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How to Create a Report in Excel

Using charts, graphs, and pivot tables makes it easy

Updated on September 25, 2022

What to Know

  • Create a report using charts: Select Insert > Recommended Charts, then choose the one you want to add to the report sheet.
  • Create a report with pivot tables: Select Insert > PivotTable. Select the data range you want to analyze in the Table/Range field.
  • Print: Go to File > Print, change the orientation to Landscape, scaling to Fit All Columns on One Page, and select Print Entire Workbook.

This article explains how to create a report in Microsoft Excel using key skills like creating basic charts and tables, creating pivot tables, and printing the report. The information in this article applies to Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, and Excel for Mac.

Creating Basic Charts and Tables for an Excel Report

Creating reports usually means collecting information and presenting it all in a single sheet that serves as the report sheet for all of the information. These report sheets should be formatted in a way that’s easy to print as well.

One of the most common tools people use in Excel to create reports is the chart and table tools. To create a chart in an Excel report sheet:

  1. Select Insert from the menu, and in the charts group, select the type of chart you want to add to the report sheet.

  2. In the Chart Design menu, in the Data group, select Select Data.

  3. Select the sheet with the data and select all cells containing the data you want to chart (include headers).

  4. The chart will update in your report sheet with the data. The headers will be used to populate the labels in the two axis.

  5. Repeat the above steps to create new charts and graphs that appropriately represent the data you want to show in your report. When you need to create a new report, you can just paste the new data into the data sheets, and the charts and graphs update automatically.

    There are different ways to lay out a report using Excel. You can include graphs and charts on the same page as tabular (numeric) data, or you can create multiple sheets so visual reporting is on one sheet, tabular data is on another sheet, and so on.

Using PivotTables to Generate a Report From an Excel Spreadsheet

Pivot tables are another powerful tool for creating reports in Excel. Pivot tables help with digging more deeply into data.

  1. Select the sheet with the data you want to analyze. Select Insert > PivotTable.

  2. In the Create PivotTable dialogue, in the Table/Range field, select the range of data you want to analyze. In the Location field, select the first cell of the worksheet where you want the analysis to go. Select OK to finish.

  3. This will launch the pivot table creation process in the new sheet. In the PivotTable Fields area, the first field you select will be the reference field.

    In this example, this pivot table will show website traffic information by month. So, first, you’d select Month.

  4. Next, drag the data fields you want to show data for into the values area of the PivotTable fields pane. You’ll see the data imported from the source sheet into your pivot table.

  5. The pivot table collates all of the data for multiple items by adding them (by default). In this example, you can see which months had the most page views. If you want a different analysis, just select the drop-down arrow next to the item in the Values pane, then select Value Field Settings.

  6. In the Value Field Settings dialog box, change the calculation type to whichever you prefer.

  7. This will update the data in the pivot table accordingly. Using this approach, you can perform any analysis you like on source data, and create pivot charts that display the information in your report in the way you need.

How to Print Your Excel Report

You can generate a printed report from all the sheets you created, but first you need to add page headers.

  1. Select Insert > Text > Header & Footer.

  2. Type the title for the report page, then format it to use larger than normal text. Repeat this process for each report sheet you plan to print.

  3. Next, hide the sheets you don’t want included in the report. To do this, right-click the sheet tab and select Hide.

  4. To print your report, select File > Print. Change orientation to Landscape, and scaling to Fit All Columns on One Page.

  5. Select Print Entire Workbook. Now when you print your report, only the report sheets you created will print as individual pages.

    You can either print your report out on paper, or print it as a PDF and send it out as an email attachment.

FAQ

  • How do I create an expense report in Excel?

    Open an Excel spreadsheet, turn off gridlines, and enter your basic expense report information, such as a title, time period, and employee name. Add data columns for Date and Description, and then add columns for expense specifics, such as Hotel, Meals, and Phone. Enter your information and create an Excel table.

  • How do I create a scenario summary report in Excel?

    To use Excel’s scenario manager function, select the cells with the information you’re exploring, and then go to the ribbon and select Data. Select What-If Analysis > Scenario Manager. In the Scenario Manager dialog box, select Add. Name the scenario and change your data to see various outcomes.

  • How do I export a Salesforce report to Excel?

    In Salesforce, go to Reports and find the report you want to export. Select Export and choose an export view (Formatted Report or Details Only). Formatted Report will export in .xlsx format, while Details Only gives you other choices. Select Export when ready.

