Last Updated:
22 Oct 2026 08:22
by Pooja
Problem Statement
Our production users rely on Excel for downstream analysis (formulas, filtering, sorting, pivoting, and ad hoc insights).
Current Telerik Excel export is layout-first (pixel-perfect), which preserves visual report structure but introduces merged cells, blank spacing rows/columns, decorative styling, and images.
For large datasets, this causes:
significant post-processing overhead,
slower export pipelines,
less usable spreadsheets for analytical workflows.
Business Impact
High-volume production exports with large row counts.
Users need data-centric Excel files, not print-layout replicas.
We use the same .trdp for PDF and Excel:
PDF requires full visual fidelity.
Excel requires clean, tabular, analysis-ready output.
Lack of built-in data-only mode forces custom cleanup logic, increasing maintenance risk and runtime cost.
Requested Feature
Add a built-in Excel Data-Only export mode (similar to Crystal Reports behavior), optimized for analytics and scale.
Proposed behavior (Data-Only mode)
Export as a flat tabular dataset (header + detail rows).
Preserve native data types (date/number/boolean) and formulas where applicable.
Avoid layout artifacts:
no merged cells (unless explicitly requested),
no decorative blank rows/columns from visual layout,
optional suppression of images/shapes/charts.
Optional minimal formatting only:
keep number/date formats,
remove decorative styles/fills/borders by default.
Optional toggles:
include/exclude report header/footer rows,
include/exclude groups/subtotals,
include/exclude hidden/report-only visual items.
Keep worksheet gridlines visible by default in data-only mode.
Optimize for large datasets (streaming-friendly, reduced memory overhead).
Suggested API / Configuration (example)
DeviceInfo or rendering setting, e.g.:
ExcelMode=DataOnly (default remains Layout)
IncludeImages=false
IncludeDecorativeFormatting=false
PreserveDataTypes=true
PreserveNumberFormats=true
FlattenGroups=true
Why this matters
This feature would allow teams to:
use one .trdp for both PDF (visual) and Excel (data),
eliminate expensive post-processing,
improve performance and reliability at production scale,
deliver spreadsheets that are immediately usable for business analysis.
Current Workaround
We currently perform custom post-processing to rebuild a clean workbook from rendered output (strip layout effects, remove visual artifacts, compact rows/columns).
This is complex, expensive, and fragile compared to a native renderer capability.
Request
Please consider adding this feature to the Telerik Reporting roadmap, or provide an officially supported pattern to achieve equivalent data-only output for Excel at scale.