# Sneak Peek Reporting X10: The Dot Makes the Difference > TX Text Control X10 Reporting introduces dot-prefixed merge field names that reference related sub-tables. Inside a repeating merge block, fields use a table path prefix such as Production_Product.Name, so MailMerge resolves master-detail data relationships during the merge process. - **Author:** Bjoern Meyer - **Published:** 2013-10-10 - **Modified:** 2026-03-05 - **Description:** TX Text Control X10 Reporting introduces dot-prefixed merge field names that reference related sub-tables. Inside a repeating merge block, fields use a table path prefix such as Production_Product.Name, so MailMerge resolves master-detail data relationships during the merge process. - **3 min read** (489 words) - **Tags:** - Release - **Web URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/10/10/sneak-peek-reporting-x10-the-dot-makes-the-difference/ - **LLMs URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/10/10/sneak-peek-reporting-x10-the-dot-makes-the-difference/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/10/10/sneak-peek-reporting-x10-the-dot-makes-the-difference/llms-full.txt --- The easy creation of **pixel-perfect** reports using a flow type layout design is the core concept of Text Control Reporting. But at the same time, this word processing concept is combined with the power of reporting tools. Creating nested repeating blocks with **Master-Detail** relationships is the strength of the MailMerge component. In version X10, data relations and data source connection strings can be defined in **TX Text Control Words** - the customizable template designer. Those settings can be exported to [Report Data Source Configuration Files](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/09/15/sneak-peek-reporting-x10-report-data-source-configuration-files/llms-full.txt) and directly loaded into the used MailMerge instance. In the upcoming version of TX Text Control Reporting, a new concept makes the usage of data relations easier. The data relation can be prefixed onto the field name. Consider the following data source structure of our new sample database that somes with TX Text Control Words: ![The dot makes the difference](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/10/10/a/assets/tx_data_relation.webp "The dot makes the difference")In this sample, we want to create an invoice for an order. The master table is **Sales\_SalesOrderHeader** which contains general information about the order and relations to sub-tables. It is connected to **Sales\_SalesOrderDetail** through the **SalesOrderID**. These order details consist of sold products defined in another table named **Production\_Product**. During the merge process, you simply need to specify the master table and TX Text Control's Reporting engine is getting the related tables automatically. The following screenshot shows the repeating block **Sales\_SalesOrderDetail** with merge fields from sub-tables: ![The dot makes the difference](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/10/10/a/assets/tx_data_block.webp "The dot makes the difference")The fields *OrderQty*, *UnitPrice* and *LineTotal* are coming directly from the table **Sales\_SalesOrderDetail**. They don't have a prefix as the surrounded block is filled from **Sales\_SalesOrderDetail**. The fields *Production\_Product.ProductNumber* and *Production\_Product.Name* are coming from a sub-table which is defined by the prefix *Production\_Product*. Even the image placeholder - which is [another great new feature](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/10/04/sneak-peek-reporting-x10-image-placeholder-merging/llms-full.txt) - is named with a prefix sub-table: *Production\_Product.Production\_ProductProductPhoto.Production\_ProductPhoto.ThumbNailPhoto*. In TX Text Control Words, a new dialog has been added to enable the easy creation of such nested fields. ![The dot makes the difference](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/10/10/a/assets/tx_data_relation_treeview.webp "The dot makes the difference")The dialog displays possible relations in form of a tree view to help with the navigation through possible field names. The following screenshot shows the merged invoice including image fields, repeating blocks prefixed nested merge fields. ![The dot makes the difference](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/10/10/a/assets/tx_ready_invoice.webp "The dot makes the difference")Another great feature of TX Text Control X10 - stay tuned for more! --- ## About Bjoern Meyer As CEO, Bjoern is the visionary behind our strategic direction and business development, bridging the gap between our customers and engineering teams. His deep passion for coding and web technologies drives the creation of innovative products. If you're at a tech conference, be sure to stop by our booth - you'll most likely meet Bjoern in person. With an advanced graduate degree (Dipl. Inf.) in Computer Science, specializing in AI, from the University of Bremen, Bjoern brings significant expertise to his role. In his spare time, Bjoern