Reports: Exporting Reports and Snapshots

You can export Report output and snapshot data from any Subtotal Report (Activity Report, Account Report, Contact Report, Deal Report, or Lead Report), and in a format that best matches your User Locale. There is no limit to the number of records you can export. Although we protect all customer data with a secure off-site data back-up system, exporting data from reporting is one way you can back up Accounts, Contacts, Deals, Leads, Appointments, Tasks, Multi-Notes, Communication Events, and Deal Steps to your on-site workstation/network. After identifying the report or snapshot containing the data you want, or after generating the appropriate Report output, you have the following exporting choices:

Export the data to a comma-separated values (CSV) file. A comma-separated values (CSV) file is a collection of data from one table-oriented application (such as this application) that can be imported to another table-oriented application (such as Excel). A CSV file has a data format that most programs recognize. This can be particularly helpful if you prefer to open and manipulate your data in a program that is compatible with CSV files, such as Excel or Microsoft Word.

Export the data directly to Excel. Report or snapshot data that is exported directly to Excel will maintain the same display layout as exhibited in the output or snapshot.

You cannot export Legacy Report outputs, but you can copy and paste Legacy Report outputs to Excel.

Important Extended edition Users cannot export a report containing a field, whether it is used as a Displayable Column, Custom Filter, or Linked Record Filter, to which they lack View access, even if they own said report. They can, however, still export a snapshot containing a field to which they lack View access. The application does not check to see if a User has View access to the fields in a snapshot. This is because snapshots are about a specific moment in time, and to take a snapshot in the first place, a User must have View access to all the fields in the Report definition. Also, it is possible for a User with View access to all fields in a snapshot to share the snapshot with a User who normally lacks View access to the fields in question.

Exporting Subtotal Report outputs and snapshots to a CSV file

Click the Reports tab to launch the Reporting - View window. The Reporting - View window is divided into two frames. The left-hand frame displays a hierarchical list of Report folders, some or all of which contain Report definitions and snapshots to which you have access. Find the folder containing the Report definition or snapshot you want to export. Clicking a hyperlinked folder name displays said folder's Report definitions in the right-hand frame of the Reporting - View window. (To export a snapshot, click the View Snapshots hyperlink in the right-hand frame of the Reporting - View window. This reloads the right-hand frame with a list of snapshots contained in the selected folder.)

Click the Export hyperlink next to the name of the Report definition or snapshot whose data you want to export. This launches the Export To A CSV pop-up. Or, to check the Report definition's criteria first, click the report name to launch the Report Definition Page where you can make changes to any of the Report definition's criteria (including columns and filters). After you have made any necessary changes to the Report definition, click [Run Export], which launches the Export To A CSV pop-up. (To view the snapshot first, click the View hyperlink for the snapshot. This launches the Snapshot pop-up. After viewing the snapshot, click [Run Export].)

Note Extended edition Users cannot export a Report definition containing a field (used as a Displayable Column, or used as part of a Custom Filter or Linked Record Filter) to which they lack View access. View access to all fields in a report is necessary to export said report. Without View access to all fields, clicking the Export hyperlink or the name of a report you own launches the Delete/Repair pop-up. Clicking the Export hyperlink or a Shared or Prebuilt Report launches a pop-up indicating that the Prebuilt or Shared Report cannot be viewed because it contains at least one field to which the Extended edition User lacks View access. The offending fields are not indicated, and the Shared or Prebuilt Report cannot be deleted or repaired because the User lacks ownership. Extended edition Users can, however, export a snapshot containing a field to which they lack View access. The application does not check access to the fields in a snapshot. This is because snapshots are about a specific moment in time, and to take a snapshot in the first place, Users must have View access to all fields in the Report definition.

Export To A CSV pop-up - Clicking the Export hyperlink in the Reporting - View window, or [Run Export] in the Report Definition Page, Report output pop-up, or Snapshot pop-up launches the Export To A CSV pop-up. (If the Export To A CSV pop-up does not launch, and instead the application launches a browser window with your exported data, this means that the ".csv" file extension is not associated by your operating system with any application on your workstation. Click to see the section Creating New File Associations to resolve this.) The Export To A CSV pop-up allows you to export the report or snapshot's data to a comma-separated values (CSV) file, compatible with applications such as Microsoft Excel, and includes the following elements:

Date Format: Select the date format in which you want Date field values to be exported. Example: A User with the English (United Kingdom) User Locale uses the DD/MM/YYYY date format.

Date Separator: Select the separator you want to use in exported Dates. Example: A User with the English (United States) User Locale uses the "/" (forward slash) as the date separator.

