import as a new layout

Assigning Default Layout

Go to Report Layout Selection
Find your report
Select your custom layout as default

Dataset Refresh

When SOD adds new fields, the dataset changes:

For Word Layouts

Word layouts see new fields in the dataset — provided the layout was exported after the field was published.

If a custom field does not appear in Word's XML mapping pane, it is because the field is not yet in the dataset, or the layout was exported before the field was added and published.

The correct sequence is:

Add the field to the dataset using the Place on reports column
Publish
Then export the Word layout

Only then is the field present in the exported layout's dataset and available for mapping.

For RDLC Layouts

RDLC may need a dataset refresh:

Open the layout in Report Builder
Refresh the dataset
New fields appear in Report Data pane

If refresh doesn't work:

Export the report definition from BC
Update the layout to match new dataset
Re-import

Troubleshooting Layouts

Field Not Appearing in Layout

Check:

Is the field in the SOD dataset (marked as Placed)?
Is the extension published?
Was the layout exported after the field was published? If not, re-export it.
Is the layout using the correct field name?

A Date Renders as Date/Time (0:00:00)

Known behaviour: a Date field — a transferred Posting Date on Sales Shipment Header, for example — placed in a Word layout can render as a Date/Time value showing a 0:00:00 time stamp. This is a Word layout quirk.

Workaround: create a Text-type Report Calculated Field that formats the date:

FORMAT(Header.Posting_Date)

Add a format number for a specific style:

FORMAT(Header.Posting_Date,0,4)

which renders as 5. April 2021.

The data item element may not literally be named "Header" — adjust the expression to the actual report. Microsoft's standard date formats are documented under the FORMAT property in the Business Central developer documentation. See Report Calculated Fields.

Duplicate Layouts Blocking a Publish

Symptom: publishing keeps failing on a report that has a custom layout.

Cause: the report can end up with the same layout present twice — the one you developed in SOD and the one that was published. The duplication blocks the publish.

Diagnosis: open the Report Layout screen and use the Page Inspection Tool on the layout records. Compare the Application ID field: a published layout has it filled in, while a development layout has an all-zeros (null) Application ID. (In the observed case both showed null, so treat the presence of a leftover duplicate as the trigger rather than relying solely on that field.)

Resolution: the layout with the null Application ID is your development report layout. Keep it — but do not set it as the default layout. Set the default to the published layout instead. Removing the leftover old layout from the report in SOD and republishing resolved the failure while the report continued to render correctly.

Test this in a sandbox first.

Development report layouts are not orphaned garbage. They are retained deliberately; only their use as the default layout should be avoided.

A Corrupt RDLC Blocking a Publish

A corrupt RDLC — typically containing a null byte — can also block publishing on a report that has SOD fields added.

Repair route: export the RDLC (also called RDL — the same thing) from the standard Report Layouts page in Business Central for the affected report, then import that RDLC onto the report in SOD.

Alternatively, exporting the SOD JSON fresh from a known-good environment, importing it into the affected environment, updating symbols and republishing can clear the null-byte problem.

Do not "fix" this by deleting the SOD report customization — that removes every field you added. Repair the layout instead.

Layout Shows Field Name Instead of Value

Cause: Field reference syntax is incorrect.

Solution: Verify the field reference format matches the layout type (Word or RDLC syntax).

Report Errors After Layout Update

Causes:

Field removed from dataset but still in layout
Syntax error in field reference
Incompatible layout version

Solutions:

Remove references to missing fields
Verify field reference syntax
Re-export and start from fresh layout

Layout Not Updating

Cause: Browser caching or BC caching.