BI Publisher offers several options for designing layouts for reports.
The following formats are supported. Note that the layout type determines the types of output documents supported.
BI Publisher layout (XPT)
BI Publisher's Layout Editor is a Web-based design tool for creating layouts. Layouts created with the Layout Editor support interactive viewing as well as the full range of output types supported by RTF layouts.
Rich Text Format (RTF)
BI Publisher provides a plug-in utility for Microsoft Word that automates layout design and enables you to connect to BI Publisher to access data and upload templates directly from a Microsoft Word session. The RTF format also supports advanced formatting commands providing the most flexible and powerful of the layout options. RTF templates support a variety of output types including: Excel (mhtml), Excel (html), Excel (*.xlsx), HTML, MHTML, PDF, PowerPoint, RTF, and Zipped PDF.
Portable Document Format (PDF)
PDF templates are used primarily when you must use a predefined form as a layout for a report (for example, a form provided by a government agency). Because many PDF forms already contain form fields, using the PDF form as a template simply requires mapping data elements to the fields that exist on the form. You can also design PDF templates using Adobe Acrobat Professional. PDF templates support only PDF output.
Microsoft Excel (XLS)
Excel templates enable you to map data and define calculations and formatting logic in an Excel workbook. Excel templates support Microsoft Excel (.xls) output only.
XSL Stylesheet
Layouts can also be defined directly in XSL formatting language. Specify whether the layout is for Data (CSV), Data (XML), FO Formatted XML, HTML, Text, or XML transformation.
eText
These are specialized RTF templates used for creating text output for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) or Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) transactions.
Flash
BI Publisher's support for Flash layouts enables you to develop Adobe Flex templates that can be applied to BI Publisher reports to generate interactive Flash output documents.
For more information about layout types, see Creating and Editing Reports.