Creating Reports in AL

Build AL reports with data items, nested tables, RDLC/Word layouts, and report extensions.

30 minIntermediate

Learning Objectives

Create reports with data items and sorting
Build nested data item structures for header/line reports
Customize report layouts with report extensions

Report Structure

Reports present data in structured, printable formats. They consist of data items (tables) and a layout (RDLC, Word, or Excel).

CustomerReport.Report.al

report 50100 "Customer Bonus Report"
{
    UsageCategory = ReportsAndAnalysis;
    ApplicationArea = All;

    dataset
    {
        dataitem(CustomerBonus; "Customer Bonus")
        {
            DataItemTableView = sorting("Customer No.");
            column(CustomerNo; "Customer No.") { }
            column(BonusAmount; "Bonus Amount") { }
            column(BonusDate; "Bonus Date") { }
        }
    }

    requestpage
    {
        // Filter and option fields for the user
    }
}

Nested Data Items

For header/line reports (like sales invoices):

SalesReport.Report.al

dataset
{
    dataitem(SalesHeader; "Sales Header")
    {
        DataItemTableView = sorting("No.");
        column(DocumentNo; "No.") { }
        column(CustomerName; "Sell-to Customer Name") { }

        dataitem(SalesLine; "Sales Line")
        {
            DataItemLink = "Document No." = field("No.");
            column(ItemNo; "No.") { }
            column(Description; Description) { }
            column(Quantity; Quantity) { }
            column(Amount; Amount) { }
        }
    }
}

Report Layouts

Layout Type	Tool	Best For
RDLC	Visual Studio / Report Builder	Complex layouts, charts
Word	Microsoft Word	Document-style reports
Excel	Excel	Data export and analysis

Layouts are stored as separate files referenced in the report object.

Report Extensions

Customize standard Microsoft reports without modifying them:

CustomSalesReport.ReportExt.al

reportextension 50102 "Custom Sales Report" extends "Standard Sales - Invoice"
{
    dataset
    {
        add(SalesHeader)
        {
            column(CustomField; "Your Custom Field") { }
        }
    }
}

Request Page

The requestpage section defines filters and options shown to users before running the report. Use requestfilterfields on data items for automatic filter fields.

Key Revision Points (MB-820)

Data items define tables and relationships
Nested data items create header/line structures
Report extensions customize standard reports safely
Layouts are separate from AL dataset definition