Export data

You can export data from grid views to an Excel or CSV file. You can also export dashboards to HTML.

Export data to Excel

Use the Export to Excel option when you need to export multiple items in a single export operation.

Backlog items, tests, and test suites: When exporting to an Excel file, you can choose to export items for the purpose of re-importing the file after you add or make changes to the items.

To export data to Excel:

  1. Open the grid whose data you want to export.
  2. Optionally, set up a filter for the entities in the grid to show the items you want to export. For details, see Filters.
  3. Optionally, group the grid’s entities. The exported report will reflect these groupings. For details, see Group items.
  4. Select the checkbox for each of the grid items that you want to export. If you want to export the entire grid, you do not need to select items. All items will be exported.
  5. In the toolbar, click the Export to Excel button .

  6. For Backlog items, tests and test suites: In Export purpose, select:

    Export purpose Details
    Reporting

    The resulting Excel sheet closely resembles the grid:

    • All the grid columns are exported to Excel in the same order as in the grid.

      If the exported grid is grouped or sorted, the group-by or sort-by field is placed in the first column in the sheet.

    • The fields of related items are included in the export file, if the fields were added to the grid.
    • The Last runs field is represented in the export file by four number columns: Planned, Passed, Failed, Requires Attention.
    • When exporting tests with their steps, each test and its steps are exported to a test's own sheet.
    Import

    When exporting for the purpose of import, the export file contains changes that make it compatible for import. These include the following:

    • Items of each type are listed in separate sheets. The sheets are labeled accordingly.

      Example: When exporting the backlog grid for import, defects are listed in the defects sheet, user stories in the user stories sheet.

    • The column headings use the fields logical names, not the user-facing labels.

      Example: The heading of the ID column is unique_id.

    • An extra type column is added, representing the item's type (such as story, defect).

  7. If you selected Import as the purpose of exporting, select your intention for importing:

    Import purpose Details
    Update existing

    Your purpose for exporting is to re-import the same items with modifications.

    The ID numbers in the resulting file are preceded by @. When re-importing, it indicates to ALM Octane that the existing item with the matching ID should be updated.
    Create new

    Your purpose for exporting is to import the items to another workspace.

    You can also use this option to create a template file that you can re-import with new items.

Note:  

  • The admin can control the ability to export to Excel using the Generate Excel Report permission. For details, see Permissions.

  • By default, in fields that support multiple values, the values are separated with a comma. Your admin can change the value delimiter by modifying the EXPORT_IMPORT_MULTIVALUE_DELIMITER parameter. Changing the delimiter affects all files that are imported or exported for the purpose of import.

    For details, see Configuration parameters.

  • When modifying an Excel file for the re-importing purpose, use the delimiter defined by your admin.

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Export data to CSV

Export to CSV lets you export up to 60,000 items in a single export operation.

Prerequisite: Export to CSV requires the Generate CSV Report general system permission.

To export data to CSV, select items that you want to export from a grid view, and click the Export to CSV button .

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Export dashboards to HTML

You can export a dashboard snapshot as an independent .html file. This can help you get a static version of the dashboard, and use it as a baseline or for audit purposes. For details, see Export an HTML dashboard snapshot.

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Notes and limitations

Data export has the following limitations:

  • You cannot export to CSV for the purpose of re-importing the file after you add or make changes to items.
  • Export to Excel lets you export up to 2,000 items in each export operation. If you select more than 2,000 grid items, the Export to Excel button is unavailable.
  • Export to CSV lets you export up to 60,000 items in each export operation. If you select more than 60,000 grid items, the Export to CSV button is unavailable.
  • If you export entities with an identical custom field type (for example String) and identical field name, this field name is used in the column header, rather than the entity's unique field label.

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See also: