How to Open RDL File in Power BI Desktop

Trying to open an RDL file directly in Power BI Desktop can feel like you're missing a simple step, but the truth is, it doesn't work that way. RDL and Power BI's native PBIX files are built for completely different purposes, like trying to use a map and a wrench for the same job. This article will explain what RDL files are, why they require a separate tool, and show you exactly how to open, edit, and publish them within the Power BI ecosystem.

Understanding the Difference: RDL vs. PBIX Files

The first step is to recognize that you're dealing with two distinct types of report files. Power BI Desktop is built for creating interactive reports (PBIX files), while RDL files are used for something else entirely: paginated reports.

What is an RDL File?

An RDL (Report Definition Language) file is the backbone of a paginated report. Think of documents like invoices, purchase orders, detailed inventory lists, or compliance forms. These reports are designed to be "pixel-perfect" and formatted for printing or exporting to a static format like a PDF or Word document. They 'paginate,' meaning they flow neatly across multiple pages with headers, footers, and a tightly controlled layout.

Key characteristics of RDL reports include:

They originated with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Microsoft's traditional enterprise reporting platform.
The structure is defined in XML, which specifies everything from data connections to the exact size and position of tables and charts.
They excel at showing all the details - every single row in a large table - rather than summarizing data visually.

What is a PBIX File?

A PBIX file is the native format for Power BI Desktop. When you build a report in Power BI, you're creating a PBIX file. These are designed for an entirely different experience: interactive data exploration.

Key characteristics of PBIX reports include:

They contain the entire data model, the Power Query steps for data transformation, DAX calculations, and the visual dashboard itself.
They are highly interactive, allowing users to click on charts, use slicers to filter data, and drill down to uncover insights on the fly.
Their focus is on data visualization and discovery, not generating static, printable documents.

Why You Can't "Just Open" an RDL File in Power BI Desktop

You can't open an RDL file in Power BI Desktop because they are built on fundamentally different technologies for different outcomes. Power BI Desktop is architected to render interactive canvases with dynamic visuals. RDL files are architected to structure data in a fixed, table-based layout intended for a static page.

Attempting to open one in the other's designated editor is like trying to edit a video file in a spreadsheet program. While they both deal with data, their formats and functions are not interchangeable. To work with RDL files, you need the right tool for that specific job.

The Right Tool for the Job: An Introduction to Power BI Report Builder

To view, create, and edit RDL paginated reports that you want to use within the Power BI Service, you must use a separate, free application from Microsoft called Power BI Report Builder.

Think of Report Builder as the modern successor to the old SSRS Report Builder. It's purpose-built for creating paginated reports but is designed to connect to the Power BI Service, allowing you to publish your RDL files to the cloud alongside your interactive PBIX dashboards. It provides the rigid, grid-based design environment needed to construct those pixel-perfect layouts that define a paginated report.

How to Install Power BI Report Builder

Getting Report Builder is simple and free. Just follow these steps:

Navigate to the Microsoft Download Center page for Power BI Report Builder.
Click the "Download" button. This will download an installer file, typically named PBIRportBuilder.msi.
Run the installer once the download is complete. The setup wizard is straightforward - just follow the on-screen prompts to accept the license terms and install the application.

Once installed, you'll find "Power BI Report Builder" in your Windows Start menu.

How to Open and Edit Your RDL File

Now that you have the correct tool, opening your RDL file is easy. The process will feel familiar if you've ever used older versions of Microsoft software for report creation.

Opening the RDL File in Power BI Report Builder

Follow these steps to open your .rdl file:

Launch Power BI Report Builder from your Start menu.
When it opens, you'll see a "Getting Started" dialog box. You can either click the "Open" button in this dialog or simply close it.
From the main application window, go to the top menu and click File > Open.
In the file explorer window that appears, navigate to where your RDL file is saved on your computer, select it, and click "Open."

Your paginated report will now load onto the design canvas, ready for you to edit.

