# Is there a way to generate reports in an Excel sheet (specific format)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Floating Topics\ **Tags:** community\ **Created:** [October 31, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769 "2023-10-31T18:46:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Saeed](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Saeed)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/1 "2023-10-31T18:46:31Z")
My question is how to create an Excel sheet from Filemaker Pro (DB),Already I created fields employee id,date ,Time\_in and Time\_out based on the following: ![IMG_3429](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/fmsoup/original/2X/7/7c06415e9a2b83897004759cd6889b4340c72eba.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Torsten](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/torsten/32/1574_2.png) [@Torsten](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Torsten)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 6:53pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/2 "2023-10-31T18:53:09Z")
If users expect well-formatted excels with custom column titles etc., try a plugin. ---
**Author:** ![weetbicks](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/weetbicks/32/206_2.png) [@weetbicks](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/weetbicks)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/3 "2023-10-31T19:28:33Z")
I have used this in the past [GitHub - SoliantMike/FM-js\_ExcelSheets: Save XSLX files programatically with Javascript](https://github.com/SoliantMike/FM-js_ExcelSheets) ---
**Author:** ![Kirk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/kirk/32/2197_2.png) [@Kirk](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Kirk)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/4 "2023-10-31T19:35:54Z")
Multiple questions/comments opened here: 1st principle of data management: "One version of the truth" Once data is exported to Excel, all bets are off. The new Confucius proverb "Man with one watch, always knows the time; man with 2 watches never sure" states the case succinctly I have never given a user access to the table view in FileMaker; too easy for them to damage stuff and locking down table features is a complex exercise in futility. List views are more coding/UI but you have far more control over the user's data manipulations, IMHO There is nothing I am aware of in Excel that FileMaker can't do equally well or better (although some of it is complex, like pivot tables). FM is multi-user - Excel is typically not (back to one version of the truth) IF you want to export to Excel, there are a couple built in commands to do this, one an EXPORT and the other a SAVE FILES AS ---
**Author:** ![MonkeybreadSoftware](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/monkeybreadsoftware/32/361_2.png) [@MonkeybreadSoftware](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/MonkeybreadSoftware)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/5 "2023-10-31T20:04:42Z")
Well, if you need more than FileMaker's basic Excel export, you could use [XL](https://www.mbsplugins.eu/component_XL.shtml) functions in [MBS FileMaker Plugin](https://www.monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/). See blog post: [Read And Write Excel Files With FileMaker](https://www.mbsplugins.de/archive/2022-08-17/Read_And_Write_Excel_Files_Wit/monkeybreadsoftware_blog_filemaker) and for an example this one: [New column names in an Excel document](https://www.mbsplugins.de/archive/2019-05-14/New_column_names_in_an_Excel_d/monkeybreadsoftware_blog_filemaker) ---
**Author:** ![bdbd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/bdbd/32/620_2.png) [@bdbd](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/bdbd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 1:41am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/6 "2023-11-01T01:41:29Z")
The Scribe plugin from 360 Works is a wonderful plugin for creating and modifying Excel files. ---
**Author:** ![Saeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Saeed](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Saeed)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 4:01am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/7 "2023-11-01T04:01:08Z")
Could you please provide the URL 360 works? ---
**Author:** ![Susurrus](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/susurrus/32/472_2.png) [@Susurrus](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Susurrus)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 5:51am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/8 "2023-11-01T05:51:47Z")
> [@Saeed](#): > > Could you please provide the URL 360 works? > **[360Works](https://www.360works.com/filemaker-pdf-plugin/)** > > 360Works Scribe: The ultimate text processing plugin for FileMaker Pro. I have not used this plugin but I have used 3060 Works MirrorSync and I have been very happy with it. ---
**Author:** ![daleallyn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/daleallyn/32/819_2.png) [@daleallyn](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/daleallyn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 6:17am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/9 "2023-11-01T06:17:10Z")
I have a number of solutions which use the native tools in FM to export data to Excel. I agree with @Kirk with regard to not providing a Table view to users, but my clients do require a number of Export options, including Excel, PDF reports, etc. For our use cases, the native options work fine, with the minor annoyance of column headings being a bit inelegant in that column headings may appear as "InventDetail::subLotNum" or "c\_residCost". So one may need or choose to edit those once in Excel, especially if being used externally from the company (sent to a client, for example). That said, anything that needs to have an elegant presentation and does not require the flexibility of editing cells, we provide reports instead of Excel exports. ---
**Author:** ![Kirk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/kirk/32/2197_2.png) [@Kirk](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Kirk)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/10 "2023-11-01T21:41:47Z")
A "trick" in this arena: exporting to .CSV files, loses the header (field names). however exporting a MERGE file (.mer) is just a CSV WITH the field names. 🙂 Also, virtual lists are pretty awesome reporting tools, where you can combine tables, set header names, etc. The concept is simple ONCE you "get it" - but "getting it" can be a struggle. ---
**Author:** ![Malcolm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/the.fmsoup.org/malcolm/32/196_2.png) [@Malcolm](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Malcolm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/11 "2023-11-02T05:26:21Z")
Another trick is that excel will open and read HTML. The nice thing about this is that you can control the header names, and you can control formatting for both the text and the cells. ---
**Author:** ![Saeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Saeed](https://the.fmsoup.org/u/Saeed)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 11:07am UTC](https://the.fmsoup.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-generate-reports-in-an-excel-sheet-specific-format/3769/12 "2023-11-02T11:07:36Z")
If you have sample file will be fine and I appreciated it .