When I export a custom report, the field order does not match the order I specified when designing the report. Why not?

If you're reading this, it's likely that you have discovered the "Export Format" option that is available when generating a report in WebCATS. This little obscure radio button takes the report's output and exports it to a comma-delimited file for eventual import into Microsoft Excel or even Microsoft Word.

While this output format is available for both built-in reports and custom reports, you may encounter a limitation when exporting a custom report to a comma-delimited file format. The comma-delimited file may not display the fields in the same order as you designated when designing the custom report. This limitation only displays to the export output format, not the HTML output format.

The reason for this discrepancy is that the comma-delimited file's field order is determined solely by the order of the fields as they display on the field selection Merlin screen (shown in the next graphic). So even though you may reorder those fields on the following Merlin screen (also shown in the next graphic), it's the original order that is exported to the comma-delimited file. For example, even though the Language Used field is the first field set to appear in the custom report, it will be the sixth field in the comma-delimited file.

We apologize for this inconvenience. Luckily, one of the benefits of exporting a report in a comma-delimited file format is that it can be imported into Microsoft Excel where you can then change the sort order.

For more information on custom reports, view our other popular resources on this topic:

FAQ: How do I design a custom report?
FAQ: I’ve created and saved a custom report. How do I share it with others?
FAQ: What are "Softshare Sample" custom reports?
Flash Tutorial: Designing Custom Reports

Want more? Browse our extensive list of WebCATS FAQs.