Extract text from Report files (RDL)
To convert RDL Reports to another format, you need Microsoft SQL Server or other Data software.
To convert other file formats to the "Report Definition File" file type, you need software like Microsoft SQL Server or a similar tool.
The .RDL (Report Definition Language) file is an XML-based format created by Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). It acts as a structural framework or blueprint for a database report. The file contains essential metadata such as database connection strings, query definitions, dataset fields, and visual layout properties. You can open and edit these files using Microsoft Report Builder or Visual Studio.
The main disadvantage of an .RDL file is that it is strictly source code, not a rendered document. If you send an .RDL file to a client or colleague, they cannot double-click it to see the charts and tables. They will only see raw XML code unless they have a running SSRS server configured with the exact database credentials. The format is heavily proprietary to the Microsoft enterprise ecosystem and natively unsupported by web browsers or standard office suites.
To share the actual data, you must render or convert the .RDL file output. For sharing static, print-ready reports with clients, convert to PDF. For interactive data manipulation and financial review, convert to an Excel spreadsheet (XLSX). For text editing, convert to a Word document (DOCX). Drag and drop your file to analyze and convert it - free, online, and without installing software on convert.guru.
Note: In rare cases, the .RDL extension is also used for proprietary CD/DVD label designs in RonyaSoft CD DVD Label Maker or as CAD design review files used by Bentley Systems MicroStation. These are completely different, non-XML formats that require their original software to manage.
Convert.Guru analyzes your RDL file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted RLD, RDLC, PDF, FRX, JPG, PNG, DOCX, DOTX, DXF, ZIP, AI, RD and MSG files.
If you want to convert RDL file to RDLC, HTML, PDF, DXF, SVG, AI, EPS, JPG, CDR, WMF, EMF or SWF, you can use Microsoft SQL Server or similar software from the "Report Layout and Data Definition" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert AFPUB, EPS, FIG, VSD, SKETCH, VDX, AFPHOTO, PDF, AFDESIGN, SVG, VSDX or AI files to RDL, try Microsoft SQL Server or another comparable tool in the "Report Layout and Data Definition" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our RDL converter.