FAQs
Who? What?
Why? Where?
And how?
Your guide to digital reporting with Reportl.
FAQs: Select a category
5: Software integrations
Learn about Reportl compatibility with other finance, data and consolidation software
1: About Reportl
Learn how Reportl can transform
your reporting
Reportl is a purpose-built reporting content management system (CMS), developed by specialist reporting designers, in collaboration with companies, auditors, regulators and XBRL specialists.
Replacing print design software, Reportl delivers all the required reporting formats from a single system (PDF, online, iXBRL, print).
Fully customised, high-end design software
Like InDesign, Reportl offers fully customised and bespoke design controls. But the key is that it enables this across all output formats. This solves many of design’s most expensive and difficult problems, enabling beautiful and cost-effective multi-format communications.
Reportl delivers the holy grail – multi-format design and publishing, all in one system
Key features of Reportl: Creative capabilities of InDesign + full interactive PDFs + print PDFs + full online publishing + mobile friendly + AI-optimised HTML + iXBRL compliance + JSON LD tagging + WCAG accessibility compliance + user analytics. And many more.
Simple to implement
It requires no major change of process for companies, and is easy to use for content editing. Design teams simply move from print design software to designing in Reportl.
Reportl is a content management system built to solve the challenge of digitising reporting. Reportl enables a single source of digital content (native HTML) to be published instantly across all required formats (PDF, online, iXBRL and print).
The entire report creation process is digital first at its ‘root’. This means at source it uses native HTML – all formats are created from this, instead of all formats relying on the unstructured code from a PDF as the source. This ‘source’ change solves the many limitations of the PDF format, and also delivers a more accessible PDF.
Reportl transforms report creation and consumption.
It brings reporting into the digital age with minimal disruption to current workflows, and offers many process efficiencies. From one process, Reportl automatically delivers all formats, including PDF and online versions.
Alongside the PDF, the official digital report (ESEF) becomes fully interactive, just like the web, transforming this AI-friendly, machine readable format into beautiful, user friendly and accessible reporting.
But the benefits are much more than skin deep...
As regulators, data scientists and standards setters have advised, a native HTML process is best practice – the online ESEF report becomes visible to AI tools and Google. This makes data access and AI analysis significantly more accurate, efficient and trusted than a PDF-based report.
In addition, digital reporting data remains relevant for AI analysis for many more years than PDFs, and the native HTML process future proofs your content for long-term use.
Reportl is purpose built to make digitisation easy.
By using Reportl, design teams can deliver beautiful, engaging reports in all formats (online, PDF, iXBRL, print) all from one digital source of content. The PDF is simply created from the same digital content. The PDF complements the online report, with a downloadable, annotatable, printable version.
Reportl is built to make ESEF, UKSEF, CSRD and ISSB reporting AI-friendly and accessible.
By providing a streamlined process that doesn’t involve error-prone conversion from PDF to digital.
In the words of the FRC: “Unlike PDF, HTML is a web-based format rather than a print-based format.” The FRC also emphasise that the benefits of “native HTML” include more accessible, mobile-friendly and interactive reporting.
As the value of tagging for AI-led data analysis is becoming better understood, there are calls for more tagging – to improve AI’s reliability. Increased tagging puts even greater pressure and risk on companies which are still using PDF ‘conversion’ methods for their ESEF compliance.
Reportl’s fully integrated tagging and controls enable checks to be done ahead of last mile pressures, not as a rushed post-sign off process which delays publication and reduces data reliability.
To deliver what stakeholders need – Reportl's analytics show that 85% of users select the digital-first tagged report format over PDF*. It is vital to provide the PDF as well, and Reportl does this.
Reportl enables the mandatory ‘single electronic format’ (ESEF) to be as powerful for design and communication as it is for data.
It also offers greater efficiency through single-source remote editing and multiple automations of previously manual tasks.
*When offered both in Google search results.
With Reportl, designers and agencies can digitise the specialist skills they already have – moving from print software to digital tools without any need for developers.
2: The changing landscape
How AI, new regulations and stakeholder demand are driving digitisation in reporting
Over the past 30 years, the world has digitised. Meanwhile, corporate reporting has remained trapped in a print/PDF time-warp.
But today, corporate reporting is at a tipping point.
