A report generator is a computer program whose purpose is to take data from a source such as a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases spa ...

XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. ...

stream or a

spreadsheet A spreadsheet is a computer application for computation, organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form. Spreadsheets were developed as computerized analogs of paper accounting worksheets. The program operates on data entered in ce ...

, and use it to produce a document in a format which satisfies a particular human readership. Report generation functionality is almost always present in database systems, where the source of the data is the database itself. It can also be argued that report generation is part of the purpose of a spreadsheet. Standalone report generators may work with multiple data sources and export reports to different document formats. An early report writer was part of the Nomad software. Information systems theory specifies that information delivered to a target human reader must be Timely, Accurate and Relevant. Report generation software targets the final requirement by making sure that the information delivered is presented in the way most readily understood by the target reader.

See also