What You'll See: Exploring the Report Builder Interface

The Report Builder interface looks quite different from Power BI Desktop. Instead of a vibrant canvas for dropping visuals, you'll see a more structured, document-style layout:

The Design Surface: This is the main canvas where you see the layout of your report. It's often structured with a body, header, and footer section.
Report Data Pane: Located on the left, this is where you manage your report's building blocks, including data sources, datasets, built-in fields (like page numbers or dates), images, and parameters.
The Ribbon: Across the top, the ribbon contains tools for inserting report items like text boxes, tables, matrices (similar to pivot tables), charts, and lines.

Editing here is focused on precision. You drag elements onto the design surface and configure their properties, such as font size, border colors, and data bindings, to ensure the final output is formatted exactly as you need it.

Publishing Your RDL Report to the Power BI Service

Once your RDL report is ready, the next step is publishing it to the Power BI service. This makes it accessible to others in your organization, just like a regular Power BI dashboard.

Prerequisites for Publishing

Publishing paginated reports has a specific licensing requirement that is stricter than for standard PBIX reports. Keep these two points in mind:

You must have a Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) license assigned to your account.
The report must be published to a workspace that is backed by a Power BI Premium Capacity or is designated as a Premium Per User workspace. Paginated reports cannot run in a standard shared capacity workspace.

Step-by-Step Publishing Guide

Assuming your workspace meets the capacity requirements, here is how you publish the report:

In Power BI Report Builder, while your report is open, click the Publish button located in the "Home" tab of the top ribbon. If you're not already signed in, you will be prompted to sign into your Power BI account.
The Publish to Power BI Service window will appear. It will list all the workspaces you have access to that support paginated reports.
Select the workspace where you want to publish the report.
Give your report a file name and click the Publish button.

After a few moments, you'll see a "Publish successful" message containing a link to view the report directly in your browser. From the Power BI service, users can run the report, export it to formats like PDF, Excel, or PowerPoint, and even create email subscriptions for it.

Migrating SSRS Reports to Power BI

A common reason for working with RDL files is migrating an organization's existing SSRS reports from an on-premise server to the Power BI cloud. The process described above - opening the RDL in Report Builder and publishing it to a Premium workspace - is the core workflow for this migration.

It's important to understand this isn't a conversion of RDL to PBIX. Instead, you're uplifting the RDL reporting experience into the Power BI ecosystem. This strategy allows you to modernize your reporting infrastructure without having to rebuild all your critical operational reports from scratch as interactive dashboards.

For large-scale migrations involving hundreds of reports, Microsoft and the community provide tools to help automate this process, such as the RDL Migration Tool found on GitHub. But for a handful of reports, the manual open-and-publish method works perfectly.

When to Use Paginated vs. Interactive Reports

Now that you know how to work with both file types, it helps to finalize your understanding of when to use each one. Choosing the right tool depends entirely on your objective.

Choose a Paginated Report (RDL) When:

You need a printable, fixed layout. Perfect for invoices, certificates, transcripts, or official financial statements where the structure cannot change.
The main output is a PDF, Word doc, or printed copy. The design is optimized for a physical or digital page.
You need to display large, detailed tables. If your users need to see every single sales transaction for the last quarter in a massive table spanning 50 pages, a paginated report is the ideal choice.

Choose an Interactive Power BI Report (PBIX) When:

The goal is data exploration and discovery. The user needs to answer their own questions by interacting directly with the data.
Visualizations are more important than tables. The focus is on charts, graphs, and KPIs that summarize data and reveal trends at a glance.
The report will be consumed on a screen. The experience is designed around clicking, filtering, and drilling down rather than printing.

Final Thoughts

Remember that RDL files and Power BI Desktop's PBIX files are suited for very different jobs. To open an RDL file, you need the specialized Power BI Report Builder, a tool designed for creating pixel-perfect, printable reports. From there, you can publish your report to a Premium workspace in the Power BI Service, integrating your operational reporting with your interactive dashboards.

Navigating between different tools and file types like PBIX and RDL can fragment your workflow, but getting answers from your data has become so much simpler. With tools like Graphed, we've removed the need to learn multiple complex applications. You simply connect your marketing and sales data sources one time, then ask questions using plain English. Our AI-powered tool instantly builds the dashboards and visualizations you need, allowing you to get real-time insights in seconds instead of spending hours moving between different BI systems.