# Custom Report Generation in PDF and Xlsx Format

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-report-generation-in-pdf-and-xlsx-format/117755>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Tags:** perspective\
**Created:** [November 5, 2026, 9:14am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-report-generation-in-pdf-and-xlsx-format/117755 "2026-11-05T09:14:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![VaibhavSalokhe](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/vaibhavsalokhe/32/82952_2.png) [@VaibhavSalokhe](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/VaibhavSalokhe)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 9:14am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-report-generation-in-pdf-and-xlsx-format/117755/1 "2026-11-05T09:14:47Z")

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some suggestions on how to generate a daily production report in both **PDF and Excel formats** using Ignition.

I have an existing report design (I've attached a screenshot for reference) that I would like to replicate as closely as possible.

Here are the main requirements:

- **Section:** Contains static information that will remain fixed.

- **Target:** Values will be entered manually by the user.

- **Actual:** Values will be populated automatically from MQTT tags.

- **Deviation:** Calculated based on the difference between Actual and Target values.

- **Reason/Comments:** Users should be able to enter comments manually to explain any deviations.

**What I've tried so far:**

I've created a Perspective page where users can enter target values and comments. The entered data is stored in a database table. I've then used a Table component and bound its data to a database query.

However, I'm struggling to structure and present the data in a way that matches the attached report design.

**My questions:**

1. What would be the best approach to achieve this kind of custom report layout in Ignition?

2. Would you recommend using the Reporting Module, a Perspective-based solution, or another approach?

3. Has anyone implemented something similar, especially with manually entered values, live MQTT tag data, and calculated deviations?

Any suggestions, examples, or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/b/e/bee5b523d496c3df202c8b494a95e2db3391687a.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JordanCClark](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/jordancclark/32/83362_2.png) [@JordanCClark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/JordanCClark)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2026, 2:02pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/custom-report-generation-in-pdf-and-xlsx-format/117755/2 "2026-11-05T14:02:31Z")

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For the Excel side, I would use a blank version as a template, then use Apache POI to modify the cells as needed.

* * *

For a PDF, you might try using LibreOffice in headless mode. Something like

`libreoffice --headless --convert-to pdf *.xlsx`

Untested. YMMV.