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Categories: Basic Excel

Excel is a powerful reporting tool, providing options for both basic and advanced users. One of the easiest ways to create a report in Excel is by using the PivotTable feature, which allows you to sort, group, and summarize your data simply by dragging and dropping fields.

First, Organize Your Data

Record your data in rows and columns. For example, data for a report on sales by territory and product might look like this:

Reports 1

A PivotTable report works best when the source data have:
1. One record in each row;

2. One column for each category for sorting and grouping (such as “Territory” and “Product” in the example above; and

3. One column for each metric (such as “Units Sold” and “Sales Revenue” above). Recording some sales revenue in a different column complicates the task of adding up all of the sales revenue.

Create the PivotTable

Next, create the PivotTable report:
1. Highlight your data table.

2. From the Insert ribbon, click the PivotTable button.

3. On the far right, select fields that you would like on the left-hand side of the report and drag them to the Rows box.

4. Also on the far right, select fields that you would like to appear across the top of the report and drag them to the Columns box.

5. Select the data that you would like to summarize and drag it to the Values box.

6. For each item under Values, specify how to aggregate the data—with a sum, average, or some other function. This is a great time-saving step!

Reports 2

With each change, you’ll see your PivotTable report take shape. If you decide you don’t like the layout, just drag the fields to other positions.

Formatting Your PivotTable Report

From the PivotTable Design ribbon, choose a style for your report based on your theme’s color schemes with options for header rows, header columns, totals, and subtotals. From the Home ribbon, set the number format for your data, or right-click your data, choose Value Field Settings, and click Number Format.

Other Report Options

Do you want even more flexibility in your reports? Do you ever need to, say, connect to data in an external database or create charts based on your reports? All of these options are available with PivotTables!

Or, if you need more flexibility than PivotTables provide, you can:
1. Create a freeform report by adding totals and subtotals directly to your source data,

2. Use the Group and Subtotal options on the new Outline section of the Data ribbon, or

3. If you’re using Excel 2013, use the new Quick Analysis button.

No matter which option you choose, Excel is one of the most flexible reporting tools available today!

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Now that you’ve got Microsoft Excel as part of your workforce, it’s time to actually put the spreadsheet software to work. What was once a simple collection of blue line-divided cells on a grid is now a massive collection of templates with reports you can maximize for every area of your business. Let Excel do all of the setup work when you’re ready to see your data translated to the screen. With reports, you’re able to figure out what that data actually means. Customize one of Excel’s included reports in a couple of clicks.

  1. Launch Excel 2013. Review the main screen, which offers a selection of the most commonly used templates, such as “Quarterly Sales Report,” “Sales Pipeline” and “Loan Comparison Calculator.” If none of these appeal, type “report” into the search box and click the magnifying glass. Scroll through the options on the right side of the screen under “Category,” such as “Status Report” or “Finance — Accounting.”

  2. Double-click a category, and the main screen opens with the available templates. Scroll through the templates for one that best suits your plans for the report, keeping in mind that all items are changeable and customizable. For example, click the “Analysis” report category and scroll through the 37 templates, such as “Invoice Aging Report,” “Insurance Coverage Report” and “Knowledge Management Report.” Double-click a report, and click the “Create” button to generate it in Excel.

  3. Review the contents of the report, which is populated with some dummy data. This gives you an idea of what you want to change. Save the file by clicking “File” followed by “Save As,” giving it a name and choosing where to save it on your computer.

  4. Highlight the text of the title of the report, usually at the top of the template. Type over the text with your own. Skip this step, and any steps similar to it, to leave the default text as is.

  5. Click into the individual cells of the report to type over the data. For example, if you opened a yearly report broken out into months, the templates usually run January through December. You may want to start a fiscal report that begins in July and runs through June, so adjust the cell text as needed.

  6. Click into a cell on the grid, and press and hold down the left mouse button. Drag until multiple cells next to or below and above each other are highlighted. Press the “Delete” key. This helps you remove a lot of pre-populated data in a single click.

  7. Change the header cell text, any category text at the bottom of the report such as “Signed by” or “Approved by” and any other options on the report.

  8. Add or change any other text as desired. This will vary depending on the report template chosen. If you need to add a row or column, right-click on a cell, choose “Insert,” click the “Entire Row” or “Enter Column” radio button and click “OK.”

  9. Highlight the cells to format, which can help with separating out column or row headers, or individual cells. You can also click a column or row header to highlight the entire thing. Right-click the highlighted area and choose “Format Cells.” When a pop-up with the same name opens, click the “Fill” tab. Choose a small colored box for shading. You can also click the “Border” tab and apply bordering via the same window. Click “OK” to return to the grid.

