A report template defines a basic report structure on which new reports are based. The BIRT Studio user always creates a new report by selecting a template first.

BIRT Studio includes several predefined templates. Often, however, users request custom templates that better suit the data they want to present. In addition, an organization typically requires reports with a particular look and feel. You create templates using the Report Design perspective in Actuate BIRT Designer Professional, an Eclipse-based application for creating reports.