Formatting Issues

How to Fix BI Publisher Number Formatting When Exporting to Excel

Algirdas Jasaitis Oct 9, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users need to restore missing decimal places in numbers exported from BI Publisher reports into Excel spreadsheets.

How to Fix BI Publisher Number Formatting When Exporting to Excel

Product: Microsoft Excel / Oracle BI Publisher
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Exporting data reports containing financial or precise numerical values from BI Publisher to Excel.
Observed behavior: Exported numbers lose their decimal formatting (e.g., 365.00 appears as 365), and the Excel cell format defaults to 'General' despite the BI Publisher template using a specific format like #,##0.00.

Before you start

Ensure you have the exported Excel file open and check if the affected cells are currently set to the 'General' format rather than a specific 'Number' format.

Solution 1Recommended

Format Cells Manually in Excel

The quickest way to restore the missing decimal places is by adjusting the number format directly within your exported Excel spreadsheet.

Select the affected cells

Highlight all the cells containing the exported numbers that are missing their decimal places.

Open Format Cells

Right-click on the selected cells and choose 'Format Cells' from the context menu.

Set Number Format

In the Format Cells dialog box, navigate to the 'Number' tab and select 'Number' from the Category list on the left.

Adjust Decimal Places

Set the 'Decimal places' box to 2 (or your preferred number of decimal places) and click 'OK' to apply the changes.

Quick Fix: This will immediately restore standard numerical displays, changing values like 365 back to 365.00.

Solution 2

Address BI Publisher Template Compatibility

If you need BI Publisher to generate the correct format automatically upon export, you may need to troubleshoot template compatibility.

Use WPS Spreadsheet to Easily Format Exported Data

WPS Office provides a highly compatible and user-friendly Spreadsheet tool that makes it incredibly easy to fix formatting issues from exported data reports like those from BI Publisher.

1. Open the exported file: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open the file exported from BI Publisher.
2. Select your data: Highlight the cells or columns containing the numbers with missing decimal places.
3. Format cells: Right-click, select 'Format Cells', choose the 'Number' category, and set your decimal places to 2.

100% compatible with Microsoft Excel formats (.xls, .xlsx, .csv)Intuitive interface for bulk cell formatting and data cleanupLightweight application that handles large exported reports smoothlyFree to download and use for everyday office and data management tasks

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my exported BI Publisher data show as 'General' format in Excel?

When BI Publisher exports to Excel, certain number format masks (like #,##0.00) may not perfectly map to Excel's native styles. As a fallback, the software assigns the 'General' format, which automatically drops trailing zeros after the decimal.

Can I fix the number formatting permanently in the BI Publisher template?

It is possible by adjusting the specific data properties or format masks within the RTF template. However, this often requires consulting BI Publisher's documentation or support to match the exact Excel output version you are using.

Will changing the format to 'Number' alter my original data values?

No, changing the cell format in Excel or WPS Spreadsheet only alters how the data is visually presented. The underlying numerical value remains exactly the same.

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