  10. Add a logo by clicking the “Insert” tab followed by the “Pictures” button. Browse to the file, double-click it and then drag it to the appropriate place on the report, such as a top corner. This is also how you would add electronic signature graphics files to the report, as well as any other images, such as charts or photos.

  11. Click the “File” tab and resave the document, keeping the same name.

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In Excel 2016, users will find that they have numerous ways of organizing and visualizing their records. Making use of these options will allow you to put tables and charts together to create reports worthy of praise.

  • Basic chart and table creation
  • How to create PivotTables
  • How to create a Dashboard
  • Timelines and Slicers

Basic chart and table creation

Before you can impress your team with an in-depth report, you need to learn how to generate charts, tables, and other visual elements. Here are a few types to get you started.

How to create a basic forecast report

  1. Load a workbook into Excel
  2. Select the top-left cell in the source data
  3. Click on Data tab in the navigation ribbon
  4. Click on Forecast Sheet under the Forecast section to display the Create Forecast Worksheet dialog box
  5. Choose between a line graph or bar graph
  6. Choose Forecast end date
  7. Click Options for customization
  8. Select Forecast start date

Forecast reports are useful for calculating projections for sales, growth or revenue.

How to create hierarchal charts

  1. Select a cell inside of the data table
  2. Click on Insert in the ribbon
  3. Click Insert Hierarchy Chart under the Charts group
  4. Select between TreeMap or Sunburst chart
  5. Click on the + (plus) sign to add or remove chart elements such as title, data labels, and legend
  6. Click on the right arrow for each element to customize the appearance or behavior

The Charts group itself is an effective way to find the chart that best suits your data. In fact, Excel 2016 has a Recommended Charts option, which allows you to scroll through shortlisted charts or through all available charts.

How to create PivotTables

A PivotTables enable users to sort through and reorganize data in columns and rows in order to find the most effective view. It’s especially useful when you are working with vast amounts of data.

How to create a recommended P{ivotTable

  1. Select a cell within the table range or source data
  2. Navigate to the Tables section in the Insert ribbon tab
  3. Select Recommended PivotTable
  4. Browse through the presented types of PivotTables
  5. Click on the PivotTable you want
  6. Click OK to generate
  7. Select Seasonality options
  8. Modify timeline and value ranges
  9. Select to fill any missing points by zeros or by interpolation
  10. Select criteria to aggregate duplicates by
  11. Select Create to finish

How to create your own PivotTable

  1. Click on a cell within the source data or table range
  2. Click on the Insert tab in the navigation ribbon
  3. Select PivotTable in the Tables section to generate the Create PivotTable dialog box
  4. Decide on the data source in the Choose the data that you want to analyze section, in case you don’t want to use the selected source
  5. Select New or Existing Worksheet under the Choose where you want the PivotTable to be placed section
  6. Click Add this data to the Data Model to incorporate additional data sources in the PivotTable
  7. Click on fields to include in the report in the PivotTable Fields
  8. Click and drag fields to reside in either Filters, Columns, Rows, and Values

Once you have decided on the layout and contents of your PivotTable fields, you can use it as the foundation for other Pivot Tables.

How to create a Dashboard

Once you have become comfortable enough to generate charts and tables using your provided data, it’s time to begin piecing the story together in a dashboard. The Dashboard is your chance to showcase your data in an attractive, informative and insightful hub view. It provides a top-level view of the data, allowing your audience to quickly see data and trends in order to view results and make decisions. This reporting tool is highly adaptable and can be used to report a plethora of results regardless of your line of business.

How to prepare your PivotTables for the Dashboard

  1. Select the original PivotTable that wish to use as your master or reference table
  2. Right-click on the selection
  3. Choose Copy
  4. Select another cell on your worksheet
  5. Right-click on the selected cell
  6. Choose Paste to duplicate
  7. Repeat steps No. 4 to No. 6 as needed
  8. Click on PivotTable Tools for each table
  9. Click Analyze
  10. Insert a name in the PivotTable Name box to identify the function of each table

How to generate PivotCharts from PivotTables

  1. Select the original PivotTable
  2. Click on PivotTable Tools
  3. Select Analyze
  4. Select PivotChart
  5. Choose the type of chart that you need
  6. Choose formatting options in the PivotChart Tools tab
  7. Click on Analyze under PivotChart Tools
  8. Enter a name in the Chart Name box
  9. Apply steps No. 1 to No. 8 as needed for all PivotTables in use

Timelines and Slicers

With your multiple PivotCharts and PivotTables created, you’ll need to be able to find specific information that supports the details you wish to share in the dashboard. Slicers and Timelines provide a way to filter through the data with ease. Timelines allow you to filter by time to locate a specific period. Slicers are essentially click-to-filter options for PivotTables. Not only do they apply a filter, they also indicate the filter currently in use.

