Cannot export project worksheet or report into Excel
Symptoms
When exporting from the project worksheet or from Report Designer reports into Excel, the file is refused by Excel 2016 for some users. Other users can open the same file without problem.
Error/warning messages
Excel cannot open the file 'Export-*****.xls' because the file format or file extension is not valid. Verify that the file has not been corrupted and that the file extension matches the format of the file.
Reason
This is not a Changepoint defect, but Microsoft has decided to block a file format that used to be accepted before. This is a new security restriction that has been added into some versions of Excel. A user will get this error depending on which Microsoft Security patches are installed.
See also:
Resolution
Try the following steps:
- Add your Changepoint URL to Trusted sites in Internet Explorer security settings.
- Rename the file with an .htm extension. In Excel, click File > Open and then select the file.
- If the downloaded file is blocked, unblock the file (right-click on the file in Windows Explorer, open the Properties, click on unblock).
- Add a trusted location (such as c:\temp) in Excel Trust Center and save the files there.
If none of the above works, change the file extension of the exported file to .htm and then double-click it. The file will open in a web browser, from where you can copy-paste the data into Excel.
Note: The new Project Planning Worksheet (PPW) and Cognos reports are not affected, as they export into Excel using a different method.