报表 [forms for reporting to the higher organizations] 是指用于向上级报告情况的表格。简单的说：报表就是用表格、图表等格式来动态显示数据，可以用公式表示为：“报表 = 多样的格式 + 动态的数据”。
A report is a form used to report to superiors. Simply put: a report is a form that uses tables, charts, and other formats to dynamically display data. It can be expressed as: “Report = Various formats + Dynamic data”.
在有计算机以前，人们利用纸和笔来记录数据，比如：民间常常说的豆腐帐，就是卖豆腐的每天将自己的卖出的豆腐记在一个本子上，然后每月都要汇总算算，这种情况下，报表数据和报表格式是紧密结合在一起的，都在同一个本子上。数据也只能有一种几乎只有记帐的人才能理解的表现形式，且这种形式难于修改。
当计算机出现之后，人们利用计算机处理数据和界面设计的功能来生成、展示报表。计算机上的报表的主要特点是数据动态化，格式多样化，并且实现报表数据和报表格式的完全分离，用户可以只修改数据，或者只修改格式。报表分类EXCEL、WORD等编辑软件：它们可以做出很复杂的报表格式，但是由于它们没有定义专门的报表结构来动态的加载报表数据，所有这类软件中的数据都是已经定义好的，静态的，不能动态变化的。它们没有办法实现报表软件的“数据动态化”特性。
数据库软件：它们可以拥有动态变化的数据，但是这类软件一般只会提供，最简单的表格形式来显示数据。它们没有实现报表软件的”格式多样化”的特性。报表软件，它们需要有专门的报表结构来动态的加载数据，同时也能够实现报表格式的多样化。
Before computers, people used paper and pen to record data. For example, the tofu account often mentioned by the people means that tofu sellers record their tofu sales in a notebook every day, and then summarize and calculate them every month. In this case, the report data and the report format are closely combined and are all in the same notebook. The data can only be expressed in a form that almost only the accountant can understand, and this form is difficult to modify.
After the emergence of computers, people use the computer’s data processing and interface design functions to generate and display reports. The main features of reports on computers are dynamic data, diversified formats, and complete separation of report data and report formats. Users can only modify data or only modify the format. Report classification EXCEL, WORD and other editing software: They can make very complex report formats, but because they do not define a special report structure to dynamically load report data, all data in this type of software is already defined, static, and cannot change dynamically. They have no way to realize the “data dynamic” feature of report software.
Database software: They can have dynamically changing data, but this type of software generally only provides the simplest table format to display data. They do not realize the “format diversification” feature of report software. Report software, they need to have a special report structure to dynamically load data, and can also realize the diversification of report formats.