---
id: post/thinkaboutit-be/8250
type: post
title: "Business Central 29: Introducing Composite Document Layouts"
summary: Business Central 2026 release wave 2 introduces Composite Document Layouts, a modular approach to Word document layouts that separates body content, visual theming, and headers/footers into reusable components combined at runtime rather than maintaining separate complete layouts for each combination.
tier: community
language: en
tags:
  - document layouts
  - word layouts
  - reporting
  - customization
  - branding
  - reusable components
  - feature management
system: reporting
review:
  state: reviewed
  by: opus
  at: "2026-10-07T23:46:15.884Z"
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    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/10/business-central-29-introducing-composite-document-layouts/
    title: "Business Central 29: Introducing Composite Document Layouts"
    date: "2026-10-05"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: null
  - kind: blog
    url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/10/business-central-29-introducing-composite-document-layouts/
    title: "Business Central 29: Introducing Composite Document Layouts"
    date: "2026-10-05"
    commit: null
    t: null
    quote: Business Central doesn't create another permanent Word layout for every combination. The selected components are combined when the report runs.
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post_id: "8250"
source_id: thinkaboutit-be
source_name: think about IT - Steven Renders
url: https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/10/business-central-29-introducing-composite-document-layouts/
published_at: "2026-10-05T09:38:33.000Z"
author: Steven Renders
full_text: false
words: 1251
quotes:
  - text: Business Central doesn't create another permanent Word layout for every combination. The selected components are combined when the report runs.
    why_it_matters: This runtime composition model is the core innovation that eliminates the need to maintain separate layouts for each combination of report and branding
code_objects_mentioned: []
systems:
  - reporting
  - administration
  - development
versions_mentioned:
  - "29.0"
  - "29.1"
  - 2026 release wave 2
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---

# Business Central 29: Introducing Composite Document Layouts

[Read the post](https://thinkaboutit.be/2026/10/business-central-29-introducing-composite-document-layouts/) · think about IT - Steven Renders (Steven Renders) · 2026-10-05 · 1251 words · tier community · reviewed (checked by Opus)

> Business Central 2026 release wave 2 introduces Composite Document Layouts, a modular approach to Word document layouts that separates body content, visual theming, and headers/footers into reusable components combined at runtime rather than maintaining separate complete layouts for each combination.

## Key points

- Composite layouts separate concerns: Body Layout (report structure), Theme (fonts and colors), and Header/Footer Layout (branding and company info) are composed at runtime into the final document
- Reduces layout maintenance across multiple reports and companies by reusing components instead of creating separate layouts for each combination
- Existing standalone layouts continue to work; composite layouts add a new optional model without forcing migration or changing default invoice designs after upgrade
- Defaults can be configured at multiple levels (global, company, report, body layout) allowing flexible overrides and gradual introduction through layout status controls

## Quotes

- "Business Central doesn't create another permanent Word layout for every combination. The selected components are combined when the report runs." (This runtime composition model is the core innovation that eliminates the need to maintain separate layouts for each combination of report and branding)

## Context

- Features: Composite Document Layouts, Body Layout, Theme, Header/Footer Layout, Layout status control, Feature Management, Default configuration levels
- Versions: 29.0, 29.1, 2026 release wave 2

Source: think about IT - Steven Renders, community blog. Summary, key points and quotes are derived (CONTENT-NOTICE.md); read the original for the full text.