How to add a Slicer

  1. From a PivotTable click on PivotTable Tools
  2. Select Analyze
  3. Select Filter
  4. Select Insert Slicer
  5. Select the items to be used as slicers
  6. Click Ok
  7. Select a Slicer
  8. Click on Slicer Tools
  9. Select Options
  10. Select Report Connections
  11. Choose the PivotTables that connect to the chosen Slicer

How to add a Timeline

  1. Click on a PivotTable
  2. Select Analyze
  3. Select Filter
  4. Select Insert Timeline
  5. Click on the items to use in the Timeline
  6. Click on the Timeline
  7. Select Tools
  8. Select Options
  9. Select Report Connections
  10. Select PivotTables to link the Timeline to

With each resulting chart, you can choose to copy and paste it on your dashboard. You can then decide how the dashboard should appear, what will tell the best story for your report.

This results in a dynamic dashboard that allows recipients to look over your presented data while allowing them to sort through the data to give them customization options pertinent to them. If you are creating a Dashboard to be used on a regular basis, you only need to update the source data to recreate the report with new information.

Wrapping Up

There isn’t one report to rule them all, but Excel has the tools to help you make the report you need. How often do you have to create reports in Excel? Which one are you most proud of? Let us know in the comments. And be sure to visit our Office 101 help hub for more related articles!

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This wikiHow teaches you how to automate the reporting of data in Microsoft Excel. For external data, this wikiHow will teach you how to query and create reports from any external data source (MySQL, Postgres, Oracle, etc) from within your worksheet using Excel plugins that link your worksheet to external data sources.

For data already stored in an Excel worksheet, we will use macros to build reports and export them in a variety of file types with the press of one key. Luckily, Excel comes with a built-in step recorder which means you will not have to code the macros yourself.

  1. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 1

    1

    If the data you need to report on is already stored, updated, and maintained in Excel, you can automate reporting workflows using Macros. Macros are a built in function that allow you to automate complex and repetitive tasks.

  2. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 2

    2

    Open Excel. Double-click (or click if you’re on a Mac) the Excel app icon, which resembles a white «X» on a green background, then click Blank Workbook on the templates page.

    • On a Mac, you may have to click File and then click New Blank Workbook in the resulting drop-down menu.
    • If you already have an Excel report that you want to automate, you’ll instead double-click the report’s file to open it in Excel.

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  3. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 3

    3

    Enter your spreadsheet’s data if necessary. If you haven’t added the column labels and numbers for which you want to automate results, do so before proceeding.

  4. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 4

    4

    Enable the Developer tab. By default, the Developer tab doesn’t show up at the top of the Excel window. You can enable it by doing the following depending on your operating system:

    • Windows — Click File, click Options, click Customize Ribbon on the left side of the window, check the «Developer» box in the lower-right side of the window (you may first have to scroll down), and click OK.[1]
    • Mac — Click Excel, click Preferences…, click Ribbon & Toolbar, check the «Developer» box in the «Main Tabs» list, and click Save.[2]

  5. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 5

    5

    Click Developer. This tab should now be at the top of the Excel window. Doing so brings up a toolbar at the top of the Excel window.

  6. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 6

    6

    Click Record Macro. It’s in the toolbar. A pop-up window will appear.

  7. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 7

    7

    Enter a name for the macro. In the «Macro name» text box, type in the name for your macro. This will help you identify the macro later.

    • For example, if you’re creating a macro that will make a chart out of your available data, you might name it «Chart1» or similar.

  8. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 8

    8

    Create a shortcut key combination for the macro. Press the ⇧ Shift key along with another key (e.g., the T key) to create the keyboard shortcut. This is what you’ll use to run your macro later.

    • On a Mac, the shortcut key combination will end up being ⌥ Option+⌘ Command and your key (e.g., ⌥ Option+⌘ Command+T).

  9. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 9

    9

    Store the macro in the current Excel document. Click the «Store macro in» drop-down box, then click This Workbook to ensure that the macro will be available for anyone who opens the workbook.

    • You’ll have to save the Excel file in a special format for the macro to be saved.

  10. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 10

    10

    Click OK. It’s at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your macro settings and place you in record mode. Any steps you take from now until you stop the recording will be recorded.