enjoys running, paragliding, mountain biking, and playing the piano. - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjoernmeyer/) - [X](https://x.com/txbjoern) - [GitHub](https://github.com/bjoerntx) --- ## Related Posts - [TX Spell .NET 11.0 SP1 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/04/08/tx-spell-net-11-0-sp1-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Announcing TX Text Control DS Server 5.0](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/03/12/announcing-tx-text-control-ds-server-5-0/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 34.0 SP2 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2026/02/18/tx-text-control-34-0-sp2-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 34.0 SP1 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/12/03/tx-text-control-34-0-sp1-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Introducing TX Text Control 34.0: Your Next Leap in Document Processing](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/11/10/introducing-tx-text-control-34-0-your-next-leap-in-document-processing/llms.txt) - [PDF/UA vs. PDF/A-3a: Which Format Should You Use for Your Business Application?](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/24/pdf-ua-vs-pdf-a-3a-which-format-should-you-use-for-your-business-application/llms.txt) - [Validating PDF/UA Documents in .NET C#](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/21/validating-pdf-ua-documents-in-dotnet-csharp/llms.txt) - [Sneak Peek: TX Text Control 34.0 Coming November 2025](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/10/02/sneak-peek-tx-text-control-34-0-coming-november-2025/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 33.0 SP3 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/08/14/tx-text-control-33-0-sp3-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [High-Performance Text Replacement in Large DOCX Files using C# .NET](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/30/high-performance-text-replacement-in-large-docx-files-using-csharp-dotnet/llms.txt) - [Document Viewer 33.2.1 Released: New Event and Bug Fixes](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/30/document-viewer-33-2-1-released-new-event-and-bug-fixes/llms.txt) - [Upcoming Support for PDF/UA Compliance and Tagged PDF Generation in Version 34.0](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/07/24/upcoming-support-for-pdf-ua-compliance-and-tagged-pdf-generation-in-version-34-0/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 33.0 SP2 is Now Available: What's New in the Latest Version](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/06/18/tx-text-control-33-0-sp2-is-now-available/llms.txt) - [Service Pack Releases: What's New in TX Text Control 33.0 SP1 and 32.0 SP5](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/05/07/service-pack-releases-whats-new-in-tx-text-control-33-0-sp1-and-32-0-sp5/llms.txt) - [Introducing DS Server 4.0: Linux-Ready and Container-Friendly](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/04/30/introducing-ds-server-4-linux-ready-and-container-friendly/llms.txt) - [The Wait is Over: TX Text Control for Linux is Officially Here](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2025/03/12/the-wait-is-over-tx-text-control-for-linux-is-officially-here/llms.txt) - [Full .NET 9 Support in Text Control .NET Components for ASP.NET Core, Windows Forms, and WPF](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/11/11/full-net-9-support-in-text-control-net-components-for-asp-net-core-windows-forms-and-wpf/llms.txt) - [DS Server 3.5.0 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/24/ds-server-3-5-0-released/llms.txt) - [Using the Document Editor in SPA Applications using the removeFromDom Method](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/02/using-the-document-editor-in-spa-applications-using-the-removefromdom-method/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 32.0 Service Pack 4 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/09/02/tx-text-control-32-0-service-pack-4-released/llms.txt) - [Service Pack 3: MailMerge Supports SVG Images](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/29/service-pack-3-mailmerge-supports-svg-images/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control 32.0 Service Pack 3 Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/29/tx-text-control-32-0-service-pack-3-released/llms.txt) - [Document Viewer: Long Polling Support for Loading Documents](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/04/25/document-viewer-long-polling-support-for-loading-documents/llms.txt) - [TX Text Control React Packages Released](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/02/29/tx-text-control-react-packages-released/llms.txt) - [Text Control Breaks Ground: Unveils Plans for Highly Anticipated Linux Version, Revolutionizing Cross-Platform Document Processing](https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2024/02/29/text-control-breaks-ground-unveils-plans-for-highly-anticipated-linux-version-revolutionizing-cross-platform-document-processing/llms.txt)