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Convert workbooks to reports (Beta)

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This documentation describes one or more public beta features that are in development. Beta features are subject to quick, iterative changes; therefore the current user experience in the Sigma service can differ from the information provided in this page.

This page should not be considered official published documentation until Sigma removes this notice and the beta flag on the corresponding feature(s) in the Sigma service. For the full beta feature disclaimer, see Beta features.

You can convert an existing Sigma workbook into a new report. This allows you to take advantage of report features like pixel-level formatting and more reliable exports without manually rebuilding your workbook.

This document covers how to convert a workbook to a report, as well as details about limitations and unsupported elements.

For more information about reports, see Reports overview.

User requirements

  • You must have at least Can view access to the workbook you want to convert.
  • You must be assigned an account type with Create, edit, and publish reports permission.

Limitations and unsupported elements

Some workbook functionality and elements are not supported in reports. When converting a workbook to a report, one of three things happens to each element in the new report:

  • It is converted: The element is supported in reports and is added to the new report. The aspect ratio of the element is preserved, but the element size might change to fit the report layout.

  • It is removed: The element is not supported in reports and is not added to the new report.

  • It is hidden: The element is not selected for conversion, but other converted elements depend on it, so it is preserved in the converted report on a hidden page at the end of the report. For example, if a table is located on a page in the workbook that isn’t selected for conversion, but a chart on a page that was selected for conversion depends on the table, the table is preserved in the converted report so that the chart can reference it. It is placed on a hidden page at the end of the report.

The following workbook functionality and elements are not supported in reports and are removed during conversion:

  • The following workbook UI elements:

    • Buttons
    • Dividers
    • Page break

  • All workbook Layout elements and their contents, with the following exceptions:

    • If a container has supported elements, those elements are converted. The container itself is removed and all unsupported elements are removed.
    • If a repeated container, single row container, tabbed container, modal, or popover contains supported elements that other elements depend on, those elements are preserved in the converted report on a hidden page at the end of the report.

  • Page sidebars, including all of their contents.

  • The following functionality:

    • All action sequences.
    • All existing export schedules.
    • All existing sharing settings.

Other limitations include:

  • When converting a workbook to a report, text element boundaries are resized to fit the report page’s dimensions. For example, a 6x4 grid cell text element in a workbook might be resized to 260x70 pixels in the converted report. However, the font size of the text within the element is not scaled. If that element has a font size of 12 before it is resized, the text is still displayed at a font size of 12 in the converted report.

Convert a workbook to a report

When converting a workbook to a report, the original workbook is unchanged.

Converting workbooks to reports works best for workbooks that are not heavily interactive (i.e., workbooks that do not rely heavily on action sequences or input tables). Workbooks that contain more static content like executive summaries, statements, and invoices are likely to convert more successfully.

To convert a workbook to a report:

  1. Open the workbook you want to convert.

  2. From the workbook menu, select File > Convert to report….

  3. The Convert to report modal appears. Any unsupported workbook elements and functionality that will be removed or hidden will be listed in the modal. Select Confirm.

  4. Select your desired report settings:

    • Pages: Select the Entire workbook, or search for and select specific workbook tabs to convert.
    • Page size: Select a preset page size or enter dimensions for a Custom page size.
    • Orientation: Select Portrait or Landscape.

  5. Select Convert.

The new report is saved to the Your documents folder, and is named [Workbook name] (Report). For example, if the workbook is named Sales workbook, the converted report is named Sales workbook (Report).