What is the DOI file format?
Files with the .doi extension store BIRT Data Object Instances in the form of a BDO Instance. BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) is a category of software tools originally designed by Actuate Corporation - now part of OpenText - and has been developed as part of the Eclipse project since 2005. This multiplatform solution is available as an Eclipse plugin or as a stand-alone application, and allows users to create business intelligence reports, visualizations, and dashboards for streamlined data analytics.
.doi files store model data used for generating reports and visualizations. The data they contain can vary depending on the software configuration and data processing requirements. .doi files function as a binary data cache, drawing from sources such as relational databases, flat data files, XML feeds, or web services. This enables reusable data objects to be shared across multiple .rptdesign report layouts without re-querying the source on every report run.
Data object instances saved as .doi files are in binary format and cannot be opened, edited, or viewed directly. To create, work with, or consume such files, dedicated BIRT tools are required - such as Actuate BIRT Designer Professional or OpenText iHub. These tools allow users to build solutions for data object instance analysis and produce .rptdocument report outputs that reference the cached data.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA .doi is a passive binary data cache with no executable content, so opening it inside BIRT is not dangerous. The only real concern is confidentiality: because it is a materialized query result, it can contain real business data (customer records, financials) and should be handled per your organization's data-protection rules.
Format details
in a nutshellFULL NAMEBIRT Data Object Instance
DEVELOPERActuate Corporation (now OpenText)since c. 2013 (Actuate BIRT 11 / iHub data-object feature)
CATEGORYData Files
TYPEProprietary binary data cache (BIRT Data Object)
This extension is also used by…
- Adobe Acrobat Sequence / shared review marker - Some Adobe and other apps have historically used .doi for internal index/marker files unrelated to BIRT.
Programs that open DOI files
Windows2 apps
Actuate / OpenText BIRT Designer Professional
Paid Open the containing BIRT project; the .doi is used by reports/dashboards, not opened as a standalone document.
OpenText Analytics / iHub (server)
Paid Deploy/consume the data object inside the iHub volume that generated it; view results through the web report it feeds. Technical details
deep spec| Container type | Proprietary binary data cache |
| Data model | Serialized BIRT Data Object (BDO) instance |
| Developer | Actuate Corporation (now part of OpenText) |
| Primary platform | Windows; server runtime is Java-based and cross-platform |
| Required tooling | Actuate BIRT Designer Professional or OpenText iHub |
| Introduced | c. 2013, Actuate BIRT 11 / iHub data-object feature |
| File encoding | Binary; not human-readable or directly editable |
| Caching role | Stores pre-fetched or pre-processed data to avoid repeated source queries |
| Typical data sources | Relational databases, XML feeds, flat files, web services |
| Eclipse integration | Compatible with Eclipse-based BIRT plugin deployments |
| Companion design format | Paired with .rptdesign report layout definitions |
| Companion output format | Consumed alongside .rptdocument rendered report files |
| Reusability scope | A single .doi file can supply cached data to multiple report designs simultaneously |
| Server deployment | Managed within Actuate iHub or OpenText Analytics server environments |
| Released | c. 2013 (Actuate BIRT 11 / iHub data-object feature) |
| Specification | www.opentext.com |
DOI conversions
Possible
.DOI .CSVGUIDE
Yes, but not by converting the file directly -- open the BIRT report that consumes the data object and export…
How to convert
.DOI .XLSXGUIDE
Yes, the data inside a .doi file can reach Excel - but not by converting the file directly; you export the…
How to convert
.DOI .PDFGUIDE
You can get PDF output from a .doi file, but only by rendering the BIRT report that uses it - no tool…
How to convert
Community Q&A
asked by users
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Frequently asked questions
What is a .doi file?
It is a BIRT Data Object Instance - a binary data cache created by Actuate/OpenText BIRT reporting tools. It stores a materialized dataset that BIRT reports and dashboards read; it is not a document you open directly.
How do I open a .doi file?
You don't open it on its own. It is used inside OpenText/Actuate BIRT (BIRT Designer Professional or the iHub server) by the report that references it. To see the data, run or export that report.
Is .doi the same as a DOI (Digital Object Identifier)?
No. A DOI identifier (used to cite academic papers, e.g. 10.xxxx/yyyy) is a text string, not a file. This .doi is an unrelated BIRT data file that happens to share the letters.
Can I convert a .doi to Excel or CSV?
Not the file directly. Open the BIRT report that consumes the data object and export its results to Excel/CSV/PDF - that is the supported way to get the data out.
Why can't I find a free .doi viewer?
The format is proprietary to Actuate/OpenText BIRT and undocumented publicly, so no third-party viewer exists. You need the BIRT environment that created it.
References
1OpenText - Analytics and Reporting (BIRT) productwww.opentext.com
2OpenText Blogs - BIRT Data Objects: More Than Meets the Eyeblogs.opentext.com