1. Printed reports have all but disappeared. In addition, the ever-expanding disclosure requirements mean that print and mailing is no longer viable or sustainable.
2. Reporting regulations now require full digital reporting in web format – HTML. This format should be published online with iXBRL tagging, and be accessible for all users. Currently, very few reports deliver this.
3. Since the mass global adoption of smart phones, stakeholders’ needs have changed radically – it is now estimated that 98% of audiences access content on a mobile device. They expect all content to be easy to find online from a Google search. Only digital-first reports can deliver this.
4. Finally, reporting is part of the AI revolution. But using the power of AI to accurately analyse and assist decisions can only come with the full digitisation of all reporting content.
ESEF is the future of reporting, but it remains much misunderstood. ESEF is not only about compliance. It is about making reporting both human and AI (machine) readable.
This is why the online ESEF format is AI’s best friend.
However, a key problem today is with PDFs used as a source – they can’t be read accurately enough by AI tools. Ask your favourite search tools why.
The risk as investors and stakeholders increasingly use AI tools, is that they are potentially making decisions based on incorrect information that AI presents as credible.
The PDF-as-source affects every subsequent step in the reporting chain — from data integrity in creation through to publishing, digital readability and data extraction, and errors in AI’s analysis.
Solution: Optimise your annual report digitally first by using ‘native HTML’ design. Then publish it in full online with AI-friendly tagging data, for AI to access and read so it can be traced directly back to the trusted source — you.
True digital-first reports can be found, indexed and read more accurately by LLMs. This is the foundation to faster, more reliable and accurate AI answers, ultimately building trust in companies and the information they publish.
Yes. Reportl has been built to make the transition as simple as possible for companies, and the main project processes/schedules don’t change.
The shift to Reportl workflow mainly affects the design team / agency. With suitable training, the design team moves from print design software (InDesign) to digital-first design software (Reportl).
The biggest transformation comes as a designer's skills advance – delivering well-designed, multi-channel reporting efficiently and cost-effectively.
‘Digital-first’ doesn't mean online-only reporting. Digital-first describes the process of creating the report – instead of using print design software, the designer uses digital software.
In Reportl, the underlying digital code (HTML) is used to create ALL required formats (PDF, online, iXBRL and print). This means that Reportl delivers accessible, compliant reporting from a single source of content.
The proofing and sign-off process is still most commonly done using Reportl's PDF output – for now at least, PDF remains the best format for this process.
There are many intersecting regulations that are driving the shift to digital reporting.
Digital reporting regulations like ESEF now require a full digital report, not a PDF. International sustainability reporting standards like the ESRS and the IFRS’s ISSB will also require HTML in order to be tagged*.
As corporate reports must be public, digital and PDF reports will need to comply with accessibility regulations too.
(*iXBRL is simply web HTML with data tags applied).
With reporting regulations like ESEF requiring HTML, the digitisation of mandatory reporting is well underway. In the UK, from 2026 the Board declaration on effective compliance controls will include the mandatory digital format (ESEF).
Print-first processes are not a long-term solution
Since 2022, the FRC have highlighted concerns about the quality and usability of ESEF reports produced from a print-first process (PDF conversion to HTML). ESEF reports are now being reviewed by regulators, and they have announced plans to alert companies to problems found.
The FCA has stated, “we expect issuers to devote the same level of care and attention to their digital (ESEF) report as their PDF or printed report.”
The FRC says, “There remains much to be done as data quality and usability remain below the level expected for companies in a leading capital market.”
‘Native’ HTML has been recommended by regulators because it delivers higher quality, AI-friendly, accessible reports. All formats are created ‘natively’ from digital HTML.
Why native HTML matters
Native HTML content sources are key to the quality of analysis possible with AI tools.
If any part of a report’s content is extracted or converted from a PDF source at any stage of the creation or consumption process, it introduces unreliable, unchecked data into the chain. If AI can’t access the original high quality digital data source (native HTML), its answers and analysis cannot be viewed as accurate, reliable or trusted.
What we recommend to companies
At Reportl, we recommend companies look carefully at the FRC’s independent guidelines and consider making the change to the best practice native HTML process.
Reportl has been purpose-built to strictly adhere to this guidance
But moving to a digital-first approach isn't only about compliance. It offers many other benefits to companies and stakeholders – including more efficient processes and the opportunity to transform reporting for the AI age.
