ConnectWise Report Writer templates are the custom report and invoice layouts built inside ConnectWise Manage’s legacy reporting tool. This guide explains what Report Writer templates actually are, how MSPs use them to build invoice templates, the template types most MSPs end up creating, and the limitations you should know about before starting a new one.
If you landed here looking for help building a custom invoice in Report Writer, keep reading. We’ll walk through what’s possible, what’s painful, and what most MSPs end up doing instead.
What are ConnectWise Report Writer templates?
Report Writer is the custom reporting engine built into ConnectWise Manage. It uses HTML, a proprietary templating syntax, and data source queries to produce reports, statements, and invoices from your ConnectWise database.
A Report Writer template is the saved combination of three things:
- A layout — HTML markup that defines the visual structure.
- One or more data sources — SQL-style queries that pull records from ConnectWise tables (invoices, time entries, agreements, companies, etc.).
- A set of repeaters and expressions — the ConnectWise-specific syntax that loops through records and injects field values into the layout.
Report Writer was originally built for internal reports, not client-facing documents. ConnectWise later extended it to invoices because it was the only templating engine available in the product. That history explains most of what’s awkward about using it for invoicing today.
Where is Report Writer in ConnectWise?
Report Writer lives in the ConnectWise Manage desktop and web app under the System module.
- In ConnectWise Manage, go to System > Report Writer.
- Select an existing report to edit, or select New to create one from scratch.
- Set the Report Category — for invoice templates this is typically Invoice or Custom Invoice.
- Define your data sources on the Data Sources tab.
- Build your layout on the Formatting tab using HTML and Report Writer expressions.
- Save, then preview against real data to check the output.
The editor is a small textarea with no live preview. You save, generate a sample PDF, review, and repeat.
How MSPs use Report Writer to build invoice templates
To use a Report Writer template as an invoice, you assign it in ConnectWise Manage as a Custom URL Link on the billing setup, agreement type, company, agreement, or site. ConnectWise then calls the report whenever an invoice is generated for that assignment level.
The typical build process looks like this:
- Clone the stock Invoice report as a starting point.
- Adjust data sources to include the fields you need — company info, line items, time entries, tax breakdowns, agreement details.
- Edit the HTML layout to match your brand — logo, colors, column order, section headings.
- Add conditional expressions for anything that changes between invoice types (standard, fixed fee, agreement, progress, credit memo).
- Test against a range of real invoices to find edge cases.
- Assign the template at the appropriate level in Setup Tables > Invoicing.
For a full walkthrough of how custom templates get assigned inside ConnectWise Manage, see our doc on custom ConnectWise invoice templates.
Common Report Writer templates MSPs build
Most MSPs don’t build one template — they build a small library to cover different billing scenarios and internal reporting needs. The templates that show up again and again across MSP environments:
Invoice templates
- Standard invoice — time and materials billing with separate sections for products, services, and expenses.
- Fixed fee invoice — flat-rate project or retainer billing with minimal line-item detail.
- Agreement invoice — recurring managed services invoice with agreement additions, overages, and true-ups.
- Progress invoice — partial project billing tied to completion percentages or milestones.
- Credit memo — refund or adjustment document, usually a modified version of the standard invoice.
Reporting templates
- Invoice templates in use report — shows which templates are assigned across billing setups, agreement types, companies, and agreements. MSPs build this to clean up old templates before a migration.
- Time by ticket report — hours and revenue grouped by service ticket for a date range.
- Aging / AR report — outstanding invoices by customer and age bucket.
- Agreement profitability report — revenue vs. labor cost per agreement.
- Utilization report — billable vs. non-billable hours by engineer.
If you’re trying to build the first one on that list, skip the Report Writer work entirely — Better Invoice gives you a report of invoice templates in use for free, with no SQL involved.
Limitations of Report Writer templates
Report Writer works, but the experience has real friction. Knowing the limitations up front helps you scope the effort correctly.
