Date Format issue when Rendered to an Excel Output

[Akshay_Patole]

Hello Team,

Ref to captioned matter, Date data type column when rendered to an excel output, the date data type changes to number / general data type in excel output.

I need the rendered output column of Date as Date data type.

[mbarone]

Are you saying that before an Output Data tool in Alteryx, you have a "Date" field of the form YYYY-MM-DD, and the Output Data tool outputs the data to Excel in a format other than "Date"?  What format is it (a before and after screen shot would help).  Is the Excel file being newly created, overwritten, appended, etc?  Would need to see screenshots of your output tool's config, etc.

[Akshay_Patole]

Thanks for responding.

You have got it right. Attaching screenshots for your reference

Screen shots are of the output.

[mbarone]

How is the Excel file getting created?  With the Render tool? 

[Akshay_Patole]

Yes

[atcodedog05]

Hi @Akshay_Patole 

An interesting discovery I hadn't come across this scenario before. I was able to replicate the issue. Seems like its a limitation of reporting tools. That data cannot be written as date datatype using reporting tools. 

I have attached my test workflows. 

Hope this helps : )

[mbarone]

Oh okay - that's the issue.   Unfortunately when rendering data from the table tool there is no way to force excel to recognize it as a date.  You have a couple options - you can create the Excel file using an Output Data Tool, create some sort of chained app where the first app created the Excel file via the Render tool as you have right now, and the second app runs a Powershell to convert the date fields to date (see this thread  and then emails it out (I'm assuming your email tool is emailing the Excel file).  The output data tool does allow for data to be put into pre-formatted Excel files if that helps.