Decimal Point: Select the punctuation mark you want to represent the decimal point for exported Decimal values and Currency values. Example: A User with the French (France) User Locale uses a comma ( , ) as the decimal point.

Include Column Header Row: To include the row of all column names, be sure the Column Header Row check box is selected, which is helpful for most exports and essential if you plan on mail merging the data in Microsoft Word. The check box should already be checked by default.

Currency fields: The application will not export the currency symbol or currency code for currency fields. If you are a User in a Multi-Currency company and want to export the three-character ISO currency code, make sure to select Acct Currency Code, Cont Currency Code, or Deal Currency Code (depending on the kind of Report definition) as a Displayable Column in the Report definition you are using to export your data. This will export the three-character ISO currency code for the Record Currency for each corresponding record. Users in Single Currency organizations cannot export the currency symbol of their Base Currency.

Numeric fields: Exported numeric values (i.e., values from Integer, Decimal, and Currency fields) will not include a grouping punctuation mark. For example, if the value is "ten thousand", it will export as "10000" not as "10,000" or "10 000" regardless of your User Locale.

Click [Create], which launches the File Download window. This window prompts you to open the file from its current location (your browser) or save it to disk. Make sure the "Save to disk" option is selected and click [OK]. This will bring up the Save As window.

Find the folder you want the CSV to be stored in, rename the CSV file, and click "Save". The application will then download the Report output or snapshot to your workstation.

When the download is complete, the Download Complete window launches, presenting the following buttons: [Open], [Open Folder], and [Close].

If you click [Open], your CSV file will automatically open up the associated application (such as Excel) and you will see your Report output or snapshot. (If you plan to open your file in Excel, click here for information about resolving Excel issues with zip codes and other data beginning with zero.) If your CSV file does not automatically open up in an associated application (such as Excel or Word or notepad), and instead the application launches a browser window with your exported data, this means your operating system does not associate the CSV extension with any application on your workstation. See Creating New File Associations to resolve this.

If you click [Open Folder], it will open the file manager view of the folder you placed the CSV file in.

If you click [Close], it will bring you back to the application. Click [OK] in the Downloading Exported CSV File pop-up and you will return to the window where you started.

Click for instructions on how to export all of your data in order to back it up locally.

Opening your exported Subtotal Report output or snapshot CSV file in Excel

Navigate to your CSV file in the folder to which you exported it > double-click the CSV file > launches the exported data in Excel (if the exported data does not launch in Excel, and Excel is resident on your workstation, see Creating New File Associations).

Open Excel > "File" > File menu > "Open" (if Open doesn't appear in the list of choices, close the File menu and press Ctrl + o) > Open window > "Files of type" drop-down menu > "All Files (*.*)" > navigate to your CSV file > double-click the CSV file > launches the exported data in Excel.

Excel has issues with CSV files that start with "Id" or "ID" or "id" (e.g., if the value in cell A1 is "Identification Number") - If you try to open your CSV file in Excel and instead receive the error message "SYLK: file format is not valid", this means that the first two characters in the CSV file are "Id" or "ID" or "id" (not counting the quotation marks). Excel cannot open CSV files that start with these characters. This is a known Excel issue. If this happens, open your CSV file in Notepad or WordPad, and edit the file so that the first two characters are no longer "Id" or "ID" or "id", or edit the Report definition that created the CSV file in the first place so that it doesn't create an export file where the first record has data in its first field (cell A1 in Excel) that begins with these two characters.

Excel issues with Zip Codes and other data beginning with zero - After opening your exported Subtotal Report or snapshot in Excel, check any columns with data that is supposed to begin with zero, such as columns containing zip codes. In most cases Excel drops the zero from the beginning of each cell's data -- zip code 02072 becomes 2072. This is because Excel's default format for numbers in all cells is General Number format.

To fix Excel's formatting to prevent "zero drop" if the data column contains Zip Codes

Highlight the entire column.

Click Format from the navigation bar. Select Cells from the drop-down menu.

In the Category select box, click "Special".

In the Type select box, click "Zip Code" or "Zip Code + 4" and click [OK].

To fix Excel's formatting if the data column contains another type of data besides Zip Codes

Highlight the entire column.

Click Format from the navigation bar. Select Cells from the drop-down menu.

There are many options in the Category select box. If you have trouble finding options that render your data properly, click "Text". Text will work in many cases but you'll have to add the zero manually to every cell requiring it.

