Exporting Discoverer worksheets

This section explains how to export worksheets in different formats, and contains the following topics:

• "How to export Discoverer worksheets"

• "What are the implications of using different export formats?"

• "How to configure a client machine to automatically open exported Excel files"

How to export Discoverer worksheets

You export worksheet data so that you can use the data in a Discoverer worksheet in a different application. For example, you might want to produce a Discoverer worksheet in Microsoft Excel format.

To export a Discoverer worksheet:

1. Display the worksheet that you want to export (for more information, see "How to open a Discoverer worksheet").

2. Select the Export link in the Actions area to display the "Choose export type page".

3. Select an export type from the drop down list and click Export to display the "Export Ready page".

4. Click the Click to view or save button to display the exported file in the application associated with that file type.

   Discoverer displays the exported file in the application associated with that type of export file (e.g. a browser, Microsoft Excel).

5. (optional) If you want to save the exported file, save the file in the application used for that type of export file (e.g. Microsoft Excel).

What are the implications of using different export formats?

When you have exported a worksheet to a specified export file format, you might notice differences when you open the exported file in the associated application. These differences are described in the following topics:

• "What does Discoverer do when you export worksheet data using the XLS file format?"

• "What does Discoverer do when you export worksheet data using the CSV file format?"

What does Discoverer do when you export worksheet data using the XLS file format?

When you export relational worksheet data to the XLS file format, Discoverer:

• sets the MimeType of the worksheet output to application/vnd.ms-excel

• requests the file name to be <worksheet_name>.xls

• formats worksheet output to be readable by Microsoft Excel

On a machine where Microsoft Excel is installed, the operating system typically associates the XLS file with Microsoft Excel.

Note: When you export a worksheet to the XLS file format, it is recommended that you save the XLS file and then open the saved XLS file in Microsoft Excel.

For more information about exporting worksheet data, see "Choose export type page".

What does Discoverer do when you export worksheet data using the CSV file format?

When you export worksheet data to the CSV file format, Discoverer:

• sets the MimeType of the worksheet output to application/csv

• requests the file name to be <worksheet_name>.csv

  Note: The Discoverer server does not format the worksheet output to be readable by Microsoft Excel (because CSV files are often used for other purposes, and to impose Microsoft Excel-specific formatting might be inappropriate).

On a machine where Microsoft Excel is installed, the operating system does not necessarily associates the CSV file with Microsoft Excel:

Note: Although you might be able to open a CSV file using Microsoft Excel, it is recommended that you export the worksheet to the XLS file format and then open the XLS file in Microsoft Excel.

For more information about exporting worksheet data, see "Choose export type page".

About exporting Discoverer worksheets to Microsoft Excel Web Query format

Microsoft Excel Web Query is an external data format in Microsoft Excel that enables you to include dynamic relational data from an Internet or Intranet URL (e.g. a Discoverer worksheet) in a Microsoft Excel worksheet. For example, you might want to create a Microsoft Excel worksheet that contains a Discoverer sales report for a range of dates that you specify when you open the worksheet in Microsoft Excel. The Microsoft Excel worksheet stores the query used to obtain the Discoverer data, so that the data can be refreshed automatically.

Discoverer enables you to export Discoverer data to Microsoft Excel Web Query format by selecting Web Query for Microsoft Excel 2000+ (*.iqy) from the list of export types. End users can then access dynamic Discoverer worksheets in Microsoft Excel. You can export data to Microsoft Excel Web Query format from both Discoverer Plus and Discoverer Viewer.

Notes

•  Web Query for Microsoft Excel 2000+ (*.iqy) format is not available in a Single Sign-On environment. Contact the Discoverer manager or Oracle administrator for more information.

• To access Discoverer reports exported to Microsoft Excel Web Query format, Microsoft Excel end users require Microsoft Excel 2000 (or later) and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 (or later).

• You can only export numeric and textual data into Microsoft Excel Web Query format. You cannot export Discoverer graphs into Microsoft Excel Web Query format.

• Once you have imported a Discoverer report to Microsoft Excel, refresh the sheet in Excel when you want to display up-to-date data. Please refer to Microsoft Excel documentation for more information about how to refresh data in Microsoft Excel.

Note: For more information about exporting worksheet data to Microsoft Excel Web Query format, Refer to Oracle Business Intelligence Discoverer Plus User's Guide.

How to configure a client machine to automatically open exported Excel files

To enable your client machine to automatically open exported Excel files, you need to configure settings as described in the following topics:

• "How to configure Microsoft Windows to display a dialog that prompts you to open or save the export file"

• "How to configure Internet Explorer to display the Download complete dialog"

• "How to configure the macro security level setting to enable you to open an exported Discoverer worksheet in Microsoft Excel"

How to configure Microsoft Windows to display a dialog that prompts you to open or save the export file

To configure Microsoft Windows to display a dialog that prompts you to open or save the export file:

1. Choose Settings | Control Panel | Folder Options from the Windows Start menu.

2. Display the list of Windows File Types.

3. Select the File Type for which you want to display a prompt dialog to open or save the export file.

4. Click Advance to display the Edit File Type dialog.

5. Select the Confirm open after download check box (a MIME type property of the file type).

6. Click OK.

How to configure Internet Explorer to display the Download complete dialog

To configure Internet Explorer to display a Download Complete dialog when the export is complete:

1. Open Internet Explorer and choose Tools | Internet Options | Advanced tab.

2. Select the Notify when downloads complete check box.

3. Click OK.

How to configure the macro security level setting to enable you to open an exported Discoverer worksheet in Microsoft Excel

Excel will not allow you to open a Discoverer worksheet exported to an XLS file if the macro security level in Excel is set to High. Excel displays an alert and prevents you from opening the worksheet.

To configure the macro security level setting to enable you to open an exported Discoverer worksheet in Microsoft Excel:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and select Tools | Macro | Security Level tab.

2. Select the Medium radio button.

3. Click OK.