Document design

Overview

Document design refers to how you structure, name, and configure your document configurations in Azure Documenter. Well-designed configurations produce consistent, reusable reports and reduce the effort required to manage them over time.

Business value

Thoughtfully designed document configurations reduce manual rework, make reports easier to interpret, and ensure that Azure Documenter outputs are consistent across teams and stakeholders. Good configuration design also makes it easier to manage a growing library of reports without duplication or confusion.

How it works

A document configuration stores every setting Azure Documenter needs to generate a report — the document type, Service principal scope, subscriptions, branding, publish destination, optional schedule, and notification channels. Azure Documenter reuses these settings each time the configuration is generated.

Investing time in configuration design upfront pays off across the full document lifecycle: generation, review, scheduling, and sharing.

Name configurations for their purpose and scope

Use names that clearly communicate the document type and its subscription scope. Avoid generic names like Report 1 or Test config.

Recommended naming patterns:

• [Document type] – [Scope or environment] — for example, Executive summary – Production or Billing details – Dev/Test
• [Team or owner] – [Document type] — for example, Finance team – Cost comparison
• [Frequency] – [Document type] — for example, Monthly – Security compliance

A consistent naming convention makes the document configurations list scannable and helps team members identify the correct report without opening it.

Use descriptions to record intent

The optional Description field in the Basics step is an internal note visible only within Azure Documenter. Use it to record why the configuration exists, who requested it, or which team it serves. This context is valuable when auditing configurations or onboarding new team members.

Match the document type to its audience

Azure Documenter supports 17 document types across Executive, Finance, Security, Operations, Architecture, Sustainability, and Microsoft 365 categories. Match the document type to the intended audience:

Create one configuration per document type and scope. Avoid creating a single configuration intended to serve multiple audiences — focused reports are easier to act on and distribute.

Use the Preview step before generating

In the Review step of the Configure your document wizard, click Preview document before clicking Generate. Preview lets you verify the document scope, output format, and branding without triggering a full generation. Use preview after initial setup and after any significant change to a configuration's scope or settings.

Apply branding consistently

In the Branding step, set the Accent colour and upload a Logo to match your organization's visual identity. Use the same accent colour and logo across all configurations shared externally or presented to stakeholders. Consistency reinforces that reports come from a trusted, standardized process.

Branding applies to the document cover page and accent elements. Keep logo files under the 100 KB maximum. PNG and SVG render cleanly in both PDF and Word output formats.

Choose the right publish destination

Azure Documenter supports two publish destinations, configured in the Publish settings step:

Align the publish destination with how the report's intended audience will consume it. For reports shared with non-technical stakeholders, Document360 provides a cleaner reading experience. For reports consumed by tools or automation, Azure Storage offers more flexibility.

Related articles

• Managing document configurations
• On-demand document generation
• Subscription scope strategy
• Scheduling recommendations