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    11

    Perform the steps that you want to automate. Excel will track every click, keystroke, and formatting option you enter and add them to the macro’s list.

    • For example, to select data and create a chart out of it, you would highlight your data, click Insert at the top of the Excel window, click a chart type, click the chart format that you want to use, and edit the chart as needed.
    • If you wanted to use the macro to add values from cells A1 through A12, you would click an empty cell, type in =SUM(A1:A12), and press ↵ Enter.

  12. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 12

    12

    Click Stop Recording. It’s in the Developer tab’s toolbar. This will stop your recording and save any steps you took during the recording as an individual macro.

  13. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 13

    13

    Save your Excel sheet as a macro-enabled file. Click File, click Save As, and change the file format to xlsm instead of xls. You can then enter a file name, select a file location, and click Save.

    • If you don’t do this, the macro won’t be saved as part of the spreadsheet, meaning that other people on different computers won’t be able to use your macro if you send the workbook to them.

  14. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 14

    14

    Run your macro. Press the key combination which you created as part of the macro to do so. You should see your spreadsheet automate according to your macro’s steps.

    • You can also run a macro by clicking Macros in the Developer tab, selecting your macro’s name, and clicking Run.

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  1. Image titled Automate Reports in Excel Step 15

    1

    Download Kloudio’s Excel plugin from Microsoft AppSource. This will allow you to create a persistent connection between an external database or data source and your workbook. This plugin also works with Google Sheets.

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    2

    Create a connection between your worksheet and your external data source by clicking the + button on the Kloudio portal. Type in the details of your database (database type, credentials) and select any security/encryption options if working with confidential or company data.

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    3

    Once you’ve created a connection between your worksheet and your database, you will be able to query and build reports from external data without leaving Excel. Create your custom reports from the Kloudio portal and then select them from the drop-down menu in Excel. You can then apply any additional filters and choose the frequency that the report will refresh (so you can have your sales spreadsheet update automatically every week, day, or even hour.)

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    4

    In addition, you can also input data into your connected worksheet and have the data update your external data source. Create an upload template from the Kloudio portal and you will be able to manually or automatically upload changes in your spreadsheet to your external data source.

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  • Only download Excel plugins from Microsoft AppSource, unless you trust the third party provider.

  • Macros can be used for anything from simple tasks (e.g., adding values or creating a chart) to complex ones (e.g., calculating your cell’s values, creating a chart from the results, labeling the chart, and printing the result).

  • When opening a spreadsheet with your macro included, you may have to click Enable Content in a yellow banner at the top of the window before you can use the macro.

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  • Macros can be used maliciously (e.g., to delete files on your computer). Don’t run macros from untrustworthy sources.

  • Macros will implement literally every step you make while recording. Make sure that you don’t accidentally enter the incorrect value, open a program you don’t want to use, or delete a file.

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Article SummaryX

1. Enable the Developer tab.
2. Click the Developer tab.
3. Click Record Macro.
4. Create a shortcut key.
5. Store the content in the current workbook.
6. Click OK.
7. Perform the steps you want to automate.
8. Click Stop Recording.
9. Use the shortcut key to run the same steps.

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 543,765 times.

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Excel reports output a downloadable Excel spreadsheet that contains the defined data set and any templates, charts, tables, or other elements added to the customized Excel template. Excel reports use the Report wizard’s filters and groupings/summaries, and once the report parameters have been defined in the rest of the wizard, you can download the Excel template in the Customize Excel tab of the Report wizard and begin to customize it. For example, after defining the data, filters, groupings, and other parameters, you might customize the template to include a PivotTable analyzing the data, and a PivotChart to display the results at a glance.

Example Excel report

Unlike graphical, HTML, and text reports, Excel reports can pull data from multiple tables. You can then use PivotTables and charts to analyze the data in any combination. To create an Excel report with data from multiple tables, configure an Excel report in each table with the data you want to use, and then create a combined report that uses those reports as data sources.

Excel reports look different from other reports, so if you haven’t worked with them before, we recommend exploring the Example Reports before you begin.

Example Reports

Before you create your own Excel reports, it can be helpful to explore an example to see how these reports work differently from graphical charts, custom summary reports, or HTML and text reports. In this section, you can follow a guided tour of two example Excel templates.

Single-Source Example

Let’s begin with a simple example template that pulls data from a single source.

