# RDLX-based Reports

This topic provides general information on Page/RDLX report specific behavior.

## Content

RDLX-based reports are built using a flexible, data-driven layout system based on **data regions**. These data regions include [Table](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-page-rdl-report/table), [Tablix](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-page-rdl-report/tablix) (pivot table), [List](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-page-rdl-report/list), and [Chart](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/report-authors/report-controls/report-controls-page-rdl-report/chart-page-rdl). These regions can dynamically adapt to present information in structured and detailed ways. Each report can contain one or more data regions, facilitating the creation of complex, dynamic reports.

### RDLX Reports

* You can imagine an RDLX report as an **infinite canvas** that grows in both directions based on data.
* Pagination in RDLX reports follows the predefined RDLX rules, such as page break before/after, orphaned headers/footers, and other. It is also determined by the physical page settings defined in the report — including the page size and the margins of each section.

### Page Reports

* A Page report consists of **predefined pages** containing both static and dynamic data.
* If data doesn’t fit on a page, the entire page (including static content) is cloned and filled with new dynamic data content.
* A Page report has a special control - **OverflowPlaceHolder** that reserves space for additional dynamic content.

### RDLX Dashboard

* Dashboard doesn’t use traditional pages. Instead, it organizes reports into one or more sections, each shown in its own tab in the viewer.
* Dashboard sections have a fixed size at design time but can expand at runtime to fit growing content. This makes Dashboard Layout ideal for interactive, data‑driven reports that adapt to the amount of data.
* Because it avoids pagination, printing, and PDF export, Dashboard works best for analytical reports focused on dynamic, on‑screen data presentation rather than page‑by‑page output.

### RDLX-SNAP File

An .rdlx-snap file is a snapshot of a rendered RDLX report, storing both the final layout and the exact data retrieved at generation time. This file can be reopened later without re-fetching data or re-rendering the report

* This format is useful for archiving or reviewing past report versions. For details, see [Working with Snapshots](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/working-with-snapshots).

The differences between RDLX and Page reports become important mainly when working with specific export formats or master reports. In these cases:

* **[Word DOCX export](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/export-reports/exporting-page-rdl-reports/word-export-page-rdl)** is fully supported only by RDLX reports.
* **[Excel export](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/export-reports/exporting-page-rdl-section-reports/excel-export)** in the single page mode works well only with RDLX reports.
* **[Excel Data export](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/export-reports/exporting-page-rdl-reports/excel-data-export-page-rdl)** is similar to the RDLX report template.
* **[Master reports](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/report-authors/design-reports/design-page-rdl-reports/create-use-master-report)** support only RDLX reports.
* **Galley (non‑paginated) mode** is available only in RDLX reports.
* **Headers and footers** are supported only by RDLX reports; however, Page reports can include static content on each page beyond the header/footer area.

### See Also

[Create a Report or Load an Existing Report](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/create-new-report)
[Bind a Page/RDLX Report to Data](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/bind-page-rdl-report-to-a-data-source-at-run-time)
[Save Page/RDLX Report](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/save-and-load-reports)
[Merge Multiple Reports](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/merge-multiple-reports)
[Add Code to Layouts Using Script](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/page-rdl-report-scripts)
[Create a Custom Report Item](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/create-custom-report-item)
[Apply Styles through Code](/activereportsnet/docs/v20.1/developers/working-with-reports-devs/page-rdl-report-developers/applying-styles-through-code)