Paginated Report export to CSV adding quotation mark only for selected lines

[sevenhills]

Hi 

Paginated Report > export to CSV > adding quotation mark only for selected lines

Details:

I have a paginated report, and the report has only one column table.

Each row is one full line of data. [we need to show the source file as download]

when exported as CSV , it adds double quotes, if the row has comma (,).

If there is no comma, then it won't add double quotes. this is by design.

How to avoid double quotes when exporting from paginated report as CSV it in power bi service?

Thanks

Ref: By design

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/report-builder/exporting-to-a-csv-file-repor...

For SSRS, we did do by configuring different settings as https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/csv-device-information-settings?view=sql-ser...

Ref: Similar issue

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/59667551/ssrs-adding-extra-characters-when-exporting-to-csv

[v-chenwuz-msft]

Hi @sevenhills ,

Unfortunately, the paginated report (Power BI Report Builder) does not seem to support modifying CSV Rendering.

You can put forward your ideas here.

Best Regards

Community Support Team _ chenwu zhu

[lbendlin]

when does this become an issue?  Normally the CSV ingestion apps can handle quoted delimiters automatically.

[sevenhills]

I did mention in the post, please check: ... when exported as CSV , it adds double quotes, if the row has comma (,).

More details:

a) If the data in a table column has a comma or other special characters, csv download is adding the double quotes. This is default behavior. I do NOT want double quotes.

b) I used to control this behavior this in SSRS Server configuration, not to add any double quotes. by adding one more download option as "CSV 2" and provided instructions to the report users.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/reporting-services/customize-rendering-extension-parameters-in-...

c) For the set of reports, I am working, the source is snapshot output files since 2000, of  many reports, which are from other systems.

We are storing them and displaying as-is for the end user to download. Basically SSRS is acting as wrapper and facade to these data. hence these reports always has one column table and download the original source file. 

Now, we are moving all SRSS reports to power bi service - paginated reports, not sure how to config and handle this scenario. 

TIA

[lbendlin]

I still don't see the issue.  Power BI handles quoted data automatically, even if not every row is quoted.

[sevenhills]

I dont want the double quotes when exported from paginated report as csv.

This is paginated report and I do understand it is default behaviour. This can be overwritten if it is on-premise PBIRS/SSRS server, check the links above. But for power bi service, I want to know how to do ... 

This is Not Self-Service Analytical Reports.

[lbendlin]

Have you considered using a different field separator, like the pipe symbol?

[sevenhills]

I assume you read all my previous replies.  I will restate again for your clarification:  

Paginated report contains only one table, and the table has only one column. 

Say, if your CSV paginated report output is 10 lines, and only two lines have comma, then quotes are added to those two lines. For the remaining 8 lines it won't add quotes. This is the default behavior.  

So, pipe symbol separator is not option, as there is only one column in the table. 

I appreciate your patience in providing options and solution to me.

[lbendlin]

CSV stands for comma separated values. In reality the separator can be any character or character sequence. Ideally the separator does not appear in the actual data. If it does then it needs to be protected/quoted. The system is not smart enough to realize that you only have one column. It will try to protect the separator character regardless.

See if you can change the default field separator to something other than a comma.

[sevenhills]

We come to the forum to seek help from those who did or from who know.

I think you are not understanding the problem or you never checked my post completely.

It is a common sense that we all know CSV means comma separated values. Sorry being little tough on the reply. Initially I thought you are helping, now you started talking the CSV meaning. I posted the links how it can resolved on on-premise SSRS or PBIRS. FYI, I am on SSRS since 2004 and I know how it behaves. You keep going to adding separator and how it processed or designed. 

We come to the forum to seek help from those who did or from who know. What I am asking is to how to fix / solution on PBI service? 

I saw to my other post also you replied the similar way.  If you do NOT know the answer, you let others answer not giving this kind of reply. Please post the answer only if you know, if not allow others to answer.

Appreciated in advance and thanks for the effort of your reply again.

[AlLangstaff]

You don't appear to have understood either. Even though there is only one column PBI is still looking to see if the text contains the delimiter. If you change the delimiter to pipe, which won't appear in the text, then it won't add the quotation marks at all.
As far as I can tell there is no way to disable the qualifier in PowerBI, you can change it, but it has to exist as an option.