  1. Download Contracts Excel Dashboard.zip, extract the Excel file, and open it.
  2. Explore the contents of the Sample Dashboard worksheet. This worksheet arranges all the configured charts onto one screen to function as a dashboard.
  3. Click through the next worksheets, which each contain one of the charts shown on the Sample Dashboard worksheet. In this example, each chart is placed with its corresponding PivotTable on its own worksheet, and duplicated on the Dashboard worksheet. Keeping PivotTables separated can help prevent problems and make maintenance easier.
  4. Open the last worksheet, titled Data. This worksheet contains the data pulled by the report and placed into the Excel file. The columns are determined by the report’s defined view, and the records included are determined by the report parameters. The charts and PivotTables we explored in steps 2 and 3 refer to this worksheet, so it’s important to preserve the layout and format of the Data worksheet. For example, if someone updated the view for this report and removed the Contract Start Date, several of the charts would break.

To create a similar single-source Excel report, complete the steps in the Create a Basic Excel Report and the Customize the Excel Template sections.

Multi-Source Example

Now, let’s explore a more complex example that pulls data from four sources.

  1. Download Combined Dashboard.zip, extract the Excel file, and open it.
  2. Explore the contents of the Dashboard worksheet. This worksheet arranges several charts onto one screen to function as a dashboard.
  3. Open the next worksheet, Pivot Tables. This example places all the PivotTables onto a single worksheet. These tables are used to create the charts on the Dashboard worksheet. When the template includes several automatically-created Data worksheets, you might find it helpful to concentrate your PivotTables onto a single shared worksheet to make the file easier to navigate.
  4. Click through the last four worksheets, titled Data1, Data2, Data3, and Data4. Each worksheet contains the data pulled by one of the specified source reports. Each worksheet has its own set of columns defined by the view of the source report, and the records included are determined by the source report parameters. The charts and PivotTables we explored in steps 2 and 3 refer to these worksheets, so it’s important to preserve the layout and format of the Data worksheet, and not to change the order of the source reports after you’ve configured the Excel template.

To create a similar multi-source Excel report, create a basic Excel report for each source table. Then, create a combined report using the basic reports you created, and finally complete the steps to Customize the Excel Template.

Create a Basic Excel Report

In general, report parameters depend heavily on your specific reporting needs. When you set up an Excel report, there are additional considerations for certain parameters.

If you’re planning to create a combined Excel report with data from several tables, you need to configure an Excel report in each table that identifies the data using the steps in this section. Make sure you configure a report in each table you want to include in your final report.

Create a View for the Report

The view you choose for an Excel report determines how the report data is imported and formatted into the Data worksheet of the final file. All your template customization will rely on the column arrangement of the Data worksheet, so it is important to configure the view correctly the first time you set up the report, to avoid accidentally breaking the report.

  1. Before you begin, determine the purpose of this view. Specifically, decide whether the view will be used outside of Excel reporting, and whether the view will be used for just this report or for multiple Excel reports.

    We recommend creating a view specifically for Excel reports that is not used in the normal table view. If you are comfortable working with Excel, you might be able to create one view to use in all Excel reports for the table; this requires including more data than you need for any individual report and combing through the data in Excel later. If you are less comfortable working with lots of data in Excel, or if your system has an unusually large amount of data, you should consider creating individual views for each Excel report you create.

  2. Either from the Grouping/Summary tab in the Report wizard or from the table you are reporting on, create a new view.
    Show records using selected view
  3. If you plan to use this view only for Excel reports, clear the check boxes for selection, edit, and view icons. In Excel, these icons don’t do anything.
  4. Set Max lines per record and Max lines per linked field to all. This makes sure the complete value is sent to Excel.
  5. Check the Display check box for the appropriate fields, with the following considerations:
    • If you aren’t sure whether you need a field, it’s better to include it. You can always ignore the data in Excel, but it’s difficult to add fields to the view after you create an Excel report.
    • If you plan to use this view for other Excel reports, select every field you might need in any of those reports. If you don’t select a field, your Excel reports will not receive any data for that field.
    • Always include the ID field and, if possible, a second field with unique values, such as the summary field.
  6. Go to the Order/Colors tab and configure the field order. This corresponds to the order of the columns in the Excel data worksheet. We recommend putting the ID field and other important fields on the left, just like you do for regular views.
  7. If you plan to use this view outside of Excel, configure row coloring or notification icons as desired. If you plan to use this view only for Excel reports, you can configure row coloring directly in Excel later.
  8. Go to the General tab and name the view. Include «DO NOT EDIT» in the name to help prevent users from accidentally editing the view and breaking the report. If you plan to use this view only for Excel reports or only for a specific Excel report, mention that in the name as well.
  9. Set the Maximum View Width to a high value, such as 900 characters. You can adjust the column width in Excel later.
  10. Set the Records Per Page to the highest value available.
  11. Go to the Apply tab and make the view visible to every group that needs to view or edit the Excel report.

