topic Unusual cell formatting with Proc Export to an Excel Template in SAS Data Management

Unusual cell formatting with Proc Export to an Excel Template

JSML — Wed, 24 May 2017 01:38:24 GMT

Hi,

I have a SAS program that creates a table of values (through multiple data and proc steps), and that ends with a Proc Export to export that table to one of the tabs of an Excel template (xls).

PROC EXPORT DATA = work.abc OUTFILE= “mypath to Excel template\xyz_template.xls"

DBMS=EXCEL REPLACE;

SHEET="table1";

RUN;

There is no pre-formatting in the 'table1' sheet of the template - only the column headings and some data that gets replaced when the proc export is run; every cell is in "General" format and aligned to center. After the export, some cells in the table are bottom aligned, and some (random ones) are center bottom aligned - and the strangest thing is that the latter cells are coloured (have a light blue background colour) and a black border around them). There is no specified colour or alignment style in my SAS program, so I don't understand where the formatting is coming from.

I have tried deleting that sheet in the template altogether, as proc export creates a new one if it does not find one to replace, and this time the same type of formatting happened when proc export created the 'table1' sheet, except that the center-bottom-aligned cells now got coloured in a different colour (purple).

I've attached a sample of how my Excel output looks like.

Wondered if someone else encountered this issue.

Thanks!

Re: Unusual cell formatting with Proc Export to an Excel Template

Reeza — Wed, 24 May 2017 02:19:28 GMT

You say xls but included an XLSX file, was that a typo?

Check if you have any conditional formats in your template

Re: Unusual cell formatting with Proc Export to an Excel Template

JSML — Wed, 24 May 2017 02:24:38 GMT

Hi, sorry, no the Excel template is xls. I included a sample xlsx file because I am writing this post from home and the SAS program and excel template I mentioned are at work (at the office), so no access to the actual xls file at the moment (but the formatting looks exactly as in the sample file I attached).

I did check earlier today if there was conditional formatting in the sheet and there was none...