# TX Text Control X10 Reporting: Using RDSC Files > Report Data Source Configuration files in TX Text Control X10 store database connection strings and table relations. After creating an RDSC file in the TX Text Control Words designer, the MailMerge engine handles all data binding when the Merge method is called on the template. - **Author:** Bjoern Meyer - **Published:** 2013-12-03 - **Modified:** 2026-03-05 - **Description:** Report Data Source Configuration files in TX Text Control X10 store database connection strings and table relations. After creating an RDSC file in the TX Text Control Words designer, the MailMerge engine handles all data binding when the Merge method is called on the template. - **4 min read** (640 words) - **Tags:** - Release - **Web URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/12/03/tx-text-control-x10-reporting-using-rdsc-files/ - **LLMs URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/12/03/tx-text-control-x10-reporting-using-rdsc-files/llms.txt - **LLMs-Full URL:** https://www.textcontrol.com/blog/2013/12/03/tx-text-control-x10-reporting-using-rdsc-files/llms-full.txt --- The **Report Data Source Configuration** files, introduced in TX Text Control X10, store database connection strings and created data relations. These files can be created in the customizable template designer *TX Text Control Words* and directly used in the reporting engine MailMerge. In order to merge a template with data from a database, you simply need to load the template and the RDSC file and to call the *Merge* method - the rest is done by *MailMerge* automatically. TX Text Control's *MailMerge* component is accessing the database, creating the relations in order to merge the right data into merge fields, blocks, images and barcodes. This tutorial shows how to create a simple mail merge application with RDSC files. 1. Create a new Windows Forms application and drag and drop a Text Control from the toolbox onto your form. Open the *SmartTag* in the upper right corner of TextControl and visit each wizard link to add additional controls and to connect them. 2. Find the *MailMerge* component in the toolbox and drag and drop it onto the form. Click the *Connect to Text Component* wizard link to connect *MailMerge* to the created *TextControl* instance. ![Using Report Data Source Configuration files](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/12/03/a/assets/tx_rdsc_1.webp "Using Report Data Source Configuration files") 3. In the same SmartTag, click *Start Template Designer*. 4. In the *Mailings* ribbon tab, click the *Select Data Source* button and follow the steps in the dialog to open your desired database. ![Using Report Data Source Configuration files](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/12/03/a/assets/tx_rdsc_2.webp "Using Report Data Source Configuration files") 5. When the database has been opened, click on *Edit Data Relations* to the open the *Data Relations* dialog. ![Using Report Data Source Configuration files](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/12/03/a/assets/tx_rdsc_3.webp "Using Report Data Source Configuration files") 6. In the dialog, create your data relations by choosing a main and a child table and the column that defines the relation between the two tables. ![Using Report Data Source Configuration files](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/12/03/a/assets/tx_rdsc_4.webp "Using Report Data Source Configuration files") 7. When the dialog is confirmed and closed with *OK*, the relations are directly usable in the designer. Click on the drop-down button *Insert Merge Field* and select your main table. In the opened dialog, you will see the fields of your main table and the related fields of your child table. Insert some fields of both tables into your template. ![Using Report Data Source Configuration files](https://s1-www.textcontrol.com/assets/dist/blog/2013/12/03/a/assets/tx_rdsc_5.webp "Using Report Data Source Configuration files")Fields from child tables are divided using a '.' which represents table relations. 8. Make sure that your main table is selected using the *Select Master Table* drop-down button. From the *Config File* drop-down button, select *Save Configuration* and choose a location and name for your configuraton file. 9. Save the template as DOC, DOCX, RTF or the Internal TX Text Control format using the *Save As...* menu and close the template designer. 10. Back in Visual Studio, open the SmartTag of *MailMerge* and choose *TemplateFile...* to select your previously saved template. 11. Now, choose *ReportDataSourceConfigFile* to browse for your configuration file. 12. Create a menu by adding a *MenuStrip* to your form with a main menu named *Report* and menu item *Merge*. Double-click *Merge* and add the following code to the event handler: ``` mailMerge1.Merge(); ``` Compile and start your application in order to choose *Merge* from the main menu. Your created template is automatically merged with the specified database and relations. Want to see this in action? [Download the trial version of TX Text Control X10 today](https://www.textcontrol.com/product/tx-text-control-dotnet-winforms/download/) and test drive the new way of reporting. --- ## 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)