Reports FAQs

This article covers some of the frequently asked questions related to reports.

How do I export and save data with fields without losing leading zeros (e.g. on phone numbers)

Opening CSV files in Excel that have leading zeros in columns causes Excel to read those columns as numbers and silently drop the zeros, e.g. 0875 becomes 875.

Note that this is not a formatting issue, and converting the column to text won’t cause the leading zero to reappear – the data is permanently changed (by Excel) and becomes an issue if the file is then re-saved.

There are ways of ensuring the leading zeros are retained. The instructions below cover the processes for exporting the data so the leading zeros are retained, depending on whether the file is for import (into Arlo or another application) or for manipulation in Excel (for advanced reporting).

Export and save the file ready for import

Export the data as required.

Save the file to your computer, ensuring that the file is saved as a CSV.

Never open the file in Excel directly, as opening in Excel is the process that removes the leading zeros.

If you wish to ensure that your file still contains leading zeros, in your file directory, right-click and open the file with notepad.

Search for (Ctrl + F) and check an example number that should contain a leading xero.

Export the file and edit the content in Excel (advanced reporting)

Export the data as required.

Save the file to your computer's desktop.

Do not open the file at this point.

Open a blank Excel Spreadsheet.

In Excel, open the Data tab of the ribbon. In the Get External Data section, click the From Text icon.

Select the file you saved to your desktop and press Import.

In the Delimiter field, select Comma.

Press Load.

If the number fields still do not have the zero in front, at this stage converting the cells to text will now work.

Select all of the cells in the column.

Right-click in the highlighted area and select Format Cells...

Choose Text.

Press OK.

How do I add custom fields to my report

Custom fields can only be added to reports tagged with 'Advanced'.

To include a custom field you click an advanced report, scroll down to Include these fields in results, click the box containing the other fields and start typing in your custom field name.

In some cases you may only be able to find the custom field by searching for it's system name. You can find the system name by opening the Settings menu item and selecting Fields under Platform Setup

Select the entity within which your custom field has been created (e.g Contacts) and select edit on the custom field. It is worth noting that your custom field will be referenced under the label you assign it upon creation, in this instance the field is actually called 'Custom Field'