Set Up the Report

With your view ready to go, set up your Excel report as desired, with the following options:

  • If you’re using this report to create a combined report, on the General tab, make sure the report title mentions the table name. For example, you might name your report «Service Requests Data for Combined Dashboard».
  • On the Filter tab, leave the saved search set to None. Results can be filtered using a PivotTable in Excel, so usually a saved search filter isn’t necessary.
  • On the Grouping/Summary tab, select the view you created and set a high value in Show not more than X records in each grouping, such as 100,000. This determines how many records are sent to Excel.
  • If you aren’t using this report to create a combined report, when you reach the Customize Excel tab, click Create/Download New Excel File and proceed to the Customize the Excel Template section. If you’re using this report to create a combined report, you can skip the customized template.

Combined Reports

If you’re creating a combined Excel report with data from many tables, the first step is creating individual Excel reports in each table you’ll use as a data source. For example, if your combined report includes data from the Service Requests, Incidents, Problems, and Change Requests tables, you need to create an Excel report in each of those tables to identify the data set you want to use. For more guidance on creating usable Excel reports, refer to the Excel Report Parameters section.

After you create all the necessary source reports, your next step is creating a combined report that pulls from the other reports you created.

  1. In the left pane, expand the Home section and click Summary/combined reports.
  2. Click New.
  3. Give your report a title and description. Make sure the description lists the tables you’re using to provide source data.
  4. Select the Excel output format.
  5. Go to the Select Reports tab and click New.
  6. In the Combined Report wizard, select the table and then select the Excel report you created. Click Finish.

  7. Repeat step 6 for each table and Excel report you want to include. Each one you select will create a separate Data worksheet in the Excel file.

    The reports are sent to the Excel template in the same order they’re listed here. If you want to change the order, click and drag to move the reports.

  8. Go to the Customize Excel tab.
  9. Click Create/Download New Excel File and proceed to the Customize the Excel Template section.
  10. When you finish your Excel template, configure the Schedule and Apply tabs as needed. For details, see Create and Edit Charts and Reports.

Customize the Excel Template

After you configure the first set of report parameters, you need to create a template the system will use to generate your Excel reports. When a report is generated, your template is replicated exactly with the exception of the Data worksheet. The Data worksheet is replaced with new data from the system, pulled in using the parameters and view you configured. The rest of your template is automatically refreshed so the new data is applied.

This section includes tips for working in Excel, but some functionality might be slightly different depending on the version of Excel you are using. For additional help working with Excel, or for information about more advanced Excel features, refer to Microsoft Office support.

  1. In the Customize Excel tab, click Create/Download New Excel File to download the report with the current parameters.
  2. If necessary, customize the column width and text wrapping on the Data worksheets to make them readable.
    Important: Do not rename Data, Data1, Data2, or similarly named worksheets. The system uses these worksheet names to generate the report correctly.
  3. Add any necessary customization to create your report.
    • Create new worksheets for your tables, charts, and dashboards as needed

    • Create PivotTables and PivotCharts on the new worksheets

    • Set the design and colors appropriately
    • Arrange charts and tables to make the report easy to use
  4. Save the file.
  5. Click Choose File and select the Excel report.
  6. Click Upload Customized Excel File.
  7. Test the report thoroughly and make adjustments as needed.
  8. When the report is next run according to the schedule, the system will take the run-time data and apply it to the new Excel report template.

This approach provides a high level of customization using advanced Excel features such as pivot tables, which allow you to segregate a lot of different data into easy views for granular analysis. In this case, 

Agiloft simply provides the report data, and the template handles all of the presentation and formatting requirements. This requires the person building the template to have familiarity with advanced Excel functions. 

Detailed Excel Customization Example

If you haven’t worked with Excel in the past, you can use this section to learn how to make a basic Excel report using your data. Note that this section assumes you have already completed the steps in  

Agiloft to determine your report parameters and specify what data to pull from the system.

Note that the steps refer to the Data worksheet, but if you are working on a combined report, you will have multiple Data worksheets that the steps apply to.