PDF is a great format for many uses. But using the PDF as a ‘root’ source of reporting content presents many problems for AI. (Ask your favourite search or AI engine why).
Regulators and standard setters have highlighted its limitations too.
The UK FRC states that “PDF conversions suffer from messy, unreliable code, poor usability and excessive file sizes.” As a result, most companies’ mandatory digital reports are currently inaccessible to most stakeholders.
PDFs and PDFs converted to digital are not reliable enough for AI analysis.
To solve this, the FRC, ESMA and Netherlands AFM advise companies to consider an integrated process based on ‘native’ HTML.
Reportl has been purpose-built to enable designers to deliver this approach for companies.
3: Training
Learn about the training and
resources available from Reportl
Reportl is a specialist digital publishing platform built to enable report design and production teams to digitise. You do not have to be a developer to use it.
For content editors, Reportl is easy and fast to learn, and takes around 30 minutes to learn the essentials of logging in, editing and previewing designed pages.
For designers, the team will need to have expertise and experience of reporting content, design, and production. Design teams need to complete extensive training and learning to 'digitise' their existing design skills.
Reportl has been built to enable experienced designers to become expert in digital reporting.
Yes, we have a training plan that's been created for production and designers to help them learn the platform. The training consists of a number of video sessions, online resources and tutorials followed by extensive self-learning. If you would like to find out more, contact us at: [email protected].
Yes, we offer training videos for text editors.
Learning to edit your content in Reportl is very simple, so typically, training for editors is provided by the design team or agency which is delivering the project's design and build in the system. The Reportl team can support with this if required.
For content editing, it takes around 30 minutes to learn.
For designers and production teams there is more to learn. It is like learning how to use a web content management system (CMS) – but with the addition of multiple formats, digital reporting regulations, and XBRL tagging rules.
However, Reportl has been purpose-built to enable experienced reporting designers and production teams to learn. For an experienced senior designer dedicating 100% of time to learning, it takes around 6-8 weeks to be a confident user. As with all skills, they would gain further design expertise the more they use the system.
The system is built to help designers learn multi-format design and take control without needing to know code. This means an experienced Reportl design team needs no developers. We do not recommend that design teams offer digital-first reporting, until they have the required expertise.
Training is usually faster for production than design. It’s typical to be competent in 4-6 weeks of intense learning.
We have a number of training resources to support you through learning Reportl, including a library of training videos, a detailed user guide and a community of users sharing tips and information about the system.
Reportl team can also provide bespoke training sessions and support services to your team if required.
For companies
Reportl makes the editing, proofing and publishing process simple. It enables multi-format, fully compliant and accessible reports to be published in a single click. Learning to edit content and preview your report takes approx 30 minutes.
For reporting design agencies
Expert design and productions teams (often at a reporting agency) move from print software to Reportl. Experienced reporting design teams already have the core skills required, and Reportl enables them to add full digitisation capabilities to this.
This shift in capabilities at the agency requires training across all aspects of digitisation - design, production, project management, consulting, XBRL tagging, controls/assurance processes, filing rules and further emerging regulations.
Alongside Reportl's training resources for self-learning, our team can also offer tailored training programmes if required.
Before starting to build their designs in Reportl, many designers will still wish to explore concepts, styles, themes and messaging in traditional software. This process may help them get their ideas down quickly, which they can then implement in Reportl.
However, once designers gain expertise in Reportl and understand how HTML elements behave, many develop the confidence to experiment with their ideas directly in the platform. This can help to bring ideas to life that would otherwise remain static in the concept stages.
It's important to note that the Reportl design process is not like designing a website for developers to build. In Reportl, expert designers have full control over the design and build from start to finish. There is no development stage needed.
These changes offer designers a different way of thinking about their process. Once they have mastered the system, the reporting designer has many more opportunities for digital creativity.
Digital-first reporting design is different to print. We recommend the set up (build) of the digital report page types and styles earlier than the traditional print design process. The set up uses the prior year’s report content and fully integrates XBRL tagging, delivering compliance-ready xHTML and PDF outputs before the project kicks off. The project is then ready for new content to be flowed in, including text, tables, imagery, videos etc.
