• Exporting Data as a Crosstab
• Exporting Underlying Details
• Saving CSVs as Excel Files

Exporting Data as a Crosstab

Exporting as a crosstab allows you to export summarized data from both tabular charts and visual graphs / maps into a CSV file. Keep in mind that downloaded data may not stay in a print-friendly format.

1. Set the filters appropriately as only filtered data will be exported. It is important to check your filters every time you export underlying data to ensure you are working from a complete list.

2. At the top or bottom of the screen, click the download icon, then click Crosstab.

   If the Crosstab option is greyed out, the workbook may not allow the download of crosstab data. To discuss your options, you may contact the visualization developer listed at the bottom of the dashboard.

   
   

3. Select the sheet you want to download. If there are multiple sheets, you may need to download the crosstab for each sheet to get the data you want.

4. Select CSV then click Download.

   

5. Open the downloaded file. Depending on your browser, the download may appear at the bottom of your screen (Google Chrome), or you may get a pop-up notification (Firefox).

6. If you need to convert the CSV into an Excel file, follow the instructions below: Saving as Excel

7. In Excel, look through your data and ensure it contains all the information you need. Repeat steps as necessary.

8. If you need to add data from another spreadsheet (e.g. using multiple IDE workbooks), please refer to this KB article on Excel vLookup: Combining 2 Spreadsheets

9. If you need to create a pivot table of your exported data, please refer to this KB article on Pivot Tables: Transform Exported Data in Excel.

Exporting Underlying Data

Users may need to see the underlying and disaggregated data from a dashboard chart or graph. Follow these instructions to export underlying data into Excel.

1. Set the filters appropriately as only filtered data will be exported. It is important to check your filters every time you export underlying data to ensure you are working from a complete list.

2. Activate the table so that Tableau knows what item on the dashboard you want to export.

   • Click once on any cell in the table. This tells Tableau to download data pertaining to just this cell.

     

   • Click on that same cell again. This deselects the cell but keeps the table active. Now, Tableau knows you want to download all the data from the table (within the active filters) and not just that one cell.

     

3. At the top or bottom of the screen, click the download icon, then click Data.

   If the Data option is greyed out, you may not have selected an active sheet or the workbook may not allow the download of the underlying data. To discuss your options, you may contact the visualization developer listed at the bottom of the dashboard.

   
   

4. A pop-up will open with a preview of the summarized and underlying data. Click Full Data in the left hand pane to view the full data set.

   

5. If desired, you can choose which columns you want in the final download by clicking Show Fields in the upper right.

   

6. Click the Download button to download a CSV file of the underlying data. When you see the highlighted message, your file should be in your default download location. If you need to convert the CSV into an Excel file, follow the instructions below: Saving as Excel

   

Saving CSVs as Excel Files

By default, the data is downloaded as a comma-separated values (CSV) file. This file format does not support advanced Excel functionality like formatting, charts, or pivot tables. If you wanted to work with the file in Excel, you should save the CSV file as an Excel file to avoid losing any work.

1. Select the File tab at the top of Excel.

2. Select Save As.

3. Select a folder and remove ".csv" from the filename. Below the filename, select "Excel Workbook (*.xlsx)".

4. Click Save. You should now have two copies of the data, one in CSV format and the other in Excel format. You may delete the CSV file.

   

Need More Information?

If you have questions about this document, please contact the Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research (DAPIR, https://data.wisc.edu/) at info@data.wisc.edu.