Render Tool - Excel - Column Width Formatting

aweiss2k

I have source data with about 75 columns that I want to format and output as an Excel file.  The main issue I am having is that I cannot get the Render tool to output the file properly.  I pipe the data to the "Table" tool and set everything to "Automatic" and then send that to the Render tool.  The Render Tool seems to require setting a Page Size, but that's irrelevant for an Excel file...I'm not trying to print it.  I guess I want the page size to be whatever is needed to set the auto-sized column width's properly.  Perhaps I am missing something?  Is there another way to do this?  I tried connecting an Output tool directly to the Table tool but that...also didn't work.  Appreciate any suggestions.

DataNath

@aweiss2k you're absolutely right in using the Render tool here, as you're outputting from a reporting snippet (Table tool). The paper size in the case of Excel just represents how much space you're giving the render. Here you can see if I just leave it as the default setting, I get a warning and incredibly squashed output:

Whereas if I use a custom paper size and increase the width to give the render sufficient space:

Whilst you work out the correct sizing, it's a good idea to output to a temporary file as you can see in my screenshots. Once you've found a good fit, choose a specific file and render away.

Hope this helps - please let us know if you need further assistance!