The content and all visual ‘elements’ of the design can change up to sign-off as required (images, graphics, charts, videos, etc) but the core template framework design and formatting does not change after the set up. This pre-build process makes digital reporting viable for fixed, legal deadlines - unlike web projects.
Designing in digital-first does have some limitations compared to print, but Reportl has been built to minimise these limitations. In most cases, the PDF (and printed report) produced from Reportl can be as well designed as in traditional print software.
It's important to note that multi-format design is increasingly influenced by digital needs – for example, creating a mobile-friendly design will affect how a page is designed in a PDF.
With Reportl, we believe the modest design limitations of HTML are outweighed by its many digital capabilities and benefits.
We do not recommend designers trying to exactly 'copy' an existing print design, but instead adapt the design elements to the multi-format opportunities. If you are aiming to keep a print-first design approach, digital-first design may not be suitable for your needs.
No, you can design the report however you want. But the content for the first year digital set up is usually based on the prior year report. We would recommend building a skeleton report with content and structure based on the prior year report, and adapt this to the new design and content as required.
As in print processes, it is common for 'evergreen' content sections (eg risk, governance, financials) to retain a similar design and format year-on-year ready for updating by the writing team.
In most design processes, the report is set up ready for content, using either dummy text or the prior year report content. It is common practice to design and build as much of the report as early as possible so the design is approved across format versions (PDF, online, filing) and ready for content.
We recommend that design teams plan and build all the key page and content types early in the process. A skeleton report can be created and fully tested by the design and production team based on the content of the prior year report.
Those sections which change the design and messaging year-on-year should also be created, developed and tested as early as possible in the process. It is important to discuss and understand this design process difference between the design team and the project owner/client.
Crucially, as a report evolves from year to-year, the roll forward function offers process efficiency and the opportunty to refine. As teams get more accomplished and experienced, digital-first reporting unlocks many more design opportunities.
Reportl isn't a font licencing software. You must ensure you have the appropriate licence before adding and using a font in Reportl.
Yes.
The writing team and their design team or agency can decide how they prefer to use the system. Reportl can be used solely by the design team with the writers or editors marking up a PDF. Or the writing team can use Reportl to make edits directly to the content that the designers have built. It is similar to a normal web content management system (CMS) workflow, but for corporate reporting.
Reportl works like any other web CMS, so if the content team have previous experience in editing via a CMS then this will be familiar. Training can also be provided if required.
The writing team would normally get involved at exactly the same time as current print software processes. This timing would be agreed by the content and design teams when creating their project schedule.
We would recommend that editing in the system is not begun with early draft text. It is more efficient for the design and production team to flow in a mature draft, so that editors only have small changes to make to text.
Because of the complex requirements of digital design, build and XBRL tagging, we do not recommend that large scale editing or copying/pasting is done by the writing team. We recommend that major editing is always completed by expert production and design teams.
Content edits can be handled in whichever way the writers and design team prefer. Writers can either send a marked-up PDF for input by the design/production team, or they can edit content live in the system if they prefer. We recommend that extensive edits and any reflow of content are only made by expert design and production users.
If the articles are set up correctly by designers in Reportl, then the PDF and digital versions will have the identical content, allowing writers to edit the content once for multiple outputs.
Yes, permission rights are set up for each user on the project and access can be controlled on individual sections (articles). You can apply specific levels of permissions depending on roles and responsibilities.
Yes. Every saved version is recorded in the article 'History'. This allows you to view and compare previous versions of your article. You can also choose to export a PDF showing the changes, and revert to a previous version of the article.
Reportl is a report creation software, it is not the hosting platform for your report to be published. Most reporting regulations require the report package to be self-contained and non-editable once published and filed.
Once a project is complete it is packaged from Reportl and provided as a stand-alone set of files. Just like a PDF, this digital report package is uploaded to the corporate site with links for users to view it online, or download the package.
Typically, the design team will liaise with the corporate website team before launch to test the digital report package and ensure that the website's servers are suitable for the completed project to be hosted.
Under many regulations, the official digital report packages must remain available to stakeholders online for a number of years. You will need to check your project's reporting requirements. For example, in the UK this is 10 years.
Roll-forward is a simple duplication of the prior year’s project. This process creates a new project with all the content, styles, articles and tagging built as a basis for the new report.