SQL and HTML knowledge required
Every non-trivial template requires writing data source queries using ConnectWise’s SQL-style query syntax and joining multiple tables. The layout is raw HTML with a proprietary repeater and expression syntax layered on top. There’s no drag-and-drop and no visual editor.
No live preview
Report Writer has no live preview. Every change follows the same loop: edit HTML in the textarea, save, generate a test invoice, wait 20 to 40 seconds for the PDF, review, repeat. A template with 20 tweaks takes a full afternoon just for the render cycles.
Dated output
Even a polished Report Writer invoice looks dated. Forced page margins, limited font choices, and crude table borders make the output feel like a 1997 spreadsheet — which is roughly when the underlying engine was designed.
Limited conditional logic
Report Writer supports basic conditional expressions, but complex logic — like hiding a column when every row in the current invoice group is zero, or showing different headers for different invoice types — requires nesting expressions in ways that are fragile and hard to maintain.
Consultant dependency
Because the tool is painful enough that most MSP owners bounce off it, a whole cottage industry of ConnectWise consultants charges $2,000 and up per custom Report Writer invoice template. Every future change — rebrands, new service lines, column tweaks — means another engagement.
A modern alternative
If the reason you’re building a Report Writer template is to get a professional-looking invoice with your branding, you don’t need Report Writer at all. Better Invoice is a web-based invoice template editor purpose-built for ConnectWise Manage. You connect it to your ConnectWise instance, configure a template with 150+ visual settings, and point ConnectWise at the Better Invoice URL as a Custom URL Link.
What you get without writing any HTML or SQL:
- Instant live preview against real ConnectWise invoices.
- Four layouts, nine color palettes, and dozens of font options.
- Built-in conditional logic per invoice type (standard, fixed fee, project, agreement).
- One template that handles every invoice type — no need to build and maintain five.
- Sub-second PDF generation instead of 20 to 40 second waits.
Better Invoice isn’t the only third-party option — for a direct comparison see Better Invoice vs NexNow. You can also sign up free at app.betterinvoice.io, connect to ConnectWise, and have a working custom template in under 10 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Report Writer in ConnectWise?
Report Writer is in ConnectWise Manage under System > Report Writer. You need System module permissions to access it. From there you can create new reports, edit existing ones, and set the report category to Invoice for invoice templates.
Can I use Report Writer for invoice templates?
Yes. Report Writer is the built-in way to build custom invoice templates in ConnectWise Manage. You create a Report Writer template with the invoice category, assign it as a Custom URL Link on your billing setup or agreement type, and ConnectWise uses it to render invoices. It works, but it requires HTML and SQL-style query knowledge, and the output tends to look dated compared to modern third-party alternatives.
Do I need a developer to use Report Writer?
For simple field swaps — changing a logo, updating a company name, tweaking a label — you can get by without a developer. For anything structural — custom layouts, new line-item columns, conditional sections, branded typography — you’ll need someone comfortable with HTML, CSS, and ConnectWise’s data source query syntax. Most MSPs hire a ConnectWise consultant for this work at $2,000 and up per template.
How long does it take to build a Report Writer invoice template?
A basic custom template with a logo swap and color changes can take a few hours if you know HTML. A fully branded invoice with conditional line items, custom groupings, and multiple invoice types typically takes 20 to 40 hours — much of it spent in the edit-save-render-review loop because there’s no live preview.
What’s the difference between Report Writer and a Custom URL Link?
Report Writer is where you build the template. A Custom URL Link is how ConnectWise Manage points to a template at invoice generation time — whether that template lives in Report Writer or on an external service like Better Invoice. When you assign a custom invoice template in Setup Tables > Invoicing, you’re setting the Custom URL Link field.
Can I edit Report Writer templates without breaking my current invoices?
Yes, but carefully. Always clone an existing template before editing, test against a wide range of real invoices (different invoice types, agreement structures, line item counts), and keep a backup copy of the working version. Report Writer has no built-in version history, so if you overwrite a working template with a broken change, there’s no one-click restore.