Every column in a report's output can be given a display format, so the exported Excel file shows currency as currency, dates as dates, and percentages as percentages without any manual clean-up after the fact. Formats are chosen in the results grid, saved with the report definition, and applied every time the report is exported.
Format Selection
- Run the report in SQL Editor so the results grid is populated.
- Above each column header, open the format selector. It shows the format that was detected from the column's SQL data type.
- Choose the format you want. Hover over an option to see a short description.
- Repeat for any other columns, then Save the report. Your selections are stored with the report and restored the next time it is opened.
Formats can be changed at any time. Changing a format does not change the SQL or the underlying data; it only changes how the value is presented in the output file.
Note: The format selectors are available once a run has produced result columns. If a query fails or times out, correct the query and run it again before setting formats.
Available Formats
| Format | Use for | Example output |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Names, descriptions, codes, and anything that must be preserved exactly as stored | Smith, John |
| Integer | Whole-number counts | 1,234 |
| Decimal | Numbers with a fractional part | 1,234.56 |
| Percent | Ratios stored as a fraction (0.136 displays as 13.6%) | 13.6% |
| Currency | Premium, paid, reserve, balance, and other money amounts | $1,234.56 / -$1,234.56 |
| Accounting | Money amounts in accounting style, with aligned symbols and parentheses for negatives | $ (1,234.56) |
| Date | Calendar dates | 2026-09-30 |
| Datetime | Date and time stamps | 2026-09-30 14:05 |
| Time | Time of day or elapsed time under 24 hours | 14:05:00 |
| Duration | Elapsed time spans | 3d 4h 05m |
| Boolean | Yes/no and true/false flags | TRUE |
| Email addresses | name@example.com | |
| Phone | Phone numbers; leading zeros and punctuation are kept even when the source is numeric | (555) 010-2000 |
| ZIP/Postal | Postal codes; leading zeros are kept | 02134 |
| Scientific | Very large or very small numbers | 1.23E+09 |
| File Size | Byte counts, converted to a readable unit | 2.4 MB |
| JSON/Blob | Structured or binary payloads, kept as text | {"key": "value"} |
The exact set of formats and their labels may vary slightly between releases.
Default Format Detection
When you run a query, each column is assigned a format automatically from its SQL data type: date columns get Date, decimal columns get Decimal, and so on. For stock reports, formats are already set by BriteCore. You only need to change a column's format when the detected type is not the presentation you want, for example:
- A money column stored as a plain decimal: change Decimal to Currency.
- A ratio stored as a fraction: change Decimal to Percent.
- A ZIP code or phone number stored as a number: change Integer to ZIP/Postal or Phone so leading zeros are not lost.
- A column that holds mixed values: change to Text so nothing is reinterpreted.
Formats by Output Type
- Excel (XLSX) output: formats are applied as native Excel cell formats, so the values remain numeric and sortable in Excel.
- Results grid in SQL Editor: values are displayed using the selected format so you can preview the result.
- CSV, TXT, and JSON output: values are written as raw text and column formats do not apply.
Default Column Format Setting
In the report Settings dialog, next to Cover Sheet and the output type, there is a Default Column Format toggle. When it is on, SQL Editor applies currency and percent formatting automatically to columns whose names contain words such as premium, paid, loss, reserve, balance, rate, or ratio. Turn it off if you want to control every format explicitly through the column selectors, or if a column name is triggering an unwanted format.
Tips
- Use SQL aliases to give output columns business-friendly names, in backticks:
SUM(paid) AS `Total Paid`. Then set the format on the aliased column. - If a column's values look wrong in Excel (for example, a percentage that appears 100 times too large or too small), check whether the column's format is Percent and whether the SQL already multiplies by 100. Use one or the other, not both.
- Invalid or unexpected values in a formatted column are written as text rather than causing the export to fail.