  1. In the Customize Excel tab, click Create/Download New Excel File to download the report with the current parameters.
  2. On the Data worksheet, see how your report looks. The Data worksheet is overwritten each time the report is run, so we won’t spend much time on customization here, but you can adjust the column width and turn Wrap Text on or off. For example, if your Data worksheet includes a working notes field with lots of text, you might want to turn Wrap Text on for that column to make the text readable, or turn Wrap Text off and make the column narrow if you don’t intend for anyone to read the text in those fields.
  3. When you’re satisfied with your Data worksheet formatting, go to Insert > PivotTable.
  4. Make sure the New Worksheet option is selected and click OK.
  5. To keep our report tidy, double-click the Sheet1 worksheet at the bottom and rename it PivotTables.

  6. Review the PivotTable Fields list and drag some fields into the rows, columns, and values boxes. You can use the drop-down arrow to see additional analysis options for the field, and you can create nested fields by dragging additional fields on top of fields you already added. Experiment with the options until you are satisfied with your table.

    If you’ve never created a PivotTable before, start by dragging the ID field into the Values box. Click the drop-down arrow in the box and select Value Field Settings, then change the selection from Sum to Count and click OK. Now, drag another field, such as Status or Priority, into the Rows box. Finally, drag a third field, such as Assigned Team or Department, into the Filters box. This will give you a basic table to use for this exercise.

Now that you’ve created a table, you can create slicers. Slicers make it easy to filter the data without changing the configuration of the PivotTable. Later, we’ll put the slicers on the dashboard next to the corresponding PivotChart, so we can use our dashboard without looking at the PivotTable at all.

  1. Select a cell inside the PivotTable and go to Analyze > Insert Slicer. Slicers make it easy to filter data directly in the PivotChart we will create from the table, without having to filter the data out of the report entirely or having to narrow your report parameters too closely. For example, you might want to be able to see the number of tickets for a specific team; with a slicer, you can switch between different teams easily, without removing any data from your report.
  2. If you added a field to the Filters box, select that field for your filter. Otherwise, choose a field such as Assigned Team or Department.
  3. Click OK.
  4. With the slicer selected, open the Options ribbon and select a color for this filter. Use the same color for the same type of filter consistently in your report so that your report is easier to read. For example, if you set a Priority slicer to dark blue, you should use the same color for Priority slicers in other tables, and not use dark blue for any other slicers.
  5. Right-click inside the PivotTable and click PivotTable Options.
  6. Give the table a clear, descriptive name to differentiate it from other PivotTables you might create later.
  7. Clear the «Autofit column widths on update» check box. This prevents the column widths from changing unexpectedly when you run the report.
  8. Click OK.
  9. Now that the PivotTable is set up, select a cell in the table and open the Design ribbon. Explore the options to change the presentation of the table. For example, change the Report Layout to Tabular Form and see what changes. Play around with these settings to find the best design for your report.

With the PivotTable finalized, it’s time to create a chart and build our dashboard.

  1. Go to Analyze > PivotChart. Select one of the simple charts, such as a basic bar or line graph, and click OK.
  2. We want to show our chart on a dashboard, not the PivotTable worksheet. Right-click the worksheet farthest on the left and click Insert. Click OK to add a worksheet, double-click the new worksheet, and rename it Dashboard.
  3. Go back to the PivotTables worksheet. Right-click the chart and click Cut.
  4. Go back to the Dashboard worksheet and Paste the chart.
  5. Cut the slicer from the PivotTables worksheet and Paste it on the Dashboard worksheet.
  6. Arrange the chart and the slicer together on the page.

The dashboard is starting to come together. Now, clean up the look of the chart:

  1. Right-click the field buttons in the upper-left corner and click Hide All Field Buttons on Chart.
  2. Open the Design ribbon and select a default chart design.
  3. Right-click a data point on the chart and click Format Data Series. Open the paint bucket tab, expand the Fill options, and select the Vary colors by point check box.
  4. Open the Design ribbon and click Add Chart Element to add or remove any chart element as needed. For example, if the axis labels and the legend show the same information, you could change the Legend element to None.
  5. Adjust the format of the chart as needed by right-clicking the element you want to change and opening the options for that element.

Finally, clean up the dashboard:

  1. Select a cell outside the chart and slicer.
  2. Open the View ribbon and clear the Gridlines check box.
  3. Open the Home ribbon and use the paint bucket tool to fill in the background with a contrasting color, like dark gray.

Now, you have a basic Excel report with a dashboard and a worksheet for PivotTables. You can add new tables and charts to your report using the same steps as above.

If you add more than one PivotTable in the same worksheet, place the tables in a row horizontally rather than stacking them vertically. If you run the report and a lot of data is found, the tables might become much longer than you expected, and if they are placed in a column, upper tables will overwrite lower tables and break them.

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