Saving your file once Zip Codes are fixed

Most people choose one of two options: saving the file in Microsoft Excel Workbook format or saving the file in CSV format.

To save your file in Microsoft Excel Workbook format: In Excel, choose "File - Save As". In the Save As window, select "Microsoft Excel Workbook" from the "Save as type" drop-down menu. Choose where to save the file on your workstation. If you don't like the default location Excel has chosen, click [Browse] to change it. You can also change the file name in the text box in this window. When are you finished click [Save]. (The Import Wizard cannot import Microsoft Excel Workbook files. To import this data back to the application in the future, save it in CSV format.)

To save your file in CSV format: If your file was already in CSV format you can just click [Save]. Otherwise, choose "File - Save As". In the Save As window, select "CSV (Comma delimited)" from the "Save as type" drop-down menu. Choose where to save the file on your workstation. If you don't like the default location Excel has chosen, click [Browse] to change it. You can also change the file name in the text box in this window. When are you finished click [Save]. If you receive a pop-up that says "[Your file name] may contain features that are not compatible with CSV (Comma delimited). Do you want to keep the workbook in this format?", click [Yes]. This message indicates that the special column formatting you applied to the Zip Code column is not supported by CSV files. This does not mean the zeros will be dropped in the CSV file -- the zeros will still be there. If you open the CSV file in Notepad or another text editor, you will see the zeros were saved. But if you open the CSV file again in Excel, you will not see the zeros, and you will have to fix the data again to see them.

Exporting Subtotal Report outputs and snapshots directly to Excel (in XLS format) via the Excel icon

If you do not have Excel - Do not try to export Subtotal Reports or snapshots directly to Excel if Excel is not installed on your workstation. If you do not have Excel, click [Run Export] to export your Report output or snapshot in CSV format instead of using the Excel icon.

If you do have Excel - Click the Reports tab to launch the Reporting - View window. The Reporting - View window is divided into two frames. The left-hand frame displays a hierarchical list of Report folders. Navigate to the folder containing the Report definition or snapshot you want to export, clicking the "View Snapshots" link in the right-hand frame if necessary (only available for non-Prebuilt Report folders). Clicking a folder name displays said folder's Report definitions or snapshots in the right-hand frame.

If you need to access the Report's definition first, click the report name to launch the Report Definition Page, where you can make changes to any of the Report definition's criteria. After you have made any necessary changes to the Report definition, run the report and click the Excel icon from the Report output, which launches the Downloading XLS File pop-up. (To view a snapshot first, click the View hyperlink for the snapshot. This launches the Snapshot pop-up. After viewing the snapshot, click the Excel icon.)

If you don't need to access the Report's definition first, click the Excel hyperlink next to the name of the Report definition or snapshot whose data you want to export directly to Excel, which launches the Downloading XLS File pop-up.

Extended edition Users cannot export a report to Excel if it contains a field, used as a Displayable Column, or used as part of a Custom Filter or Linked Record Filter, to which you lack View access. You need View access to all fields in a report to export said report to Excel. If you lack View access to all fields in the report, clicking the Excel hyperlink or the name of any report that you own will launch the Delete/Repair pop-up. Clicking the Excel hyperlink or a Shared or Prebuilt Report launches a pop-up indicating that you cannot view the report because it contains at least one field to which you lack View access. You will not be told which field it is, and you will not be given the opportunity to delete or repair a Shared Report or Prebuilt Report because you don't own it. Choose another report or build your own. You can, however, export a snapshot containing a field to which you lack View access. The application does not check to see if a User has View access to the fields in a snapshot. This is because snapshots are about a specific moment in time, and to take a snapshot in the first place, a User must have View access to all the fields in the Report definition. Also, it is possible for another User with View access to all fields in a snapshot to share the snapshot with a User who normally lacks View access to the fields in question.

Downloading XLS File pop-up - Clicking the Excel hyperlink in the Reporting - View window; or the Excel icon in the Report output pop-up or Snapshot pop-up launches the Downloading XLS File pop-up. If you don't have Excel, export the data directly to a CSV instead.

If you have Excel, the Downloading XLS File pop-up launches an Internet Explorer browser (with embedded Excel functionality) containing your exported report data. Choose Save from the File menu to save your Report output to your workstation. Click here for the Help topic "Working with Excel Outputs".

