What we generally refer to as the report or report object created with SQL Server Report Builder or Visual Studio Report Designer is technically referred to as an RDLC Report. (From here on we will focus on Visual Studio report layout tool. The tools are somewhat different, but the end results are basically the same.) An RDLC Report includes the information describing the logic to be followed when processing the data (the data model), the dataset structure that is generated by C/SIDE, and the output layout designed with Visual Studio. RDLC Reports are stored in the NAV database. Word report XML layouts are also stored in the NAV database. NAV 2017 allows there to be multiple RDLC and Word formats for a single report. We will use the term "report" whether we mean the output, the description, or the object.

Reports share some attributes with pages including aspects of the designer, features of various controls, some of the triggers, and even some of the properties. Where those parallels exist, we should take notice of them. Where there is consistency in the NAV toolset, it is easier to learn and use.