Why is my report missing data?
Applies to
- WorldShare Reports
Answer
If you are missing data inside an Excel Spreadsheet, there can be a couple reasons why data appears missing. When you exported the data did you select to export the data or a report? If you selected data, the you could be received a file with the different tables and their data listed one above the other. To get the exact display you see on the screen, be sure to select "Report" instead.
Also, please check the .txt file that the spreadsheet was opened from. We have found that data can be lost in the import to Excel. This could have to do with the delimitation settings you have used to create the spreadsheet, or due to issues with characters in the file itself.
If you are using Excel's Data> From Text/CSV option to open the file, you will need to select "Do not detect data types." If you detect data types, Excel will predict data based on the first X amount of rows and rewrite the actual data.
If the columns get disorganized or information is in an incorrect column, this is usually a sign that there’s an errant character somewhere that Excel is reading as a break. The files are Pipe Delimited, but depending on how the file is imported into Excel things like carriage returns can cause problems. To fix the current file, the errant carriage return can be removed from the file, saved, and then re-opened.