I am working on a reporting project for which one of the requirements is to accept templates defining how they want the report to look. So for example one of our clients will consume our API grab some data and pass it back to us with a template defining what charts they want rendered and in what order.
I am currently trying to define that template.
Someone suggested that I check out the RDL as defined by Microsoft for our report templates. This seems to align with what I need however I cant seem to find any alternatives to RDL and I want to make an educated decision based on everything that's available.
So, I pose the question: Are there any alterantives to RDL ?
It totally depends on the reporting package you use. SSRS uses RDL so for it you pass RDL. For iReports you have to pass JRXML. For Windward Reports (disclaimer I'm the CTO there) you pass a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file.
You need to let the reporting package you use drive this. And figure your clients will then use the report design tool for that vendor.