Importing CSV file to prevent opening CSV files in one column in Excel

When reports are downloaded from the platform, they are CSV format. CSV stands for Comma Separate Values, which means that the file is plain text and each column is separated by a comma.

It is important to note that in certain global regions, different list separators than commas may be used for the data. Consequently, some users may experience their downloaded data appearing in a single column when opening in Excel, rather than being neatly split into multiple columns as expected.

To resolve this issue and ensure that CSV files are opened correctly in Excel, you can follow these steps:

Importing the data from the CSV file into Excel can be a reliable workaround. Once you have downloaded the report to your machine open a new Excel file and complete the following steps:

Access the Data Tab: Go to the Data tab in Excel.
Select From Text/CSV: From the Data tab, choose the option From Text/CSV
Navigate to the File: A window titled Import Data will appear. Navigate to the location of your CSV file.
Choose and Import: Select the CSV file and click the Import button.
Additional Settings: Another window will pop up. From the Load dropdown menu, choose "Load To…"
Specify Output Location: In the Import Data dialogue box, opt for "Existing worksheet" and point to the desired output cell. For instance, you can choose cell B4 as the output location.
Confirm and Complete: Press OK to complete the process.

This series of actions will successfully import the CSV data into Excel, ensuring that it is organised into multiple columns as intended. Following these steps should help you overcome the challenge of data downloading in a single column and enhance your experience with our platform.

To help with analysing your data, in Excel we would recommend using the Format as a Table function, which automatically arranges the columns, adds useful sorting and filtering and adds row background colours for optimum readability.