SAP Knowledge Base Article - Public

1511430 - Conditionally suppressed column in Crystal Reports displayed as blank column when exported to Excel(Data Only) format

Symptom

  • Blank column(s) in Excel.
  • When exporting a report to MS Excel Data-Only, results in conditionally suppressed column to be displayed as blank column.

Environment

  • SAP Crystal Reports 2013
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2016
  • SAP Crystal Reports 2020

Reproducing the Issue

  1. In Crystal Reports, create a report  based on any data source.
  2. Add a couple of columns, for example: 4
  3. Conditonally suppress the columns based on some conditions.
  4. Export the report to MS Excel - Data-Only
  5. In MS Excel, when opening the generated spreadsheet, notice it display the blank column, when a column was conditionally suppressed.

Cause

  • When exporting to MS Excel, the columns and rows are determined by the position of the object on the report design. 
  • Regardless the column is displaying, or not, the object still exist on the report design, and will be reserving a column for it.
  • This is expected behavior, when exporting a report to MS Excel.

Resolution

  •  There is no option in Crystal Reports that will remove conditionally suppressed columns from being exported to MS Excel.

Keywords

CR, Excel Data only,conditionally suppressed columns,blank columns. , KBA , BI-RA-CR , Crystal Reports designer or Business View Manager , Problem

Product

Crystal Reports 2008 V1