AX1677

Exporting grid data in a web report to a delimited file

You can export grid data in a web report to a delimited file such as comma-separated (CSV). You can save the delimited file locally, or save it to the Axiom repository.

The export can be performed while viewing the report, or from the Reports Library in the Intelligence Center.

  • When exporting the report from the Intelligence Center, it is exported using default settings. If the report requires user input to return data, you should instead open the report and export from the report viewer.
  • When exporting the report from the report viewer, the export honors the current report state such as sorting, filtering, and drilling. Exception: report parameter selections are not honored unless the report is built from template.

Any user who can view the report can save the delimited file locally. In order to save the delimited file to the Axiom repository, you must have read/write access to at least one folder in the Reports Library.

To export grid data to a delimited file:

  1. In the Intelligence Center, locate the report in the folder tree, or search to find it.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Hover your cursor over the Name column to make the three-dots icon visible. Click the icon then select Export > Excel from the menu.

    • Click the report name to open the report. In the top right corner of the report, click Export > Excel.

  3. In the Export Report dialog, enter a file name into the File name box. By default, the file name is the same as the web report file name.

  4. For Export to, select the export destination:

    • My computer: Save the delimited file to your computer.

    • Axiom repository: Save the delimited file to a folder in the Axiom Reports Library, or to your My Documents folder.

    NOTES:  

    • If you save the delimited file to a folder in the Reports Library, then any user with at least read-only access to that folder will be able to view the file. You should be sure that it is acceptable for users with permission to the target folder to view the data in the file.

    • If you do not have read/write access to any folders in the Axiom repository, then the Export to option is not available and does not display in the dialog. The file will be automatically saved to your computer.

    • If you save the file to your computer, keep in mind that Axiom does not enforce any security on the exported file.

  5. If you are saving to the Axiom repository, select an Output folder:

    • Click the folder icon to the right of the field.

    • In the Choose output folder dialog, select a folder in the Reports Library. The dialog only shows folders where you have read/write access to that folder or a child folder.

      NOTE: If you have access to the My Documents folder, then you can also save reports to that location for your personal use.

    • Click OK to choose the folder and return to the Export to Excel dialog.

    The path to your selected folder now displays in the Output folder field.

  6. In the Configuration options section, select the desired Delimiter. You can select any of the following: Comma (default), Space, Period, Pipe, Tab, Semi-Colon, Colon.

    If the delimiter is a comma, the file format for the exported file is CSV. For any other delimiter, the file format is TXT.

  7. If the current report is enabled for directed drilling, you can optionally choose to Export all drill levels. If this option is enabled, then the report data is "flattened" using all drill levels. For example, if the report is currently showing rows by Acct, and the report has configured drilling levels of Region and Dept, then the exported report contains data rows by unique combination of Acct/Region/Dept.

    NOTES:  

    • If this option is enabled, the export ignores any sorting, filtering, or drilling in the report. The directed drilling columns are added to the report as row dimensions, and all data is exported at this level.
    • This option is not available if the report uses a fixed row structure, or if the report is built from template.

  8. Click Export to create the delimited file.

    • If you are saving to the Axiom repository, and you used a file name that already exists in the target folder, you are prompted to choose whether or not to overwrite the existing file. If you choose not to overwrite, you are returned to the Export Report dialog so that you can use a different name and/or output folder.

    • If you are saving to your computer, the exact behavior is determined by your browser settings. The default behavior for most browsers is to save the file to the Downloads folder on your computer.

    • In either case, a notification message displays at the top of the page to indicate whether the file creation succeeded or failed.

Export behavior

When the grid data is exported, the behavior is as follows:

  • If the data is paged in the report, the export contains all pages of data.

  • If the report uses row dimensions, then the first row of data in the file contains the column headers. Group headers are omitted from the export. Additionally, if a column has a 2-row header, only the first row of that header is exported. The total row is excluded from the export.

  • If the report uses a fixed row structure, all rows are included in the delimited file, including header rows and subtotal rows.

  • The raw data is exported to the delimited file. No formatting is applied. For example, this means number formats are not applied, date formats are not applied, and the Show Description option is not applied.

  • If a data value in the export contains the delimiter, that value is escaped in double quotation marks. For example, if the delimiter is a space character, then values with spaces are wrapped in double quotation marks (such as "Finance Department").

  • If you have sorted, filtered, or drilled the data displayed in the report, these changes are reflected in the export. The following exceptions apply:

    • Reordered columns are ignored. Columns are exported in their original order.

    • Drill results can only be exported to file if the report was created in the Report Builder. Web reports created from template display drill results slightly differently, and these results cannot be exported.

    • If Export all drill levels is enabled, the export ignores any sorting, filtering, or drilling in the report. The directed drilling columns are added to the report as row dimensions, and all data is exported at this level.

  • If the report uses report parameters, those parameter selections are not reflected in the export. Exception: If the report uses a dynamic column tied to a Column List report parameter, the default value for that parameter will be used for the export.

    NOTE: For reports created from template, refresh variable selections are applied to the export.