Spreadsheets From Business Objects

[johnnorrris]

Business Objects is a database report-writing application which produces reports in PDF and in Excel. But the data in the Excel reports don't act like numbers. I can't Count or Sum them. I try to save in another version of Excel and that doesn't help. I try to Copy and Paste Special, Values Only, and that doesn't work. Nothing I try works. The only thing that does work is to delete each cell and re-type in the value, which is obviously not a workable solution for large spreadsheets.
I believe I've run into this same problem with other applications, such a Eureka (an old database report-writing application).

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks!

 

[Datsmart]

Try first pasting into NotePad, then copying from NotePad to Excel. Since NotePad is strictly a text editor, it strips out the formating. This might allow just the number values to end up in Excel.
Someone might know of a better application to clean up your data first.

 

[Filmfreak0]

I sometimes use the following simple solution.

I yoy have a number in cell a1 that behaves like text, put in cell a2 a formule =a1-1+1.

The values remains the same but now in really is a number that excel can handle better.

Expcially if your BO import is always the same, you only have to build a general file once to import them all into, and save the new column or sheet with paste as values.

Good luck,

PAtrick

 

[alansidman]

Here is a forum especially designed for users of BO (All versions--Deski and Webi). Take a look and I am sure that the folks who use this software all the time will be able to answer your question. By the way, there is a count and sum feature in the report writer that you could use also. It is in the tool bar. You would then have your answers before exporting to excel. I often do format manipulation by bringing the excel values from BO into Access and manipulating data there. It is often quicker than reformatting in excel.

http://www.forumtopics.com/busobj/about.php?sid=3c919bef15888a205e934506c0daf934

Alan

 

[xenou]

A similar tip to the one given by filmfreak0 is here from jonmo1:
http://www.mrexcel.com/forum/showthread.php?t=432198#7