Extract text from Report files (RDL)
To convert RDL Reports to another format, you need SQL Server Reporting Services or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Report Definition Language File" file type, you need software like SQL Server Reporting Services or a similar tool.
The .RDL file format stands for Report Definition Language. It is an XML-based file created by Microsoft to define the structure, layout, and data bindings of reports in SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and Power BI Paginated Reports. These files do not contain actual report data; they contain the blueprint - such as SQL queries, parameters, and formatting instructions - needed to fetch and display the data. You can open and edit them using Microsoft Report Builder or Visual Studio. Minor alternative uses for .RDL include CD/DVD label designs by RonyaSoft and CAD redline markup files from Bentley Systems.
Handling .RDL files outside of a dedicated SQL Server environment is highly restrictive. They are practically useless to standard end-users who just want to view a final report, as opening them in a text editor only reveals complex XML code. You cannot view the rendered charts, graphs, or tables without connecting to the source database and rendering the file through a reporting engine.
To share the actual report data, you must render and convert the file. For archiving and sharing, convert the rendered output to PDF. For editing the raw data, convert to XLSX or CSV. If you only need to extract or modify the XML blueprint, standard text conversion works.
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 SQL Server Reporting Services or similar software from the "Report Layout 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 SQL Server Reporting Services or another comparable tool in the "Report Layout 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.