For design roll-forward, many sections will be designed the same, or very similarly to the prior year, just as they were in print software. And, because the design will often have been influenced by the ‘evergreen’ nature of the corporate digital brand, the core design elements often stay stable year-on-year. However, all the elements that need to be improved, redesigned and updated in layout, styles, content etc., are still typically done in a ‘concepts & consulting stage’, and these updates are made to the new project as you create the new skeleton report.
For XBRL roll-forward, the tagging gets fully carried over so it can be used as the basis for the report again. The XBRL date settings get updated at the project level (very easy to do), and the appropriate taxonomy gets updated in the project tagging settings. The complexity of this depends on the level of changes to the taxonomies year-on-year.
5: Software integrations
Learn about Reportl's compatibility with other
finance, consolidation and sustainability data software
Reportl offers two ways to work with Excel as your content source:
1. Copy/paste
This is the traditional method of transferring content. Reportl allows design and production teams to paste Excel tables in directly. The copy/paste process should only be done by specialist design and production teams – this is because content from these sources often includes unwanted code that can affect the XBRL tagging and the table styles.
2. Excel table sync
This function allows the design and production team to set up tables in Excel for automated sync directly into Reportl tables. This workflow means that no manual editing and no copy/paste is required, and can improve process efficiencies and content controls.
Excel sync enables finance and data management software to integrate the Excel outputs with the designed and XBRL-tagged format in Reportl.
This is an advanced function and the workflow needs to be carefully planned between the team providing the Excel data/content and the team creating the report design.
Yes. The Reportl workflow is compatible with most finance systems that can export to Excel.
Reportl can sync all table-based data and text content from Excel. As outlined in the answer above, this process requires careful set up and planning by digital design and production specialists.
Yes. Workiva data can be exported via Excel and synced directly into Reportl.
As a multi-format digital-first solution, Reportl provides digital design and build functionality that is complementary to Workiva. Reportl provides full online, mobile-friendly tagged reporting and accessible reports, both in PDF and online.
As digitisation of processes evolve, we are also exploring opportunities for further compatibility between Workiva and Reportl.
6: Information security
Find out how Reportl keeps all your information
and data secure. If you require more detail on our
information security, please contact our team.
Reportl’s system and data is hosted on Tier III and IV servers across multiple locations in secure EU hubs to create server redundancy. Reportl’s servers are located in Finland and Germany. In addition to Reportl's ISO27001 certification, our hosting service provider is also independently ISO27001 certified.
Reportl operates a highly secure server environment protected by the latest digital security protections.
These protections include:
- Ports closed in and out, using strict firewall policies.
All server communication channels are end-to-end SSL encoded.
All data is encrypted by SSL/TLS1.3.
DDoS and WAF protection - Cloudflare.
User access is protected by secure login with two-factor authentication (2FA) using a token code.
Reportl stores user credentials securely and monitors privileged sessions.
Server infrastructure only accessed via secure VPN, not available to access publicly.
- Published reports hosted on separate servers from the Reportl system and database.
Twice-yearly independent pen testing and security audits.
All server components are continuously updated, security updates are immediate.
Reportl's data instances are continuously monitored across 60 server and application level parameters, including checks for disk, server load, memory usage, network traffic, CPU usage, database, web server stack elements, running processes and server application components health.
Live monitoring also checks Reportl application specific services, for example login and data load. On any suspicious change or outage, our monitoring service immediately alerts our DevOps team, which is on duty 24/7/365 to respond and ensure business continuity and uptime.
View live server status at status.reportl.com.
Yes, users’ access is protected by secure login with two factor authentication (2FA) using a token code. To enable this protection, users must set up their 2FA with the Google Authenticator app.
Yes. Project data is only accessible to approved project contributors with login and permissions set by the project administrator. Data and content cannot be accessed by any user outside the approved project team.
Approved project team members may be members of the team at the reporting entity, and at their service provider (e.g. reporting design team, audit firm, copywriter, technical developers, etc.)
For consistency, we recommend using the Chrome browser. If you have to use a different browser, some functions may not be fully supported.
As with all digital content management systems (CMS), Reportl editing is browser based. It is an advanced online editing system, so you will need a fast, reliable and secure internet connection. An ethernet (wired) connection to your network (router) may perform better than Wi-Fi.