If you have Excel, but clicking the Excel hyperlink launches the File Download window, it means you have chosen to confirm the opening of Excel files after download. If you don't want the File Download window to launch every time you click the Excel hyperlink, you must change your settings for opening Excel files. Launch Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer). In the Tools menu select Folder Options. In the Folder Options window, click the File Types tab. In the File Types listbox, highlight the file type XLS (Microsoft Excel Worksheet). Click [Advanced] to open the Edit File Type window. Uncheck the "Confirm open after download" check box. Click [OK]. Click [Close] in the Folder Options window. Now when you click the Excel hyperlink, your Excel file will open directly in a new window.

If you don't have Excel, the Downloading XLS File pop-up launches the File Download window.

File Download window: Allows you to choose "Open this file from its current location" to open the file from its current location or "Save this file to disk" to launch the Save As window. If present, do not click the "Open OLE server in-place" check box. Leave it unchecked.

If you have Excel, and you choose "Open this file from its current location", this launches an Internet Explorer browser (with embedded Excel functionality) containing your exported report data. Choose Save from the File menu to save your Report output to your workstation.

If you have Excel, and you choose "Save this file to disk", this launches the Save As window. The Save As window allows you to find the folder you want the Excel file to be stored in, rename the file, and click "Save". The application will then download the Report output or snapshot to your workstation in an Excel spreadsheet format. When the file is saved, the Download Complete window launches with the following buttons: [Open], [Open Folder], and [Close]. Clicking [Open] will open the file in Microsoft Excel. Clicking [Open Folder] launches the folder where you saved the file and display the folder contents. Clicking [Close] closes the Download Complete window.

If you don't have Excel, and you choose "Open this file from its current location", this launches the Associate File window. The Associate File window prompts you for the program to use to open your exported Report output or snapshot. You must pick a program, such as Lotus 1-2-3, that can accept an Excel file. If you don't have a program compatible with Excel, export your report or snapshot via [Run Export].

If you don't have Excel, and you choose "Save this file to disk", this launches the Save As window. The Save As window allows you to find the folder in which you want the Excel file to be stored, then rename the file, and then click "Save". The application downloads the Report output or snapshot to your workstation in an Excel spreadsheet format, but you must open it in a program (such as Lotus 1-2-3) that can accept an Excel file.

Report output or snapshot fields exceeding 255 characters cannot be exported in their entirety to Excel. Data in such fields will truncate. This is a limitation of Excel's export tool. For example, if you export Report output data or Report snapshot data that has a Notes field with data exceeding 255 characters, the data will truncate after 255 characters. If these notes are critical to your Report output or snapshot, you can resolve this by generating an export via the [Run Export] button. Then open your exported CSV file in Excel -- all fields of more than 255 characters will appear in their entirety.

After successfully generating your Excel output file, click here to load the Help topic "Working with Excel Outputs".

Creating new file associations

If you are unable to launch your exported file in an application that is resident on your workstation (such as Excel or Word or notepad), this means that the CSV file extension is not associated with any of your workstation's applications (by your operating system). To resolve this, create a file association:

Creating File Associations in Windows Explorer for Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows NT

Launch Windows Explorer (Windows Explorer displays the hierarchical structure of files, folders, and drives on your workstation, as opposed to Internet Explorer, which is a browser).
Click View on the menu bar. Select File Types from the menu.
Click the File Types tab.
In the Registered File Types window, search for Microsoft Excel Comma Separated. If you see this listed, your operating system is already configured correctly. If you don't see this listed, click "NEW TYPE".
For Description, type Comma Separated File.
For Associated Extension, type CSV.
Leave Content Type (MIME - which stands for Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions) blank.
Click NEW.
For Action, type Open.
Click Browse. To open the CSV in Notepad, Navigate to the Notepad executable. By default, Notepad is installed to C:\Windows\Notepad.exe. To open the CSV in another application such as Excel or Word, navigate to the appropriate executable, i.e., Excel.exe.
Click OK - OK.

Creating File Associations in Windows Explorer for Windows 2000 and Windows XP

In the Accessories menu, launch Windows NT Explorer. Press+ E. Or, click the Windows Start button > Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer. (Windows NT Explorer displays the hierarchical structure of files, folders, and drives on your workstation, as opposed to Internet Explorer, which is a browser.)
Click Tools on the menu bar. Select Folder Options.
Click the File Types tab.
In the Registered file types list box, search for CSV in the Extensions column. If you see CSV listed, your operating system is already configured correctly. If you don't see this listed, click "NEW", which launches the Create New Extension pop-up.
Type CSV in the File Extension text box. Click [OK].
Select CSV in the Extensions column of the Registered file types list box. Click [Change].
Scroll down to Notepad. Select Notepad. To open the CSV in another application such as Excel or Word, navigate to the appropriate application and select it.
Click OK - Close.

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